By: Sai Igiede, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Well-being Leader
Hello there,
It’s Sai, your local well-being leader and, today, we are going to be talking about scheduling, more importantly when you are behind schedule.
Making friends can be challenging for various reasons, whether it’s due to a busy schedule, shyness, or simply not knowing where to begin. Well, I am here to help you get started.
First, you have to ask yourself a few questions:
- What are my interests/hobbies?
- What qualities do I look for in a friend?
- Where/When can I meet new people?
- Do I want more on-campus friends or off-campus?
These four questions will definitely get your brain started thinking. Let’s use me as an example. I am a public health major who specifically wants to make friends while on campus. How would I do that? The first thing you might hear someone suggest is joining a club.
- Joining a Club
Joining a club at UML can be extremely fun for varying reasons. You can find people who share similar hobbies to you and meet new people. My favorite part about joining a club/organization is that they aren’t major-specific. Let’s use me again as an example. Let’s say I wasn’t a public health major, but I wanted to join the public health club. You are more than welcome to!
But Sai, what if I can’t make club times and only have time for school? Well, I have another potential solution.
- Creating/Joining a Study Group
Creating and/or joining can have numerous benefits. I know that every semester, I try to join a study group so I can study with others and meet new people. Also, the best part about study groups is that it’s a way for you and everyone involved to bond over things you may not have done before. Let’s say the class you’re studying for is a major-specific class; it grants you the perfect opportunity to create semester-long or even lifelong friendships.
But Sai, what if I don’t want to do either of those? Well, here is another suggestion.
- Going to Campus Events
This is personally my favorite thing to do. Whenever I find myself having free time, I often go to CampusGroups or Corq to find all the random events on campus. For example, the Serenity Center hosts Wellness Wednesday events every Wednesday for the fall and spring semesters. They have things like therapy dogs, blanket making, board games, etc. If that is maybe not your speed, maybe check out the UMass Lowell Instagram. They post new events every week that are student-led.
Making friends is hard, whether you are a freshman or a senior like me. It’s also not about how many friends you have or the number of things you do, but the quality time you have with people who like you for you. Take it one day at a time and be patient with yourself.
Until next time,
Sai