Your freshman year of college is one of the most life-changing years you will ever experience. You're suddenly thrown into an entirely new setting and expected to fend for yourself in unfamiliar territory. While this can be a scary time, especially for introverted people, the most important thing you can do for yourself is to get involved. Small campuses will obviously have fewer clubs and activities planned, but you probably can't be a member of 187 different organizations at once, either. Even at a small college, you'll still have some awesome opportunities to get involved during your freshman year. If you're a naturally shy person, or even an extrovert who is just scared of not making friends in college, do not fear. You will find something you love in college.
1. Attend all campus events you can fit into your schedule.
This is especially important during your first few weeks on campus. Getting involved as soon as possible can often be what makes or breaks your college experience. There is almost never an excuse to be bored in college – there is literally always something happening. Go to sporting events and cheer on your team, go see what prizes you can take home at the campus-wide bingo night, or go watch your fellow students' music performances. Most of the freshmen that don't return for their second semester or second year are the ones who didn't leave their dorms all year. As hard as it is, put down your phone, quit texting your high school best friend for a couple hours, and see how many people you can meet. The campus events that sound lame can be some of the most fun nights all year. You'll never regret going out and meeting new people, especially at the beginning of the year. If you don't know what's going on, follow your college on social media or ask the Residence Life workers if there is anything happening on campus.
2. Join an organization.
There are organizations for everything. If you love politics, get involved in your student government. If you love writing, look into writing a piece for the newspaper. My college of about 750 students has a Yu-Gi-Oh! club. Most likely, there will be some sort of involvement fair during orientation or within the first couple weeks of school. Every organization wants you to come get involved with them, so don't be afraid to ask about something if you are even slightly interested. The easiest way to make friends in college is to find people who like the same things you do and go from there.
3. Go Greek.
Most people I meet always give the line, "Oh, I'm just not a sorority girl/frat guy." I thought the exact same thing, and here I am, the New Member Educator for my local sorority, Alpha Theta Chi, for the second semester in a row. Rushing can be extremely intimidating, but it's one of the best decisions I made my freshman year. I go to a small private school, so we aren't nearly on the level that some of the national chapters are, but I immediately had 20 girls that had my back as I went through my first semester. You don't have to love everybody in your organization, but chances are you will make some awesome friends by joining a sisterhood or brotherhood of likeminded people. If you're not rushing because of the stereotypes you see on television, don't believe them for one second. That was my biggest fear, and some of my favorite memories from my freshman year were spending hours volunteering and hanging out with my sisters. There really is a Greek organization for everybody.
4. Play intramural sports.
If you've got the time to spare or are interested in getting in some physical activity without actually hitting the gym, intramural sports are a great way to get involved. If you played a sport in high school and are having a tough time transitioning into not dedicating half of your time to practicing/playing that sport, the next best thing is joining an intramural team. There's volleyball, softball, dodgeball, my school even did Quidditch. If your campus doesn't have it and you want to play it, ask about starting something up.
5. Hang out in the common areas.
Every campus has popular spots to hang out. If you're really struggling with spending too much time locked up in your room, head out to somewhere you know people will be. Even if you don't find something to do at that exact time, there is a pretty good chance that there will be posters or advertising going on for upcoming events that you can look into. Don't be afraid to just jump into an event, it may seem really intimidating, but more often than not, upperclassmen are more than happy to help you get involved. Generally, the more the merrier!
6. Look for what's going on within your major.
Whether you're a theater major or a physics major, there is probably a club for you to get involved with. The Business Club on my campus goes on trips every year and is open to students who aren't even business majors. There are groups that meet to put on events related to/promoting your major. If you love criminal justice but don't major in it, look into getting involved with the students who are and see if there are any events you can attend for fun. This is also a great opportunity to learn about internships and other happenings in your area that could help you get your foot in the door for future jobs.
7. Find an on-campus job.
While not all jobs on campus are going to be fun ones, they really are great ways to meet people. I work a few jobs at my college. I help plan the campus events, and it's a lot of fun! I get paid to hang out with other college students and host all of the events from movie nights to egg hunts. If you are a business major, see if the financial aid office needs some student help. Find something you like doing and get paid for it. On-campus jobs work around your schedule, and your boss will always put your schoolwork first.
8. Volunteer.
At my school, servant leadership is one of our core values. Most students spend several hours every semester volunteering, and it's a great way to give back to your community and meet people outside of your college too. My sorority volunteers every week, and most organizations have some sort of volunteer work planned. If you're passionate about something and have a free afternoon, community service and volunteer work is a great way to get involved, meet people, and it looks great on a résumé to future employers.
9. Organize study groups.
College is hard. If you were a straight-A student who never studied in high school, you probably can't get away with that anymore. The hardest part of transitioning to college for me was learning how to study effectively. Don't underestimate the power of group studying. Somebody else may have a better way to remember something or they may have a way of teaching it to you that makes way more sense than the way your professor did. This is a great way to start up friendships with people who are taking similar classes to you. It may be intimidating to ask a group of people you hardly know to get together, but you'll be happy you did. It's also way more fun to study with a couple friends than it is to sit in your dorm room at a desk by yourself for three hours at a time.
From one overworked and overtired college student to another, it is so worth it to get involved. Some of the most intelligent people I know dropped out of school because they didn't enjoy themselves. College isn't for everybody, but there is rarely an excuse to be bored. Even if you're scared, be as busy as you can be in the first couple months of college. After you find your place, you can settle down a bit, get comfortable, and have fun. College can be some of the best years of your life, but only if you make them be. Go get 'em, freshmen!
