Student Blog: Friendships as a College Freshman

As a Freshman in college, one of the biggest worries I had going into college was, “How am I ever going to maintain friendships with the people back at home, AND the new people I meet in college?” After being in college for a little over two months now, I wanted to share some tips on how I do it!

Tip #1: Communicate!

If there is one thing that technology is good for, it is allowing us to send a message to anyone in a matter of seconds! I can’t hang out with my friends from home in person because of college, so I text them all the time! And when the time is right, we even call each other and talk through a screen! I’ve never used FaceTime as much as I have during college. My friends and I will call even if it is only for a couple of minutes each day, just so that we can check in on each other and make sure we are all doing okay. In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of a friendship is having a steady stream of communication. So far in my college experience, this has been the best way to keep my friendships strong. Even if it is just as simple as, “I miss you guys, can’t wait to see you all soon!”

One of the great things about calling is that you can do it anywhere at any time! I like to go on a walk around campus when I call my family, and it allows me to get out of my dorm room and get some fresh air while also being able to catch up with my family! With my friends, we like to call while we do homework or even when we like to play some Roblox or Among Us! In this day and age, we have so many ways to keep in touch that there should be no reason we fall out of step with our friends.

Tip #2: Be Yourself!

When preparing to go to college, you always hear people say that college is a way to reinvent yourself, but I like to think that college is a place where you should just be yourself! I think that if you express yourself in the ways that are true to you and who you are, then you shouldn’t have any issue making friends. People will like you for who you are, and they will gravitate to you if you are their kind of person. Don’t change yourself to fit in. Don’t reinvent yourself just because you can. Be your true self, and people will like you!

Tip #3: Build New Connections!

One of my many worries about going to college was how I was going to make new friends. The biggest thing I have learned since coming to college is not to be afraid to put yourself out there and to make new connections with people! I have also learned that it does take time for those true and strong connections to form. The first 7-10 days of college were hard because I felt like I didn’t have a solid group yet, but eventually I found a group, and suddenly, my roommate and I weren’t eating with just each other in the dining hall every day, we didn’t just sit in our dorm rooms every night with each other for company, we were going out with friends and having movie nights and listening to new music with a good group of people, and that has made college ten times more fun, and easier to get through! 

Tip #4: Welcome the New Family

Being a theatre major here at Wagner is like joining a new family of people. In theatre, a cast and crew of a show becomes a family, and at Wagner, the theatre majors are like one big family. I have so many people here at Wagner to look up to, or to go to when I need advice, or even when I just need a friend. Accepting and welcoming this new “family” of people has made my time here so far amazing, and I am so glad to have these new connections.

Tip #5: The New Friendships Don’t Have to Replace the Old

Before coming to college, I was worried that the new friends that I would make would have to be replacements for my friends back home, or that they’d have to be temporary substitutes for them, but now that I am here, I know that my new friendships are separate from the old, and that is what makes them special. I talked to my mom the other day, and she told me that “the Wagner people aren’t supposed to be the same as your Jackson people.” Nobody is going to be my substitute, Ava, or my replacement, Katie; these new friendships are going to be their own people, and they are going to have their own parts in the story of my life.

Friendship is such a special thing, and the fact that I now get to have friends to look forward to seeing at home and friends to look forward to seeing at college is even more special. To incoming college students, just know that it is scary at first, but you will find ways to maintain your friendships that work for you, and you will find ways to make new friendships that work for you. My tips worked for me, and I hope that they can help you as you find your way! This is student blogger Ryan Eitel signing off!