College, the more expensive and more intimidating version of daycare. A place where kids are supposed to explore what they love, make friends, and eat preferably three meals a day (I eat two). With the idea of college and experiencing new things, you are expected to know what you're going to do with the rest of your life and make friends along the way.
As someone who would rather spend their time alone watching Netflix, I know finding friends can be hard. What's interesting is that it isn't much easier in college, it could be, but when it is, it's harder to actually remember the people you've met. Now I know that the last sentence can sound bad, but you all secretly agree with me.
Orientation and the first week of school can be filled with all types of interactive activities that professors believe will help us make friends. For the most part, these activities work, and we meet people who can enjoy our references and laugh at our jokes. The problem is, we have already forgotten this person's name, and unless we remember to ask for snapchat or Instagram...we may never see them again.
So making friends in college can be pretty difficult the first week, but it gets easier as time goes by. Or so I thought, but here I am still struggling to remember the names of everyone in my class. It's okay though because they don't know my name either.
The Professor for my Seminar spoke to my class about the importance of getting to know each other and meeting new people. She was explaining how we were all freshman in the same boat trying to adjust to college life and all that it has to offer. Professor Cook has told our class that we should exchange information and get to know each other.
Getting someone's number for a group project or to ask about the homework can be helpful, but it feels almost as if that's all you need them for. Which is good too I guess, I'm in a group chat for my floor and it's pretty helpful for the most part. I'm just worried that now all those numbers in my phone won't be utilized as much as they could be.
Meeting new people is always the part of college that I'm going to think is the hardest. I enjoy the small group I have. I've known most of them since Orientation in June. We have a group chat that almost none of us still use, but I know that I can always contact them.
Those are the types of connections teachers encourage you to make, but when you are meeting all these people you'll never know which ones are the ones to last. So when I meet someone new and I can't remember their name, I feel bad; they could be my next best friend. In daycare, when you make a friend it seems like you'll stay buddies forever, but that's only because when we're younger we don't overthink.
We're in college now, which means we have a lot more choices of people to befriend, but also a large chance of never meeting someone-or someone-you can really connect with.
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