How to Make New Friends in College (10 Tips for Introverts)

how to make new friends in college

Looking to make more friends, but are having trouble pursuing them? Here are 10 tips on how to make new friends in college as an introvert!

A lot of information out there about making new friends is always too socially demanding for introverts (going to parties, joining frats/sororities, etc.)

Hopefully these tips will show you an easier way to get started in building your social circle!

But first, let’s discuss why it’s even important to make new friends…

Why You Should Make New Friends in College

Making friends in college is useful for a few reasons outside of the “hangout” scenarios to kill time.

Here are a few reasons you should make new friends in college:

  • More connections
  • Share/Work on assignments together
  • Study and test each other
  • Share useful info before and after tests
  • Have comfort in knowing you’re not alone
  • Opportunities to travel with people
  • Potential for future roommates

As you can see, having a few friends or an entire network of friends can be of great use when you need it most!

Humans are naturally social creatures… even as introverts. Without people around us, we can even start to experience worse moods!

Now that you understand the “why”, let’s move on to the 10 tips that actually work…

Join Facebook Groups

Whether you’re a new incoming freshman or a senior in college, you can always find a Facebook group to join.

If you’re not a frequent Facebook user (neither am I), you can still just hop on to find the groups and meet new people.

Have any interests? Search for that interest or hobby on Facebook to find like-minded individuals looking for more people like you.

Here’s how joining facebook groups helps:

  • Connect with incoming students
  • Interact with current students
  • Find dorm roommates instead of random assignment
  • Find clubs of interest
  • Join sports groups
  • Buy/Sell things you need for cheap
  • Get the feel for what’s available on campus

Almost every college has hundreds of groups on practically everything you can think of. Plus, if there isn’t a group for your hobbies, I bet other people are just waiting for you to make one!

The first step into building a lasting friendship is that “omg same!” moment when you realize you have something in common.

You can also just join basic study groups and freshman groups to chat online and hopefully meet up if you like anyone after talking a bit!

Make Friends of Friends

Probably the fastest way to make new friends in college is by making friends of already existing friends!

If you know just a single person, that person might have connections to more people who you might get along with.

I’m sure you see how this can easily snowball into a giant group of friends that you can get to know better.

The best part is, if you don’t get along with all of them or a joke doesn’t land within that group, you always have your original friend to fall back on for comfort.

All you have to do is ask to tag along with that friend when they go out. A simple text will do!

Utilize College Apps

best apps for college students

Some of the best apps for college students out there are designed to help you make friends or stay in the loop with new people.

Apps like ZeeMee and Meetup are both fantastic for getting to know new people with similar interests or just to get more comfortable with classmates.

For example, here’s what the Zeemee app offers:

  • Meet Other College Applicants
  • Learn About Your College from Other Students
  • Get Questions Answered Quickly
  • Vibe with Other Admits (see who you get along with)
  • Find a Roommate (through personalized quizzes!)
  • Figure Out Who’s in Your Classes
  • Join Clubs and Chats
  • Get Updated on Events and Parties

All of that in one app!  

Make sure you check if your specific college has an app of their own. Most of them do and they are excellent for meeting new people!

Stay Up to Date on College Events

Once in a while, your college will post about events, competitions, groups, and news that you can be part of to have fun in college.

What you should NOT do in college is join any sort of politically related events since things can get pretty heated in college.

Steer clear of those rallies and definitely make sure you form your own opinion before listening to all the loud noise college students can tend to make.

Back to the main point, going to events such as sports games is an awesome way to enjoy college. Spirits of college teams are powerful and contagious so absorb all of that positive energy.

Those college events are exactly how you’re going to meet new friends and continue to expand your social circle.

Take Advantage of Your Dorm

dorm lounge for making new friends in college

Dorms are specifically designed to keep college students near each other. Wander around and see where conversations take you.

Roommates are also extremely beneficial to make new friends in college. Always be friendly to them and be considerate of their surroundings.

Lasting relationships are very easily formed when you live with the same people everyday. So take a friendly approach towards everyone.

Remember, making friends is not about finding them. It’s about being actively friendly to those you come across.

Get Out More

This doesn’t mean you need to get out to party or just randomly start talking to people. This means you should do things outside.

For example, instead of studying at your desk, study at a table outside or a local coffee shop.

Instead of reading a book in your bed, read it in the dorm lounging area.

The point is, those simple things that you usually do inside can easily be done outside. This sets you up for more natural conversation.

Chances are, you might see a “regular” sitting nearby everyday which could be a gateway to new friendships.

Join a Sport

Sports have this crazy ability to turn strangers into family.

By joining a sport, you’re setting yourself up to a social commitment. You’ll see the same people almost everyday.

Of course, you might vibe with some people more than others, but that’s the beauty of it. You have so many options to choose from.

Even if you make 2 close friends out of a group of 30 familiar people, you’ve still expanded your circle and tightened it at the same time!

By the way, you don’t have to be super athletic for this. Facebook groups come in handy (once again) for finding sports clubs to play very casually.

For example, search for “(insert college here) volleyball group” on Facebook and just see what comes up. Sometimes your college website shows the clubs too.

Always Talk to the Person Next to You

If you want to know how to make new friends in college, what better way is there than to start conversation with the person in the chair right next to you!

It’s crucial that you do this in every class that you can. This is the only real tip that requires a bit of guts, but trust me… it’s worth it!

If you’re nervous to talk to the person next to you, chances are that they are too. Be the bigger person and make that new connection today.

Plus, it comes with so many benefits like sharing homework, studying together, and answering each other’s questions about class!

Make Yourself Approachable

Quick question.. who would you be more comfortable walking up to and starting a conversation with?

  1. Someone with their arms crossed, head down, headphones in, and sitting in a dark corner
  2. Someone sitting out in the open, smiling, head up, and arms out

If you chose #2, you would agree with 99% of people. That’s because their body language is approachable.

Now, which person would you rather be? Think about that when you’re just chilling outside and are open to making new friends.

You never know, you just might meet your best friend because of it!

Set Goals

set goals to make new friends

Although it sounds foolish to set goals for making friends, it actually works psychologically.

Setting goals in anything you want to accomplish always helps you achieve it much faster. That includes actively searching for new friends.

Here’s why it works…

If you read this article and then never thought about trying to make friends again, you would never make it anywhere with your progress.

However, if you write down a goal to meet 1 new person every 2 weeks, you will always be thinking about ways to get things going.

If you don’t trust me, at least trust the science behind it. And always be friendly! That’s really the first step to building friendships.

 

Hopefully these 10 tips on how to make new friends in college will help you find your new best friend in the near future!

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions leave them down below. Thanks for reading!

36 Shares:
2 comments
  1. Thank u alot I think this is more helpful because it is so hard for me to make new friends in college
    .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like