Newsletters for Mental Health
Christine Schulz, Intern Counselor, MSOE Counseling Services
September 2009
You just started college either for the first time or for another year and part of you can’t wait to start meeting new people, on the other hand you are still unsure of how to find friends on a college campus. The good news is that you are not alone. For some people, making new friends is easy. For others, it may be more difficult. Here are some tips for making friends in college.
Opening Doors to New Friendships
Strike up a conversation with a classmate sitting next to you before or after class-- ask about the next lab assignment or a sports team. You can increase your odds of making friends by leaving your residential hall room door open when you’re studying or hanging out.
Striking up School Spirit
An opportunity to meet people at MSOE is through school sponsored events such as the President’s Picnic. These offerings can be a great way to accomplish both if you approach them with the right attitude. Be friendly and exchange email addresses or phone numbers with people you hit it off with.
Playing into an Arena of New Friends
A great way to meet people who share your interests is to join an intramural sports team. Not only are intramurals a great way to stay in shape, but they offer a fun atmosphere that makes it extremely easy to make new friends. You’ve already got a common interest in whatever sport you play and chances are you’ll get along with the other team just fine.
Join a Club
Much like playing intramural sports, joining a club is a great way to meet like-minded friends in a laid-back atmosphere. At MSOE there is a club for just about every interest, find yours on the Student Activities page located on the Inside MSOE website and go with it. Clubs will also look good on your resume.
Study in Public
Instead of studying in your resident hall where you are sure to fall asleep, go to the library, CC, or get a study group through the LRC. You will get in plenty of study time and have the opportunity to meet new people during your study breaks.
Go to the Kern Center
Everyone is awake, alert, and friendly because as we all know, working out is strongly related to feeling better and, as a result, a more pleasant outlook and attitude. Strike up a conversation with another student on a treadmill, share workout tips or find someone to spot you while lifting weights.
Making Friends in Real Life, Real Time
Try to get out of your room as much as possible and avoid being sucked into texting or calling others to talk about how homesick or lonely you are. It will only prevent you from meeting new people. By getting involved at MSOE, you will be so busy that you won’t have time to feel lonely or homesick.
Cafeteria
The RWJ cafeteria or the Sky located on the 3rd floor of the CC is going to be one of the places you frequent most often in college, and you’re not alone. For the most part people are very friendly, so pull up a chair and ask if you can sit.
Meet with Groups Outside of the Classroom
Depending on your course of study, you will have some (if not lots) of group projects. Often times these groups will have to meet on weekends to get some work done, so the classroom is a pretty typical place to meet. But if you want to get to know these people better, why not discuss your project over lunch? Often times great chemistry out of class, leads to better in-class performance for groups.
Added Bonus
As a bonus, Facebook can be a helpful tool to add some new people that you may have met in class, at a party, or at the gym. This will keep the connection alive, and will increase the chances that you keep in touch with your new friends.
Additional Resources
Power to Change
powertochange.com
About.com: College Life
collegelife.about.com
Suite101: Student Housing
studenthousing.suite101.com
MSOE Counseling Services creates monthly newsletters on mental health
concerns and psychological issues. You can view the complete list of downloadable Counseling Services Newsletters.
MSOE Counseling Services is located on the second floor of the Kern
Center (K-230). To schedule an appointment with a counselor, call (414)
277-7590 or visit the Counseling Services homepage.
