How to make friends in community college…
Is making friends in college necessary and is it a thing to worry about? There are other things you would expect a college student to worry about and making friends might not be one of them.
However, with the world becoming all techy and everyone busy on their laptops or phones. Meeting new people has become hard and can even be harder if you are in a new environment more so in a community college.
How to Make Friends in Community College
Some of the factors that limit one’s ability to make new friends in community college could include; time spent on campus, increased use of technology gadgets or shyness.
And although community college is a place to equip you with skills and knowledge, it should also be a place to help you acquire positive and lasting social relationships. To ensure one achieves this, it is essential to make new friends, and while making connections through social media platforms is also good, having a few physical friendships can prove to be even better.
If unfortunately after joining the community college you have not made any friends yet, then fret no more, this guide gives you the top 10 ways to make friends in a community college. As well as important pointers to ensure you make friends in any new environment.
How to Make Friends in Community College
Join the Sports Team
Joining the sports team is one of the easiest ways to help you meet people, the good thing about co-curricular activities, are the various possibilities, you have an option to participate as a player, but one can also join as a support to the team. Supporting the team can be achieved in different ways, as a water boy or girl, a first aider or an easy task as cheering the team.
Besides making new friends, joining sports in your community college also helps you discover more of your talents and abilities as well as helping improve your skills.
Start or Join a Study Group
The core reason for joining the community college is studying. Having study friends is a win-win situation as it helps you get new friends while still working on your grades. However, if there are no existing study groups you could also start one by approaching some of your colleagues and welcoming them to join your study group.
Tip: To ensure the study group is a success, it is essential to be consistent, set out specific meeting days that fit with everyone’s schedules. With consistency, the study group can grow from three people to a group of five or more members. Maintaining consistency further ensures you attract new members that help in acquiring new friends.
Additionally, meet around campus, your group could select a room in the library to hold your discussions. Meeting on campus increases your chances of attracting new members.
Stick More Around Campus
One thing that makes it hard for students in community colleges to make friends is the few hours spent in school. In most cases, students come to school during their class hours and showing up to school only when you have classes might be what is hindering you from making friends.
You could start by hanging around campus for two or three hours before or after classes. While on campus do not be afraid to approach people and introduce yourself. Additionally, hanging out in places such as the library or the sports rooms is a great way to get started and noticed.
Caution, spending two or three hours trying to make friends might be hard and as a result, you might be tempted to use your phone. Refrain from using your phone during the set hours, instead, focus on learning the environment around you.
Staying glued to your phone shows you are not interested in having a conversation and this might discourage people from approaching you.
Tip: For this method to be effective, however, it is essential to set two or three days a week to spend on campus, for instance, you could decide for the first month to spend two hours for three days a week on campus. Additionally, be intentional with your approach, people will not approach you if you are not friendly, while hanging out around the school be friendly and smile more.
Join a Club
Another great way to make friends in your community college is by joining a club, school clubs are an integral part of the school’s activities as they help students explore various skills and are a great way to build friendships that culminate into lasting relationships. Most of your fellow club members end up being some of your closest friends, business partners or even colleagues at work.
Additionally, you can also start a new club. Find out areas in your school that do not have clubs and approach some of your colleagues for signatures, starting a club also develop your leadership skills.
Be Active in Class and Ask Questions That Spark Discussions
You need to be confident and ready to try things outside your comfort zone, asking questions that spark discussions may be new to you but it is a great way to make you noticed. As a result, you get new friends but also get to interact with people sharing your interests.
Stay around Places in Your Class or Within the Campus That Set You Out as a Friendly Person
Taking your seat in that one corner known for the silent students will not help you acquire new friends. Sit among friendly people in the class and do not be afraid to be part of trending topics. Game rooms are also an ideal place to meet new people.
Volunteer or Work at a Place That Will Help You Meet Your Colleagues
Having a part-time job should not limit you from making new friends. For example, working in a coffee shop where most of your classmates visit during the weekends ensures you interact outside school hours.
While at work, introduce yourself and bring to their attention that you are in the same class or school, this way, you are able to talk more often while on campus.
