By: Kristin Rosenmund
Leaving everything you know behind and starting fresh can be intimidating. Many first years probably ponder the question of who they are when no one knows them. And how do you even begin getting to know people? Luckily, many students, including me, have experienced this and live to share their experiences. Here are a few ways I would suggest breaking out of your comfort zone at BU!
1. Join a Club Outside of Your Major
While you should definitely join clubs pertaining to your major in order to gain valuable insights and experiences, it is also important and useful to join clubs that still pertain to smaller interests of yours. This will allow you the opportunity to meet new people you may have never crossed paths with! I did this last semester when I decided to join a WTBU radio show, not really knowing anything about hosting and planning content for a show, or the podcast world in general. However, through this, I was able to be introduced to many new people and establish connections I never would have made before. I also learned new skills like how to publicly speak over a microphone and how to use a control board!
2. Talk to the Person Next To You In Class
This one can seem self explanatory, but it is seriously something everyone should learn how to do. While it may be hard to be the one to start the conversation, just a simple question can go a long way, and it may even provide some relief to those who want to make friends but may be too scared to talk to someone new. Whenever I join a new class at the beginning of the semester, I always make an effort to get to know those around me! This has led me to having study groups, and even maintaining friendships outside of class! All it takes is a simple hello to lead you to a friendship you didn’t expect!
While there are a multitude of ways to break out of your comfort zone, these are the two that proved to work the most for me! Hopefully trying these out can lead you to new people and experiences, that will eventually propel you into even more ways of learning to break out of your comfort zone on your own terms!