How to make friends on a commuter campus

Illustration by Ian Loomis

By Aidan Ross
Contributor

Though it’s often taken for granted, friendship plays an important role in daily life. Walking into college for the first time, and realizing that you don’t know anybody can be an extremely daunting experience. If you’re socially anxious, connecting with people in college might be a challenge, especially on a commuter campus, where people may not spend as much time.

Joining a club is a good step towards making friends—it allows you to find a group of people who share a common interest. But turning an introduction into a friendship takes a little more effort; there are a variety of ways to make finding friends on campus easier.

Take opportunities when they come

You interact with a lot of people on a daily basis, often in commonplace situations, but every interaction is an opportunity to get to know someone. For example, Morgan Saozano, a WTMC student, said that she met her friend Dai Chi Sakuma, also a WTMC student, in class. Saozano said that their teacher asked the students to exchange contact information with someone around them, and Sakuma was nearby. A simple conversation can lead to a genuine friendship.

Enjoy learning about people

Forming a relationship with someone is the process of learning about them. If you know little about a person, talking to them may seem intimidating, but you also have a lot of potential to learn about them. Ali Kurmasha, 21, a liberal arts student at WCC, is an immigrant from Jordan. Kurmasha said that the differences between Jordanian culture and that of the United States were shocking.

“It was hard learning what is okay and not okay to say,” Kurmasha said. Learning about the United State’s history allowed him to better understand the cultural differences, said Kurmasha.

Be yourself

Many people are concerned with what other people think of them, and this can make connecting with others more difficult. WCC student Matt Gleason is 37 years old and is studying business management. Gleason served nearly ten years in the military, including three tours in Iraq. When asked if making friends at WCC after leaving the military was challenging, Gleason said no.

“As long as you just be yourself, you’ll encounter the caliber of people you need in your life,” Gleason said. Gleason met his wife at WCC, after being introduced by a friend.

Allow yourself to be unique

Being different from the people around you is what makes you a unique individual. Out differences are what makes us all interesting. Kurmasha said that if there is something people find interesting about you, they will probably ask you questions.

“When you answer these questions, you will begin to form true friendships,” Kurmasha said. “People will start to appreciate you.”