Besides working, participate in community activities that bring community members together. Chances are, most of your classmates live within your neighborhood. Taking place in voluntary activities brings you closer to your classmates and the great thing about this is, it ensures you meet friends who share the same interest.
Individuals participating in voluntary activities have also been seen to achieve personal growth rather than always being on the receiving end.
Go for College Trips
Once in a while you will see a poster for a class or school trip, do not shy away from joining such events. School trips are a great way to learn in a different setup but are even better in making new friends. People connect based on various factors and finding a common fun activity is one among many. Going for school trips helps you explore your interests making it an ideal way to make new friends.
The next time, your class has a trip, do not shy away and say “I haven’t made any friends in college” as a college trip might be the answer to your concern.
Give Compliments
Compliments are a way of giving and can boost a person’s mood. Complimenting strangers may be hard at the beginning. To get comfortable with giving compliments you could start by complimenting your classmates and you will slowly gain the confidence to approach some of your other colleagues, giving compliments is also a great way to get a conversation started.
Become a Tutor
You can also make new friends by becoming a tutor, find a topic you are good at and offer to help. Tutoring helps you become better at the topic and also helps you appeal as a friendly person.
Bonus Tip.
Invite Your Friends for Fun Activities
Is your birthday month around the corner? Why not have a party and invite some of your classmates. Inviting your colleges for fun activities allows you to interact with your classmates outside class and present an opportunity to discuss your interests or hobbies. Try incorporating fun games as a way to break the ice.
Why are College Friendships Important?
Now that you have various ways on how to meet new people and make friends, let us find out why you really need college friends and get a few great tips to ensure you maintain those long-lasting friendships.
Besides helping you achieve a full college experience, some more benefits in having college friends include.
Creating Memories
Your college friends will help you create long-lasting memories. Your college years are not only a great time to achieve a good education but are also essential in making memories, these memories can only be created with a couple of your close friends. The next time you have an opportunity to go for a class trip, take lots of pictures, try out new cuisines but most importantly always remember to make new friends.
Achieving Academic Excellence
By joining or creating study groups, you are assured of attaining better grades, while still maintaining healthy relationships. Study groups help you grasp a few points you might have missed during a class or even help you understand certain topics better.
Creating Long Life Friendships
Your college friends are in some cases some of your long life and best friends even after school. After completing school joining a new organization or working in a different state might be boring if you do not have friends to hang out with or share the various milestones in life.
And Remember:
Always Be on the Look-out
The college administration will occasionally email the students to inform them of new clubs, trips, or conferences, be on the lookout to ensure you are always informed on activities happening on campus. Getting actively involved in finding new friends will eventually reap and also makes it easier for you to seamlessly blend in with your peers.
Maintain Consistency
To ensure you have high chances of meeting new people it is vital to be consistent in your habits, for instance, ensure your study group meetings are regular. Also, create a habit of staying on campus for several hours every week. Consistency is a great habit that is not only helpful in achieving your goal in meeting new people but in achieving personal development.
Stay True to Yourself
Making friends might sometimes tempt you to hide your trues self. Remember to stay true to your beliefs and customs. By doing this you are bound to attract people with alike beliefs.
However, while maintaining your authenticity, it is also essential to have an open approach to life, be ready to learn from different people, in the process you get to learn and appreciate different cultures.
Having a few friends outside your comfort zones also improves your interaction with people across different cultures.
Hang Around Positive Friends
The journey to finding friends might be sometimes hard and daunting, especially with the need to belong. However, it is important to maintain one’s sanity by ensuring you stay around positive and supportive friends. It is okay to stay without many friends if the experience is draining or putting you down.
Ready to Make Some Friends?
The process of making new friends is not always easy. Along the road you will encounter some rejections, do not shy away from meeting people due to rejections. Keep asking, inviting people to fun things and eventually, some people will come around. Not having people show up, does not say anything about who you are and should not affect your personality.
Human interaction is a key part of our growth, making friendships essential. And with the increasing use of technology, we are sometimes tempted to make connections with people we cannot see. But making friends in your community college has now been made easier with the above tips. However, one general rule to ensure you meet and make new friends is to be intentional with your actions and interactions.