This week I'm going to focus on making friends in college. This is easier said than done. At the Mount, there’s a group of differing personality types; and given the school's location, a lot of people tend to know each other from the high schools they attended.
I was one of those students. I originally came to the Mount with a few friends that went to the same high school in Southern Maryland. Honestly, knowing I was surrounded by a few familiar faces made the move-in process much easier. As an only child who went to a small private elementary school, I was constantly surrounded by the same people from 1st grade until graduating in 8th grade. High school wasn't any different as I went to a private Catholic high school in Hyattsville. You see the same group of people nearly every day of the year. As an introverted person, college was the time I needed to start to break out of my shell and begin making friendships on my own.
I no longer wanted to be known as, for example, “John’s friend, Malcolm.'' It was completely up to me to start building my friendships. For most introverts, it’s easy to become very self-dependent; and while that's a great trait for work ethic and professional growth, socially it makes life just a bit harder.
I came to the Mount in the Mount 101 program, a 2-week introduction to life as a college student. The program takes place in the summer before starting your first year as a Mount student, and you can take classes and receive college credit which helps immensely in not only preparing you for college life but also in giving you a headstart on your college career. You also meet other members of your class who are a part of the program. That summer, I quickly made friends with someone who loved professional wrestling as a child, just like me. Once Mount 101 ended and everyone went their own way to officially start freshman year, we maintained our friendship; and soon, I was introduced to someone that she met in the first few weeks of school.
Quickly after meeting, this new friend began telling me about her crazy dreams and aspirations for when she graduated. She would detail how she met Jesus and some of the most beyond interesting stories about her life. This was the most forward someone has been without even knowing my name. I knew without a doubt we were going to be friends for a long time. Over the last 4 years, we've grown to be incredibly close by working out together, going on hikes, making late night Sheetz runs, and spending hours upon hours in church talking about any drama, stress from school, and aspirations for after college.
What’s important about meeting friends in college is finding those people who have genuine goals on and off-campus. As I said before I’m an introvert: I’ve been self-dependent for a very long time. But once I met my best friend, I began to see why it's so important to develop good friendships with others. While we might not have the same major or career aspirations, my best friend is one of the most self-motivated, faith-driven, and overall genuine people I’ve ever met. College can be hard alone, but the people you pick to be your friends are a reflection of yourself so make sure they want as much out of life as you!
To learn more about Mount 101, click here. Next week, we're on spring break. But check back the first full week of March to learn more about my view on why it's important to join a club.