When I recall my first year of college, I remember the scariest part: making friends. It's not always easy to do -- especially as an introvert. Despite it being perhaps a tad more difficult to make the right friends, I survived. For all those still worried about making good friends: You will survive too. College isn't all about the academics; there's also a social aspect of going to school. In my experience, there are four types of friends you'll make in college. Not all of them will be for keeps, but some of them you will want to stick around forever!
1. The Orientation Friends
Anyone who has experienced freshman orientation knows about this friend. This is probably someone you meet on the first day in your orientation group. The friendship usually goes something like this: "Hey! We have this one really random thing in common, so I'm going to attach myself to you so I have someone to sit with at orientation events!" Everyone wants to feel like they belong somewhere the first week of college. Though this friendship may not end in something long term, it's a temporary solution.
2. The Friends You Only See At Parties
So you've been curled up in a corner of the library writing a paper all week, but now that the paper is done you want to unwind with some friends. This is the third time you've gone to a party, and some of the faces are starting to get familiar. There is one person in particular that you always see at parties, and you think you consider them a friend. It's hard to tell, because you only see this person at parties. In fact, you've never seen them on campus during the day. Do they even go to class? We don't know.
3. Classroom Friends
These are always good to have, especially in a class with partnered projects! Once you decide your major, you'll be seeing a lot of the same people on a regular basis. Having classroom friends makes life significantly easier -- especially when you can't remember what that assigned reading was for psychology! Sometimes classroom friends become close friends, perhaps after a semester of bonding over your mutual hatred of statistics. These friends always have your back, even if you're not close outside of the classroom. After all, they might be asking you about the homework assignment someday!
4. Forever Friends
Maybe that sounds a little cheesy, but it's the truth! Your squad, your homeboys, your amigos -- whatever you want to call them -- these friends will always be by your side. These are the people you will turn to at four in the morning when you're having a breakdown because you just can't finish your English paper. These are the people who you will consume mass amounts of food with and then complain about gaining the freshman 15 the next day. It's not always easy to find these kind of friends, but once you do, you won't regret searching for them!
