College is a huge transition from high school, especially if you’re like me and have strict parents. College was my first real taste of freedom. It wasn’t like I was trapped at home all the time, but I couldn’t do everything the other kids were doing – going to parties and staying up until 2:00 a.m. unless I was doing homework. (The only parties I went to were birthday parties.) Although, I did get an extension on my curfew on prom night which was fun but tiring. As a college student, I had to learn on my own that parties aren’t for me and that I’d rather stay inside and catch up on homework or watch something I find entertaining in the event that I don’t have any homework. But typically, there’s always work that needs to be done.
Making Friends
When I first got to college, I was wary about my environment because I had never really been away from home before besides the occasional family vacations and sleepovers at my friends’ houses. I was worried I wasn’t going to make friends and that my social battery was going to die before I could hang out with anyone I did become friends with.
As I started to inch out of my comfort zone, I eventually formed a friend group. It started with the students who lived down the hall from my dorm room, and then it branched out. Soon into my college career, I made friends with two different groups of people. It was fun while it lasted, but I drifted apart from both friend groups. I realized that not everyone is your friend; that’s something that university students learn gradually as they exist in the college world and in just life after high school. I’m not as close with my high school friends as I used to be. That’s just because of time and distance, but not everyone has the same story. Friends come and go, but for most of us, we have that one friend or friends that just get us on a deeper level and connect with us on all levels.
It’s good to find people you have common interests with, can trust, and are able to develop emotional vulnerability with. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people can lead to long-lasting friendships and relationships. This is especially important to university students because college can be stressful and depressing if one’s world is consumed with doing schoolwork.
Joining Organizations
In my first year of college, I went through a stage of depression because all I did was work and it was draining and emotionally overwhelming. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I started joining organizations and making more friends, and it was the best decision I could have made as a university student. Joining organizations forces one to get out of their comfort zone and feel comfortable expressing themselves within that space. So I’d encourage all those who are transitioning to college or already in college to get involved on campus by joining organizations that speak to you. It might just change your life as it did mine.
Even if you don’t find your niche among the organizations on campus or don’t know where to start, there are student involvement/organization fairs you can attend to receive more information on an organization or ways to get involved on campus. Organizations also host events, so if you’re interested in joining some, attending their events is a great way to get to know more about the organization and while also increasing your social skills. A lot of the events organizations will host are community service events. These events are not only a great way to interact with the members of the organization, but they’re a great way to do a good deed unto the community.
Enjoying Sports
Most campuses have sports teams, including intramural teams. If you’re interested in sports, joining a sports team is a great way to do what you enjoy while meeting and working with like-minded students. Showing positive sportsmanship for your teammates contributes to one’s personal growth and helps boost the aura of the team. If you’re not good at sports or don’t necessarily want to be on a team but enjoy watching sports, going to games with friends can be a fun venture away from the dorm room or wherever you reside.
Experiencing Dorm Life
I’m a junior in college, and I’ve stayed in a dorm room for all three years of my college career. I recommend it. I’ve had some good and bad experiences with roommates, but it was worth the trials and tribulations. I saw the true colors of some people I once called my friends, and I made new friends. What I learned is that you have to be willing to experience the bad in order to find the good in any experience.
I found my roommates on social media after I found out they were my roommates. Of course, we don’t all have social media and some of us are morally opposed to using it, which is fine. However, it is a good way to communicate with potential roommates or friends. Making friends through social media could even lead to building a connection with potential roommates. Your roommates could become your closest friends and you should take advantage of that, especially if your schedules match up and you’re able to conduct study sessions with them. Study sessions are a good way to be productive while connecting on a personal level.
Working and Leading
Working on campus is another way for university students to find community and get into a routine that allows you to sustain a work-life balance. I work on campus and my staff members are some of my closest friends, just like my roommates. They equally keep me on my toes and help build my character. I feed off of their energy and grapple toward them because they have such an inviting presence and are easy to get along with. They encourage me to take up leadership roles, which I have, and to be myself no matter what.
Taking up leadership roles can help you form your own communities and build on the ones you’re already part of. They help qualify you for positions of even higher standing and opportunities for academic excellence and personal endeavors.
Ultimately, as university students get more involved on their campuses, whether that be through joining organizations, attending events, living on campus with roommates, or working on campus they become more exposed to campus social life and feel more inclined to build community with their peers.
written by Regan Murray
BTB University Student
January 2025