Making Friends

Something I'm finding difficult in my second go around in college is making friends. I'm not trying to say that I am antisocial or not capable of making friends, I'm just wanting to find ways to put myself out there. I will say however, that I am shy and have trouble with the "Just go for it!" mentality. I've made a handful of fellow student acquaintances in my classes, but I find myself too anxiety ridden to ask to hangout and get to know each other better. People always say the friends you make in college are your friends for life, and I believe that. 

I took to the internet for a nudge in the right direction and I came across a helpful article called "How to Make Friends in College: A Comprehensive Guide."  I could relate to the article because it mentioned a lot of the anxieties, and feelings I was having. It also touched base on similar scenarios I was facing in real life. It talks about places and certain events on campus you can go to make friends. The article talks about going from acquaintance to friend, and how to do so by spending "one-on-one time" with people. Also, after making friends it's important to maintain the relationship by keeping in touch, and doing things together regularly. These are all pretty obvious things when it comes to being friends with someone, but for some people it doesn't come naturally. 

Towards the end of the article the writer brought up a good point of, "None of my friends ever want to do anything. What should I do?" This one hit home for me, because I've found myself in the same situation many times before. His answer was simply put, "Become the organizer." This is something I plan to work on in the future, because he is right. If your friends don't take action to hangout, then make the plans yourself.