College is a time for education, personal growth and discovery. One of the great things about college is that meeting new people and making new friends is part of the experience. Here are some of the types of friends you are likely to meet in college, based on where you'll meet them:
Residence life friends
These are the people you'll meet in your residence halls. These are the friends who'll live across the hallway, downstairs on the second floor, or even in your room. You might meet one of these friends while you’re doing laundry and ask if you can borrow a dryer sheet. You'll learn their name and what floor they live on. You'll begin to see them around the building, and you'll exchange awkward “hellos” as you move to the next thing on your schedule. You and other acquaintances will slowly begin to join them in the lounge or game room, and before you know it, there will be a group of you playing games together and laughing until late hours of the night. These are the friends of your first year that will grant you memories you'll hold for a lifetime — or at least until the next semester.
Class friends
These are the people you will meet through your classes or academic department. These are the people you'll sit with, complete group projects with and form late-night study groups with. The more classes you have together, the more comfortable you will likely feel around one another. You'll begin to study together and begin to become friends. If you are in the same major, it's likely you will have multiple classes together. You may not see all of these friends outside of an academic setting, but they are the ones who will understand your major like you will.
Club friends
These are the people you will meet through the clubs or organizations you choose to join on campus. The great thing about these friends is that there can be so many types. You can have friends from video game club, from student senate and from improv. These are friends you'll meet with once a week — or more — to participate in academic, social, cultural, athletic, career-related or spiritual activities and discuss interests you have in common.
Random friends
These are friends you will meet in unexpected places. These are the people you'll randomly choose to sit with at the dining hall, and you'll end up having one of the best conversations of your week with them. You may meet one of these friends at the bookstore, realize you have the same major, and talk about a shared professor. Maybe you will attend a campus-wide social event, and as you wait in line, you'll start talking with the people in front of you. Before you know it, you'll spend the rest of the event hanging out with them. In each of these situations, there is potential to meet someone you enjoy and then share contact information. Before you know it, you'll have a new friend.
A college campus is an optimal place for making new friends. With endless opportunities and seemingly endless people to meet, you will make friends in the most unexpected of places. The number of friend groups you can have is endless. College is a time to learn, but it is also a time to make friends that you'll keep for the rest of your life.
is majoring in Special Education at UNC, where she's also part of Best Buddies, the Student Council for Exceptional Children, and residence hall life. If you ever need a portrait drawn, she can do that, too.