With a little help from my friends

College is a great time to start afresh and meet people from all walks of life. But it can be hard to make friends. Here, we take you through some of the best ways to meet like-minded people

How to meet like-minded people in college

“There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met.” – WB Yeats In a 2015 analysis published in the ‘Perspectives on Psychological Science’ journal, the absence of social connections has the same health risk as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Humans are social creatures and we need relationships to feel happy and healthy.

College campuses can feel impersonal with thousands of students and not a familiar face in sight. This is especially true if you are attending college alone. Moving to another town and not being able to talk to your childhood friends every day can be scary. But the friendships made in college can last a lifetime and provide a lot of the greatest experiences during your time in college.

Below are just five ideas of what you can do to put yourself out there and meet people:

Join clubs and societies

In order to develop those human relationships in college, the first step should be joining a club and/or society. These organisations are the backbone of student life and can even look good on a CV. Most colleges have a week or two at the start of the term to register for one of the many clubs on campus. If you are athletic, you can join the GAA team, soccer, rugby or other sports clubs, and you might even get to play for your college. If you love literature and drama, debating or even watching fantasy films, there is most likely a club for you.

You’ ll be sure to meet people who have the same interests as you do, you will get to meet up with them at least once a week and these organisations usually have meet-and-greets and social evenings. They are the perfect opportunity to make friends possibly even for life.

Be yourself

It is age-old advice, but it is a classic for a reason. It is tempting to try to change yourself to fit in with others, whether that is by pretending to love playing the game ‘Fortnite’, or forcing yourself to laugh at offensive jokes to fit in with the gang.

According to a paper published in the ‘Social Cognition’ journal in 2009, people tend to drift towards other people who are similar to them and even those who move the same way. So, if you just move like yourself and let your personality shine through, those who share your interests and sense of humour will natural gravitate towards you.

Commuting for friendship

As the price of rent continues to rise every year, more and more students are opting for commuting to college. But this can have a negative effect on making friends.

Psychologist Treasa Fox says, “College can be a lonely time, as you are leaving home and can’t talk to your friends from home every day. This is especially true for those who commute to college. They spend their days in college and then return home in the evening. They are not able to engage with friends on campus and their friends from back home have most likely moved away too. It is important for students like this to make connections early to combat loneliness.”

Commuting may make it slightly more difficult to connect, but there are a number of ways you can make friends even if you don’t live in the area. This includes exploring the campus between lectures and taking part in college events during the day, which there are plenty of throughout the year.

And, remember, there are always other commuters. Scope them out and try to start up a friendship with others who spend their days just like you do. You will have a group of likeminded people in no time!

From roomies to besties

Whether you are living in student accommodation or are sharing a house, your housemates are your first step to making friends. You are most likely going to be living with them for at least a year, so it is important to get to know them as soon as you can.

It is likely that they are feeling the same way you are: excited, nervous and possibly scared about their first day at university. So you will have at least a few things in common. Talk to them and plan to meet up for lunch the next day, or meet in the student bar in the evening. The next thing you know, you will have a new friendship right next door.

Go to class

Of course it is important to attend lectures for academic reasons, but it can also help with your social life. The best place to make friends is in your own college course.

Depending on your course, you could spend up to 40 hours a week with your classmates. You spend most of your time with the other students on your course so it’s easy to get to know each other, especially since you clearly like the same subject! A lot of modules include tutorials, labs, and group projects and these give you time to talk to and get to know your fellow students and work with one goal in mind. Not only will you make friends to hang out with, but you also have buddies in the class who you can share notes with and form study groups. So now there’s even more of a reason to go to class!

COLLEGE CAN BE A LONELY TIME, AS YOU ARE LEAVING HOME AND CAN’T TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS FROM HOME EVERY DAY.”