My hometown is Memphis, Tennessee but I currently attend Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia and I recently had the chance to speak to a freshman that was in the same predicament I was in when I was a freshman. Coming thirteen and a half hours away from home is a stretch because most people from your hometown go to schools that are closer home. When I first got to Hampton I realized 'Repping your Region' was a big deal here. Specifically because Hampton is such a diverse school with people from every region attending. Some of the major cities you hear within the regions are Philadelphia, Chicago, PG County, Las Vegas, Houston, etc. One city you definitely do not hear a lot is Memphis. This did not bother me, personally, until I realized that a lot of people were connecting through the cities they were from. When people meet someone from their same city they instantly get excited and start asking about where they live, what high school they went to, and more. At first knowing you can not have that connection with more people in your class felt kind of lonely, but over time as the year progressed I learned how to cope with knowing I was a rare breed on campus in four ways.
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1. The friends I have made.
My friends I have made here are very inclusive. Now sometimes they joke around and say that I am from Philly, because for a time that was who I mostly hung out with. There were never times where I felt left out or behind because I was always included in the hangouts and they always worked to explain to me what they were talking about. I went to Philly for the first time during Spring break of my freshman year and I got to see some of the places they always talk about. I am also still learning the lingo of people from Philly and comparing it to the lingo from Memphis. My friends definitely made the transition easier.
2. Keeping in touch with the few I knew.
There were people from Memphis on campus, and the way I was able to meet them all were through one of my dad's friends that worked on campus. Once I met them I was finally able to have a conversation with them like all my friends would have with people from their cities. I also made sure to keep in touch with them throughout the school year and I would talk to them, hang out in between classes, or go to lunch with them. We would text from time to time and they were mostly upperclassmen so I asked them about books and what teachers I should take. I was not completely alone from Memphis and when I finally found others from Memphis I made sure to keep in contact.
3. My organizations and classes.
There are not a lot of organizations that you can join as a freshman but there are quite a few and being a part of organizations allowed me to meet many new people. As well as making light conversations throughout my classes. Having several friends in class helps, especially when you need help with an assignment or remembering something from the lecture. In college being involved is all a part of the experience and a great way to make new friends is by being involved.
4. Being open-minded.
A lot of people in college have their own opinions, views, and perceptions of everything. If you tell yourself you don't want to be friends with someone just because of the way they think, dress, or act without really getting to know them you can miss out on many opportunities. You never know what someone's future looks like and judging them because you don't like the shoes they are wearing, because they don't like the same movie as you, or because they have 'weird' personalities is very high school.
I have developed into a pretty outgoing person and will talk to just about anyone so I when I realized right away what I needed to do to make friends, my social life became easier. Some people don't care to meet a lot of new people, but for those who do I hope some of these tips were helpful.
