Let’s Be Friends!

August 13, 2021

Summer is almost over and it’s time to head back to school. While this is a fun transition, it can be intimidating too. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or will be stepping onto campus for the first time, everyone wants to know and be known by people. Maybe you have a super tight friend group, maybe you have some friends that you haven’t kept up with very well, or maybe you don’t know a single soul. No matter where you stand, friendship is important, so I think it’s time we all had a refresher on how to make and keep friends. 

1. Be bold! I don’t know about you, but I am always scared to talk to strangers. Every friendship has to start somewhere though, right? Try complimenting someone you’ve never met before! Or, this may sound creepy, but eavesdrop on the people around you and hop into the conversation: it’s a great way to meet people and an easy transition into conversation. There might be some awkward moments along the way, but just keep in mind that people have short memories. No one is going to remember one weird interaction after a few weeks (maybe even a few hours).
2. Key words: simple and random. You don’t have to plan super fun or big things to have fun times with friends. Some of my favorite memories from college thus far have been card game nights with my friends. The important thing is that you make the time quality; it doesn’t necessarily matter what you do. One of my friends and I grab one grocery store item we’ve been wanting to try and go watch the sunset every other Thursday: random is good! So invite some people to go snack shopping with you, or come to a Bingo Night, go Pokémon Go hunting, learn pickle ball! Whatever you do just make it a good time.
3. Use technology intentionally. We live in the 21^st century; I hate to say it, but technology use with friends is probably necessary. However, with so many people to keep up with, technology can be daunting and make you want to ghost just about everyone. Something that I’ve found helpful is to not have full text-conversations with people you could see face to face. If you want to talk to someone about something and they’re within a 10-mile radius, maybe use your phone to set up a time to hang out. Long distance friendships are a little harder, but if you want to keep that person in your life, it’s a good rule of thumb to at least check in every other week.
4. Learn their language. While it would certainly be a sign of sure friendship to learn a different language for a friend who speaks one, I am talking about learning to speak people’s love languages. I know there are five popular ones, but truly everyone feels loved differently. If you want to be a good friend, learn to show love in the way people want to be shown love rather than in the way you are natural at giving it. This might take a little bit of work and learning, but this is a way to show your friends how much they mean to you.

So, while this is definitely not a complete guide to become the best friend ever or have the most friends ever, these are some helpful tips I’ve learned along the way. Community is so awesome when you find great friends, and even more so when you are a great friend. Good luck out there and happy friending!

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