Now before you start calling me a dummy back, let me clarify that it’s just a reference to the ‘for dummies’ instructional books series 😂 However a better title might be ‘Friendships for dummies, from a dummy, because honestly, I don’t know what I’m talking about’. This is why instead of being an active ‘how to guide’ on how to make friends, this blog will just be general comments about friendships overall.
- If you want to make friends, attend your lectures/go to uni!
One of the reasons I wrote this blog was because of writers block a friend of mine requested it. This friend in question does not attend lectures and stays at home to watch recordings. 🤔🤔🤔 In all seriousness though, I reckon a good way to make friends is to just sit next to people in class and strike up a conversation, this is a simple way to make friends, especially if you sit at the same place each time. Taking it one step further, if you have gaps in your timetable, study together afterwards so you can have a real conversation. I know this is much harder than it sounds on paper so…
Disclaimer: This isn’t UoA but the structure of the lecture theater is pretty close I must say.
- Keep in touch with your existing friends.
Treasure your existing friendships. Good friends are hard to come by and if you’ve already locked some down, keep in touch! Its as simple as sitting next to them in class, meeting up for lunch or even just messaging them on Facebook. That being said, some friendships slowly fade over time, and that’s okay too. Another method could be…
Alright this isn’t me but, I mean, it could be?
- Be friends with your friends’ friends.
Making friends with someone random can be extremely daunting, especially when its human nature to be suspicious of strangers. To overcome this, it’s usually much easier to make friends with your friends’ friends. A bonus is that you guys will probably have similar interests/senses of humour if you have mutual friends.
- Its an organic process.
In my opinion, making friends is an organic process (which is why it’s so difficult to think of stuff to write). If someone is vibing with you, and if you enjoy hanging out with them, cool! Keep hanging out, ask them where they’re sitting in class, make plans. The way you make friends isn’t scanning a room, pointing at someone and deciding that’s who you want to be friends with, but meeting a whole bunch of people and keeping in touch with the ones you like.
- Throw time in the mix too.
There’s been plenty of cool people that I’ve met, and friends that I’m not really close with but time really could change all that. Think of it like baking a cake, the two of you together could be the best batter in the world, but only time (and a good oven 😉) can turn it into something amazing.
You gotta admit this is a cool shot.
- As long as you’re happy.
All of this being said, there’s really no right or wrong way to go about friendships. As long as you’re happy, it doesn’t matter if you have 1000, 100, 10 or even 0 friends. Something I love about university is that unlike high school, you get absolute freedom to choose who you want to hang with. If you don’t want to hang with someone, it’s not a problem because you probably won’t see them again (yes, university is that big).
Currently pretty happy with using stock images. 😉 Alright, alright I got a new phone so nice photos for next time!
Well there you go, friendship for dummies, written by a dummy herself. The best piece of advice I have is to go with the flow. Smile at people. Be nice. Be you.
Until next time x
Cecilia