Cultivate a Gift for Making Friends in College and beyond ...

1. Never Underestimate the Power of Social Media

Don’t knock building friendships on social media! Whether you meet people in your school’s Facebook group, or simply via Twitter, I know tons of people who have met some of their best friends through social media. It’s actually starting to become the norm to meet your friends on Facebook before you actually connect in college. It's one of the newest, yet easiest, ways to make friends in college.

2. Join a Club

Whether you’re a first year student or a fourth year student, it is never too late to join a club. Find something you’re passionate about and you’ll be able to meet and connect with people who are just as passionate about it as you are! Whether it’s a sports or religious group, or even something as stupid as a squirrel-watching group (my college really has one of these), you’ll surely find people who love the same things as you!

3. Find a Job

You will most likely make your best friends, whether you’re in college or not, at work. You deal with the same boss, the same coworkers, and the same customers every day. It’s hard not to connect with them, and who knows, they may even become lifelong friends!

4. Check out Your Town

I go to college a few miles away from my hometown, and nothing frustrates me more than students who never leave the few mile radius of our campus during their entire four years at school. The town you live in probably has a lot to offer, so don’t completely ignore it. There are probably festivals and other fun activities that you’ll meet a ton of friends at!

5. Break up with Your Long Distance Beau

Unless you truly see a future with your boyfriend, there’s no reason to keep the relationship. You’ll both end up resenting each other for holding the other back from making new friends and meeting new people. It’s hard to come to terms with, but it may be time to end things with your long distance boyfriend.

6. Don’t Force Relationships

Just because you now live with your roommate, it does not mean that she is your best friend. Don’t force a best friendship on your roommate simply because you live with her. The same is true for all friendships you make in college. Let things happen organically. The more you suffocate your friends with your new friendship, the less they may respond to it.

7. Continue to do Something You Love

I was a dancer for fifteen years before college. I quit because my dance program ended, but to this day, I wish I had found another program at my college. Don’t quit something you loved to do simply because you think you’re supposed to move on while in college. Chances are, you’ll meet a ton of friends while doing something you love.

Where do you meet friends in college? It isn’t always easy, but whether you’re a freshman or a senior, you can always find new places to meet people! Let me know where you meet friends in the comments!