To all of the upcoming freshmen:
Congratulations! You've gotten your high school diploma, and accepted into what is hopefully the college of your dreams. It can be a stressful time, especially if your best friends aren't going to the same school as you. Finding new friends is hard! I was terrified the night before I went to orientation. It is your first real, mandatory college experience. I am very socially awkward, shy and introverted, and I was going to be surrounded by people I didn't know and sharing a room with one of them. It sounded like torture. I made sure to take a book with me because I knew that if no one would talk to me, Stephen King would be there for me.
I was utterly shocked at how easy it was to make friends. I don’t think I opened my book the whole time I was there. There are so many different opportunities to meet people, while also getting important stuff done. I made my first friend when I was going to get my student ID made. We talked, and found out we were staying on the same hall. My roommate wasn’t in our room yet, so I crashed her room for a little while and met her roommate. We eventually met all of the people who were on our hall for the night which made it a little bit easier. Then we had ice breakers that we did in different random groups. We basically had a party set up to meet people that night. You will be given endless opportunities to interact with people who aren’t necessarily like you.
The people I met at orientation are some of my best friends now. That was only the beginning for me. You will take classes with people who will be your friends. You will meet friends of your friends. You will meet random people on campus. If you join clubs or organizations, you will meet people in those. There are people to meet everywhere you go. I just finished my first year at Francis Marion, and it has been one of the best years of my life because of the people I met.
I will admit that everyone is going to have different experiences. Those of you who go to bigger universities in bigger cities will only have more opportunities to meet people. Every person is different, but I am confident that you will find your place. We pick universities that suit us really well, even though we may not realize it at first. People will always tell you that college was the best four years of their lives, and it may not seem like it when you are just starting out. You will meet lifelong friends in the most unexpected places. Don’t worry about it too much, because it really is easier than it seems. I may not be an expert yet, but I do know that putting yourself out there makes all the difference.
Stay positive and follow the good vibes.
