Many new friendships can begin with just a simple “hello”
Michael Rooney
Staff Writer
There I was, at orientation here at Bridgewater State University this past June. I was listening to the many different presentations being given, getting my first few tastes of the dining hall food, and seeing the beautiful campus once again.
Orientation was an overall fun experience, but of course, I was surrounded by my group of all completely unfamiliar faces. I did not make as many friends as I would have liked to. This caused me to constantly worry about my future social life in college for the rest of the summer.
It is safe to say that transitioning from high school to college can be difficult for students, especially for those who are living on campus. For one reason, many students are leaving behind their friends back in their hometowns and meeting a plentiful amount of new faces.
Meeting new people in college can be an intimidating experience. Many students do not know a single person. People are coming from many different parts of the world, and for some people, just the thought of living on campus far away from home is scary enough.
On the bright side, there are countless opportunities to make new friends. Many friendships begin with just a simple, “hello.” Just by greeting someone with this welcoming word, a conversation could follow, and this could lead to a developing friendship.
For example, on the day I moved into my dormitory, I had a lot of people come to my door to introduce themselves to me and my roommates. We had a lot of good laughs in our conversations, and I ended up spending the rest of the day with a few of these people. As a result, I was immediately relieved of my social concerns following orientation.
Likewise, being involved on campus not only builds up your resume and keeps you busy, but through this involvement, you can meet people and make friends that share the same interests as you.
Think about it–the people you are involved with in a particular organization are more than likely involved for the same reason that you are.
Friendships do not necessarily all have to begin with a greeting. Maybe someone has just held the door open for you. As you thank the person, you may trigger a friendly conversation afterwards.
Further, you may also end up meeting new people through mutual friends. In fact, the majority of the people in my group of friends here at Bridgewater State University were introduced to others through someone else.
Introducing people to others is a great way to develop a whole group of friends, instead of just one individual friend.
Everyone is different. For example, some people are very social and love to meet people, while others are shy.
Nevertheless, friendships can begin in so many simple and different ways, especially with the powerful greeting, “hello.”
The next question is “Where do you begin?” Well, if you spot someone sitting alone at a dining hall, greet them with a smile and ask if you can sit at the table.
Not only will you possibly make a new friend, but you will most likely make someone’s day.
Michael Rooney is a Staff Writer for The Comment Newspaper.
