Hey Bulldogs! My name is Megan Lewton and I will be the editor-in-chief at the Torch for the 2018-19 school year. I’m preparing to begin my junior year in the journalism and technical communication program but I remember the first days of freshman year all too well.
When I first came to Ferris, my number one goal was to make a bunch of friends. I expected meeting people at college to be the way it’s always portrayed in the movies: you become best friends with your roommate from the moment you meet them and you quickly expand your group of friends until you have the perfect collection of people who all get along all the time.
It does not work like that.
I had a really hard time making good friends for a while. I didn’t get along with my roommate and I ended up moving out three weeks later. I made a few acquaintances in my classes but the conversations didn’t go deeper than sharing notes and discussing what the dining halls had available for lunch.
I knew almost instantly that these people weren’t going to stay in my life forever, or even for all four years. They were just the first people I met and because I didn’t want to be alone, I stuck with them. I tried to force a friendship with every person that I had the slightest connection with because I was so afraid of being by myself.
It took me some time to realize it but I eventually came to the conclusion that I would rather be alone than spend time with people who don’t really understand me or care to get to know me better. I made some good friends that I continued to talk to but I distanced myself from a lot of the people that I just didn’t connect with enough to form a legitimate friendship. I only had a few friends my first semester and you know what?
I was fine.
Of course, making friends in college is important but it’s also okay to not have a big group of friends right off the bat. It’s okay to eat at the Rock by yourself. It’s okay to not be close with your roommate. It’s okay to only have a few friends, even if it seems like everyone else has a big group of friends, because odds are many of those people won’t be friends beyond freshman year.
The best way to make friends is to put yourself out there and try new things. Registered student organizations (RSOs) are a great way to do so. And if you don’t like the RSO you joined, try another one. Beyond that, go to university events or parties with a couple friends and you’ll likely meet people that way.
Whatever you do, don’t panic if you’re not making a lot of genuine friends. It took me until the end of my sophomore fall semester to meet a lot of people and now I have five groups of friends that I spend my time with. It takes time but sooner or later, you’ll make some life-long friends at Ferris. I know I did.
Good luck this semester and stay tuned!