How to Make Friends at a New School

Making friends in a new town or at a new school can be hard—especially for those of us who wouldn’t exactly call ourselves “social butterflies”. If you just moved, or are starting at new school or college, you may wonder how to reach out and make friends. Well, don’t fret. There are plenty of ways to make new friends in a new environment and this article will give you some ideas about where to start.

Social butterflies are usually what people call those special individuals that seem to meet new friends and acquaintances everywhere because they are open, friendly, and ready to invite you to lunch. People who aren’t the types of people to talk to a random stranger just because they are wearing a cool shirt or ordered the same coffee as you may think that they are not sociable and cannot make friends as easily as the others.

That is so untrue.

Generally, the person you meet in the coffee line isn’t going to end up being your friend. The basic requirements of having a friend include common interests and ethics. So, don’t feel like you need to branch out in a way that means you talk to a lot of people. To connect with a new person that will turn out to be a “friend” and not just an “acquaintance”, you will need to find people that have common interests as yourself.

Whether you are the only new kid the school has seen in a while, or you just started college, where everyone is in your same boat, you may feel a little uprooted and out of place being without a buddy. Just remember that being new doesn’t mean that everyone is looking at you or ignoring you. Have the confidence to walk through the halls or quad alone while being totally content being you.

You might be saying, “Okay, I am fine with being me, but how am I supposed to meet new people that will like me and (maybe more importantly) that I like?” Don’t worry, I am getting to that. I just want to emphasize that you are at school to learn and what a perfect place that is to start making some new pals.

I think the best way to make new friends at school is in class. Classes allow you to see which people share similar ideas and viewpoints as yourself. If someone speaks out in class and you think, “Wow, I totally agree with that,” it may be worth it to tell them as you are walking out of the classroom. You could have just met a new friend that shares your same point of view.

Being engaged in sports or clubs can also allow you to find people who have similar lifestyles as yourself. If you play a sport with a team, you immediately have a bond with your team and can probably find others that have the same type of drive or ambition as yourself (if not just the same workout schedule).

In conclusion, making new friends is not as hard as it seems, just be engaged in your school’s activities and branch out (a little more than usual) just to give yourself a kick-start into gaining solid friends.