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I’ve moving around all my life, and honestly I hope this blog post helps anyone who’s been trying to fit in this year in a new country, new university, new high school or anywhere new in general.
t;>I still remember the first time I had to move from India, it’s very clear even though I was only 5 years old. I already had a best friend, we were pretty much like sisters. It was a tragic moment in my life, and then I reached Singapore. The lifestyle, the people, everything was completely different. It
took a long while for me to reach out and make friends, and even then my schools kept changing in the same country. Then I m
oved to Canada and once again it was a culture shock, but by then I was adept at making friends. And here I am, around 12 years after, at Rutgers loving every moment, and vowing to make at least one friend a day!
Fact: I’ve been to 9 different schools from kindergarten to highschool.
Fact #2: I’ve lived in 12 different houses in 18 years of my life.
Fact #3: I’ve lived in 4 different countries (but this is less compared to others I’ve met, like Dorothy!)
Anyhow, the point is, this post is “Making Friends 101”.
So. Here we go:
1. Introduce yourself – Yeah that one was kind of obvious, but sometimes people tend to just let this one pass. If you’re not going to introduce yourself, you’re not going to have a friend. That’s it. We all can’t wait for each other to make the first move. Puh-lea-se.
2. Orientation weekend – Use this one wisely, because everyone at this point is trying to get as many people to know them as possible. This is like the highlight of your friend-making abilities. Make the MOST of it! Revel in your ability!
3. Hallways & lounges – Hang out at all the different lounges in your dorm from the first floor to the last, and you’re bound to meet a bunch of other bored people during the first week. Plus, you can show them all those cool youtube videos you have accumulated over the past ___ years.
4. Outside lecture halls/classrooms – Come extra early to class and you’re bound to make a friend or two. I can say this
with experience! If you’re just waiting for class to start, you’re obviously not doing anything productive for those 30 minutes (yes I have waited outside 30 minutes before class), so you might as well go ahead and use #1 right here!
5. Ask for bus directions at a bus stop – Trust me, I have used this one too many times by now. Even when I know exactly where I’m headed, I just use it anyway. This one is especially useful if you’ve missed the orientation weekend. I even got advice about my engineering classes from a junior at the bus stop. I think its gonna be my new hangout. Oh yeah.
6. Find an almost full table at the dining hall – This is for the loners at lunchtime, like me. I used to do that, and believe it or not I have a bunch of friends who I met at the Busch Dining Hall. I mean living at Douglass and being an Engineering student means having probably 2 engineering friends who actually live at Douglass and trying to find other Engineering majors on Busch so that you’re in on all the scoop.
7. Join a Bhangra club – Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! I like this one a lot because you get to meet more than just one person at a time. More like 10, 20, 30.. I dunno.. A lot! You don’t necessarily have to join a Bhangra club that was an example. Join the swing dance, Livingston Theatre Company, choir, join any club you want. Cause guess what? There are a whole bunch of people here who are not hidden behind their books with similar interests as YOU!
8. Networking through friends – If you know someone already, go with them, hang out and make friends with their friends. Yeah, its not that bad when you actually do it. Its been pretty fun so far. J
9. Rutgers Accepted Facebook Page – YES! I DID THIS!! Lol This was where one of my best friends on Rutgers at the moment came from. Well, I met her online. And then we had the same orientation. And now, we hang out pretty much everyday. Yeah, I mean don’t add just anyone or try to find them on the campus. That’s a BIG .. NO! Just find people who have the same orientation date as you and talk to them in person. And if things don’t work out… delete them. Mehuahahah. Lol
10. Last, but never the least: Talk to the person to the left and right of you just before the lecture and get their number and add them on facebook. Its so useful! Especially when it comes to missing a lecture for a VALID reason (trust me you don’t want to miss it for nothing), or just for a study group purpose. Its just nice to know someone in a large lecture hall.
Well, that’s all I can think of now. If I remember anything else it’ll be up here in no time! :D
Ciao for now.
Nagma <3
PS: Lee, I really want to meet everyone and I'm sure they all do too, would it be possible to have like a meeting for all the bloggers (oldies and new)?
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