One of the hardest parts about going to school is finding new friends. After spending years with the same people, in the same school, in the same town, it can be hard making the jump to a new place filled with people you’ve never met. As soon as you step foot on campus, there’s a mad dash to meet new people, as fast as possible. Maybe they’re your roommate, your suite mates, people in your classes, or just random people you talk to - but no matter who you are, everyone is looking for someone to be friends with.
For me, coming to NC State from a town 400 miles away, I knew I was going to have to put in some work to make new friends. I was moving to a different state, in a different region in the United States. I was concerned about getting along with people who would definitely have different thoughts, views, and ideas than me. Once I got to school, I tried to meet as many people as I could, split my time between lots of different people, and wanted to do anything that kept me from being lonely.
But after a few weeks passed, I got into the swing of my classes, and got more comfortable on campus, I didn’t have to force my way into friendships anymore. In my classes, I made friends while working on projects in the middle of the night in my design studio. In my dorm, I started spending more time with my suite mates, going to football games or hanging out while we worked on our homework. We got to know each other better. We found common interests, and hung out with each other for more reasons than the fact that we just didn't want to eat alone at dinner in the dining halls.
Today, a year after my freshman-friend-finding-frenzy, I can honestly say my suite mates and classmates from last year of some of my best friends. I’ve gone on trips with them, met their families, had them visit me in my hometown, and spent countless hours keeping contact with them when we’re away from school. I can truly say that they’re more than people to keep me company while I’m away from home, more than my “college friends.” They’re some of my best friends, right alongside the friends I’ve known since elementary school.
Finding a good group of friends in college is daunting, but it’s important. Once I stopped trying to make a million friends and doing anything and everything to stay busy, I found a group of good people that I enjoy being around. We don’t all come from the same place. We don’t all have the same views. But we all have a good time together, and that’s what matters.
If you haven’t found your group of friends in college yet, don’t worry; it will happen. In due time, you’ll find people to make spontaneous fast food runs with, people to play volleyball with in the middle of the night while it’s raining, and people to make college better than it already is.
