As a freshman starting at Ohio University, one of the most daunting tasks is making and finding friends on campus. For college students, friendship is essential for one’s overall well-being. Although friends can be made anywhere on campus, making friends in academic classes is an easy place to strike up conversation and makes the difference in finding your home at OU.
When I was a freshman, I was petrified about finding my people, I felt immense pressure to find lifelong friends and find them quickly. This feeling is one many students face, especially as they head to university for the first time.
With added pressures from social media that make college look like it has to be the time of your life, it can be daunting to head into college feeling like you have to find your place and best friends right away.
The good news is, you have time and are not alone. Over 71% of college students find it hard to form deep relationships in college. College provides a unique circumstance for friendships with no supervision and more free time, and good and deep friendships are essential to make campus feel more like home. Although it can be difficult to make friends, one of the best places to start is in your classes.
When I first came to campus in 2022 as a freshman, I was determined to make friends, but didn’t know where to start. In my very first education class, I remember feeling that pressure even more as I could hear the advice from Bobcat Student Orientation play through my ears: go up to someone in class and make friends with them. Although this notion is much easier said than done, I mustered up the courage to go up and talk to a girl in my class and introduce myself.
Four years later, the girl with red hair whom I went up to is now one of my best friends and roommates. Kirsten and I met in our first education class together, and from there, we spent our college years in almost all of the same classes.
The friendship I found with Kirsten was built on shared interests. We had the same major, the same goals and spent most of our weeks in the same spaces. But those initial freshman year introductions turned into a lifelong friendship and I couldn’t have gotten this far in college without Kirsten.
Not only has this friendship made college more enjoyable for me, but it has also made it more manageable. Finding friends in classes not only helps you to feel more comfortable on campus but can also benefit students academically. Friendships in college classes make it easier to study for big exams and understand material leading to collaborative learning, which can have a positive impact on your GPA.
During your first year at OU, everyone is in the same boat when coming into the classroom: nervous, scared and probably a little intimidated. Those shared feelings are the perfect gateway for making connections, so understand everyone is in the same position as you and take the leap. Strike up a conversation in class and start making friends with the people who will be with you throughout your time in college.
Friendship in college is essential for overall well-being and those friendships can start in the classroom. It is an ideal place to make friends as there are shared interests, similar feelings and a removal from the outside campus world that allows for students to make connections with people they otherwise wouldn’t run into.
If you find yourself nervous to make friends, or feeling lonely on campus, strike up a conversation with someone in class; they may just become one of your best friends.
Clara Leder is a senior studying education and journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Clara about their column? Email them at cl125221@ohio.edu.
