By: Elaina Fuzi
When I first came to Boston University as a freshman, I knew no one. I had only attended a virtual orientation and had gone random with my roommate selection. It was incredibly daunting.
However, looking back as a junior, I’m glad I didn’t know anyone because it forced me to go outside my comfort zone and focus on connecting with people. Thankfully, I had two great roommates who I got along with (I was placed in a triple in Rich Hall my freshman year) and tried to introduce myself to at least one person each class.
As an introvert and not the most outgoing person, that scared me a lot. But I found that people were much more willing to connect and exchange phone numbers than I previously thought because they were also new and wanted to make friends. I am still friends with some of the people I met on my first day of classes (one from COM101 and one from an Intro to Sociocultural Anthropology course). That following Saturday, I also met my current closest friend at BU when I went to my second COM Ambassador group meet-up. I then met that friend’s roommate, and we’ve all been close friends ever since (they are my current suitemates).
That’s another thing I discovered quickly. It is way easier to build a network of friends in college because each person you meet has the potential to introduce you to some of their friends as well and the cycle continues. Expanding your network of friends naturally slows down over the years, but I continue to make new friends every semester—that’s mostly due to gathering a few seconds of courage to introduce myself. And not every person you meet must become a close friend. Most end up being what I call a “class friend,” who I can sit next to and get notes from if I miss a class but don’t end up hanging out outside of that. The good ones you really click will stay if you’re willing to put in the work to keep in contact. This concept of networking doesn’t go away and is also very applicable to a professional setting where connections can be the most powerful tool.
However, you shouldn’t feel pressured to have a friend in every class. There are plenty of classes I’ve had where I didn’t have a designated friend, or there have been instances where I haven’t become friends with people until I’ve had one or several classes with them. For such a big university, you see familiar faces more than you’d think in your classes, major and nonmajor, and even just walking around campus.
You also shouldn’t be afraid to go to things alone. Whether it’s an event, club meeting, concert, going to a cafe to chill or do homework, or anything else, don’t let having a lack of people to go with stop you from going and potentially having a great time. It’s not a guarantee that you will have a good time, but it’s a learning experience either way. Regret is sometimes stronger and lingers longer than fear.