Starting a new school year can be stressful no matter what year you’re in, but for a first-year, in particular, it can be a lot to process. It’s likely you’re excited to meet new people, go to classes and join clubs, but that excitement may come with the side effect of feeling rushed to find the people you click with the most. Last Sunday, the Student Activities Fair (SAF) was held outside of the Tinkham Veale University Center. You may have visited the fair looking for new clubs to join and people to connect with, but with over 300 clubs to visit, students everywhere and a band playing in the background, it’s possible you felt inundated by information. The important thing to know is that you are not alone in this experience. Maybe you weren’t able to connect with as many people as you intended, but you still have loads of time to find the people that you mesh with best.
The first step is to make an intentional effort to spend time with new people. During high school, you may have grown used to seeing your friends in class everyday. You were bound by 8 a.m. homeroom or 1 p.m. geometry—not to mention a lunch hall where everyone ate together at long communal tables. In college, though, you may find that maintaining friendships takes a bit more effort. That is where intentionality comes in. You may have met someone that you could see yourself connecting with during orientation. It may be a good idea to reach out to them if you have their number. Suggest that you try out a restaurant on Euclid Avenue together or watch a show in someone’s dorm.
In terms of finding organizations you may be interested in, CampusGroups is a great resource. On the app, you will find suggested club events, community posts and groups that you are currently a part of. If you were unable to keep up with the rapid-fire elevator pitches during SAF, take to CampusGroups to discover what you missed. It may be tempting to join tons of clubs at first—after all, there are hundreds—but you should figure out which ones interest you the most. That may mean going to the first meeting, emailing a representative or just talking to students in the organization. Once you’ve figured out which suits you the most, choose a handful, ideally about two to three, that you want to devote your free time to. The Observer would be a great pick to add to your list!
On the other hand, partaking in a club may worry you due to its time commitment, which could pull you away from your academics. If you have these reservations, you should explore at least one club that may interest you. Case Western Reserve University is a tough school, so it is good if you have an outside commitment that forces you away from your studies every once in a while. You don’t want to become too stressed out your first year.
Next, you must be willing to give people a chance. Perhaps you’re used to connecting with your friends based on a shared culture or hobby, but sometimes the people who understand you the most may not tick off the typical boxes of what you look for in a friend. Most of the first questions people ask each other when meeting on a college campus revolve around what you’re studying and where you’re from, but it’s possible for someone with a completely different area of study who’s from the other side of the world to have something in common with you. By limiting yourself to only having friends with the same classes and academic interests, you miss out on one of the key components of college: self-discovery and education through discussion with others. Talk to the friends of your friends. By only sticking with the first people you met while coming onto campus, you’re doing yourself a disservice. You should not restrict yourself from meeting more people just because you’ve found whom you’re comfortable with. Every day brings the opportunity to connect, and although the quality of your friends is much more important than the quantity, it is still worthwhile to get to know whom your friends are close with. Who knows? You may even become more than mutuals.
Most importantly, you must be patient. Relationships change and strengthen over time. Once you come to accept that, your school year will become a lot more enjoyable.