It is hard going to a new school especially when it is the transition between high school to college (this goes for transfers as well). It can be difficult to adjust especially if you are far from home. Your parents are not right there to step in every time you need them. The friends you have had since you were probably in elementary school are now miles and miles away. You cannot just call them up to go out for dinner or have a night in and watch movies. You feel alone and it is worse if you do not know a single person at your school. Even if you do know a few people attending your school, you may not be close to them and cannot just tag along to everything they do. So here is some advice on ways you can make friends at your new school if you are feeling hopeless in the friend making department.

1. Get to know your fellow classmates.

Especially in the classes that are for your major. I attend a small university with the average class size being about 20 to 30 students but this size gets progressively smaller as you reach the upper level classes of your major usually. Often times, you will see the same people in the classes for your major because they probably have the same major and need those classes too. These are the people you need to get to know. You will see them frequently and by getting to know them you can avoid that awkward feeling of seeing the same person everywhere but you both act like you have never seen the other a day in their life. Also, this will be helpful when it comes to class assignments and group projects! This may be a bit harder for bigger universities but I am sure you will have a couple classes with the same people at some point in your college career. Get to know them!

2. Join a campus organization or club!

My university has an activity fair where you can go learn about all the clubs and organizations the university has to offer! It also allows you to meet people and gives you easy access to signing up for some things you may be interested in but did not know it was offer. Be active on campus is a great way to meet new people and make friends who have common interests with you!

3. Join a sorority or fraternity!

While I know the recruitment process may seem scary, I think it is well worth it for the lifetime of benefits you will reap from joining a sorority or fraternity. You will make lifelong friends who will be there for you all throughout your life, maybe even be a part of your wedding or the godparents of your children. You also develop many skills and have leadership opportunities through being a part of Greek life. By joining, not only will you make lifelong friends but you will also benefit in so many more ways than you could ever imagine!

4. Get a job.

This one may be a little harder just because it might be hard to juggle work and school. When you have a job, you are more than likely working with the same people a lot. Hopefully you like the people you work with and can hang out with them outside of work. It is just one way to meet some new people who may have common interests with you (I mean you both chose to work at this place for a reason right?).

5. Get out of your comfort zone.

Maybe none of these tips were helpful for you at all and instead you just want to sit in your room and do nothing but mope and whine about how you do not have any friends. But that simply is just unacceptable. You will have to get out of your comfort zone in order to make new friends. Try going to a school held event! You may have to go alone which will probably be the hardest step, then look for someone who seems friendly and strike up a conversation with them. This sounds hard, but it really is not. Most people are friendly and would be more than willing to have a conversation with you. They may be in the exact same position as you are and feel alone. They will be thankful that you had the courage to talk to them and look, now you have a new friend!

Good luck to everyone this school year! Especially to those who are just starting college for the first time or have transferred somewhere else! Just remember there are probably people who are feeling the same way you are. Just have the courage to step out of your comfort zone, by doing so you can make your circumstances a lot better.