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A year ago, I was faced with one of the most daunting transitions of my life familiar to every other student on this campus – moving to Syracuse University to start my first year.

Sure, I was in Snapchat groups with a bunch of other rising first-year students, but I couldn’t call any of them my friends yet. I didn’t know if people would like me offline, when I couldn’t curate my persona like I could digitally. The thought of even introducing myself to new people was intimidating enough.

A year later, all of these thoughts seem silly given the social groove I’ve found now, but are still real for freshmen picking up their first edition of The Daily Orange. Welcome Week was the hardest, but I was able to navigate it by following a few simple philosophies that could help anyone just as nervous as I was.

The most important reminder I repeated to myself was that I wasn’t alone in only knowing a few people — almost everybody in my shoes was trying to be liked and make friends right away. The little voice of doubt in my head might have been saying, “don’t randomly knock on their door, that’s weird and creepy,” or “don’t just ask this person you talked with once to lunch, that’s desperate,” but I didn’t listen. People feel seen and heard when someone reaches out to them, especially in a brand new environment.

If someone asks you, unless you physically can’t, try not to say no to plans. Even if you barely know the people who asked, and you’re going to a place you’ve never been together, the shared discovery creates strong bonds. Taking that leap of faith can be terrifying, but this is a way you can meet your best friends.

On my second day on-campus, an acquaintance of mine asked if I wanted to go to the mall with him and a few others. I only knew one other person going with us, but I said yes anyway. When we got there the group split up, and three of us wandered to Nordstrom Rack where we tried on outfits and got to know one another. Now, we’re best friends and roommates. Being invited to the mall helped me feel like I had some stability, and helped shape bonds that’ll last a lifetime.

But don’t be afraid to be the one to reach out. After looking at my history class’s roster, I noticed that I already had the Snapchat of one of my classmates. I asked her if she wanted to grab lunch after class. I hadn’t known her before the meal, but now she’s another one of my closest friends.

Spontaneity is easier said than done. Sometimes you need a little boost to get going into social high gear, and sometimes that boost comes from the person you live with.

Whether random or picked, your roommate is always a person to fall back on. Sometimes it’s easier to make friends in tandem than solo, and your roommate will likely be the first partner-in-crime you meet.

We would go to the social events SU planned on the quad during opening week and try to stick with each other as we made our rounds, attaching names to faces and making our best first impressions.

At one of these events, I was invited to play a party game at a new friend’s suite with a couple other people and promptly invited my roommate to come with me. A few days later, my roommate was with people he met at the Schine Student Center and invited me to come along to hang out.

Even if as the year trudges on and you and your roommate may hang out with different people, it can help a lot if you start off as a team.

While these strategies may not work for everyone, I highly recommend you try them out anyway. The bottom line is that you get what you put in, and making an effort to reach out and use what resources are offered to you will yield more friends than not trying at all.

Even if it doesn’t happen immediately, you’ll find your people soon enough.

Jish Sokolsky is a sophomore ​​broadcast and digital journalism major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at jasokols@g.syr.edu.

Published on August 23, 2023 at 9:43 pm