As you begin to enter such a big college campus as UCLA, anxiety about living on your own for the first time, adjusting to college academics, and making friends might have crossed your mind more than once. You hear all these stories about how everybody meets their “life-long” friends and finds their “squad” during college, and you wonder if you’ll ever experience that. Don’t worry because everybody feels the same; I was in your shoes once! Ultimately, you will find your group of friends who loves you and supports you. Here are some tips to find your squad:
- Do not panic if it doesn’t happen right away. It will happen almost immediately for some people. However, you might find yourself having spent one quarter and wondering if you’ll ever have that experience. It comes differently for different individuals, and when it does happen to you, you’ll know.
- Don’t lock yourself in your room. As a freshman, locking yourself in your room is not a good way to meet people on your floor! It definitely feels convenient when you can just sit in your room all day watching Netflix, but it is also difficult to meet people that way. Usually during Fall Quarter of Freshman Year, there will be so many campus/clubs events that you will be able to attend. Don’t lock yourself in your room and instead go out of your way to attend them because you never know whom you might meet there!
- Talk to people in your classes! You never know if the person sitting next to you might become your best study buddy for the next four years. For major pre-requisite classes, your classmates will most likely have the same/similar major to yours. If you are looking for a study buddy, asking for help on the materials is always a good way to go. Even if you don’t have questions about the materials, classwork is always a good icebreaker.
- Join organizations. You might have gotten a whole bag of flyers from the enormous activities fair; it is important that you sit down, look at each one of them and filter out the clubs that really interest you. Whether they are hobby orientated or career orientated organizations, it is always a good idea to be a part of a community with individuals who you can count on. Find organizations that interest you because finding common ground is usually the easiest way to connect with people. Similar experiences, interests, and hobbies can bring people together.
- Be Yourself! If there’s one thing that you need to take away from this article, it is to be yourself; college is a self-exploration process. How can you really find your “squad” if your groups of friends don’t know the real you? Don’t be afraid to show your personality because everybody is unique in their own way!
Do you have any tips for finding your group of hommies in your first year in college?
Written by FYE Student Editor Kayzoo Yang
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