I remember in grade school singing "make new friends but keep the old" during girl scout meetings. Never did I think this would apply to my college years. For some reason, the thought of making new friends has always freaked me out. But as I've gotten older, making new friends hasn't been as difficult as I had anticipated.
One of my concerns about high school and college was the idea that I wouldn't make any friends. Both times, my concerns seemed to disappear after the first few days of both new chapters of my life. I must admit though, making friends in high school was a little easier than college.
I went to high school with two of my best friends from grade school. Automatically, I was guaranteed two friends- two girls to sit at the lunch table with. But what I didn't anticipate was meeting one of my best friends that I have now.
I actually met her at a summer camp, and I honestly couldn't tell you exactly how we became friends- it just kind of happened. And now, I couldn't imagine my life without her. The same goes with one of my other close high school friends. We became close through a mutual friend and without me every really noticing, we became best friends.
So, it wasn't that hard in high school, finding my close group of friends really just happened. And luckily, I was friends with them for the majority of my high school years.
Unlike my transition from grade school to high school, I knew no one going into college. Yes, my roommate was from the same hometown as I was, but we weren't close friends going into the school year. I considered her a stranger and so going into college I kind of felt alone.
That sense of loneliness definitely disappeared after the first few days. I remember staying up all night chatting with my roommate once she moved in knowing we would get along just fine and become good friends. Although I was confident in my relationship with my roommate, I was still nervous about making friends outside of a small dorm room.
However, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It really is as simple as knocking on your neighbors door (or knocking and running away in this case). A knock on a door can lead to getting lunch together because both of you don't want to eat alone which can lead to friendship.
And let me just say, boy am I glad my neighbors knocked on my door because they are my closest friends on campus. I feel like I've known them forever when really it has only been a few short weeks. It probably helps that we practically live together.
It's also easy making friends through connections. My first week in college I ran into a girl from the same hometown as myself. Immediately, I knew we were going to be friends when she explained to me that she loved the Cardinals and shared other interests with me.
It's crazy how you meet someone five hours away from home and yet you only lived 10 minutes from them your whole life. You automatically feel a bond with them just because you share the same home and can relate to almost everything the other person says.
So, making friends wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I've made other friends simply just walking to a class, waiting for the elevator, or hanging out in the lounge of my residence hall (shoutout to my sixth floor sweethearts).
You just have to put yourself out there and be yourself. But of course, don't forget your old friends. Save time for them but allow yourself to meet new people and hear about their life and experiences. It truly is amazing getting to know people so different than yourself.
