Heading back to school for the 2018 year? Maybe you finished up at high school and you’re headed into your first year of University? Whatever the case may be, it is not uncommon for students to be entering a new situation or starting at a new school where they are not well acquainted with the other students. Whether you’re shy, or simply new on campus it can be overwhelming to socialize with strangers in loud bars or in the socially intimidating ecosystem of the cafeteria. In this post, we’ll explore some strategies for getting to know your fellow students.
Throw a Party!
Typically, two good ways to initiate a good conversation is to (1) find a common interest to discuss or (2) create a common goal to work towards. For example, if you major in Biology, you could organize a party for your department with drinks and live music or a DJ. Starting a conversation will be easy, since everyone studies the same thing, has the same professors and very likely have similar career ambitions. Usually University departments have a bit of a budget set aside if you express the desire to plan a party. Why not put those tuition dollars to good use on a funk band and some sangria! You could even order high quality custom sweaters with biology puns on them, after all, nothing brings people together like a good dad joke!
Start a Hobby Group/ Fundraising Initiative
You could also propose a project where students would have to work together towards a common goal, so whether it’s fundraising for a good cause, starting a Led Zeppelin cover band to play the campus bar, or a slam poetry group, you can all bond over a shared sense of accomplishment. It’s easy to feel isolated and overwhelmed at college, pursuing personal expression and befriending people through project-based work is much healthier than smoking tons of pot and playing video games, or binge drinking at the bar.
Start a Study Group
A study group is an easy, helpful, low stakes excuse to stage a social gathering. Everyone in your class has to suffer through hours and hours of studying through mid-terms, so you may as well suffer together. Working in solitude can be extremely draining, if you’re working with classmates, you can help keep each other’s energy up by chatting and encouraging each other between spurts of making and memorizing notes. If you’re studying Spanish or Latin, there may be people who are more advanced than others in the group, who can help slower learning pick up the pace while refining their own skills. Some people learn better in a social setting.
Intramural Sports
Another great excuse for printing cool, custom athletic wear, getting together a game of soccer, ultimate Frisbee or basketball at the school gym is a great way to get those endorphins flowing while making friends. Most universities have amazing athletic facilities, why not take advantage? A steady university diet of ramen noodles, beer and pizza demands the occasional bout of exercise for damage control!