Mount St. Mary’s students are lucky to be on a campus where everyone for the most part knows everyone. We may not all be on a first name basis, but most of us have seen each other on campus at some point in time. This makes putting yourself out there for people to discover you and make friends a lot easier. What also may help is having a presence on social media.
There are a lot of negatives that come to social media and in this day and age, I believe we all know about them to some degree. While it has its ups and downs, there are still a lot of great aspects that come from being present on these platforms. Especially for incoming first-year students, connecting with other students is only easier when you have an Instagram account.
Mount St. Mary’s has many students and faculty-organized social media accounts. From the official pages, clubs, individual sports, and student-run offices, there are a plethora of opportunities to seek out your niche before ever taking a step on campus.
I believe it's important to have some sort of presence on social media especially before entering your first year of college because of the message it sends out to the students already on campus or to the ones who are ready to move in alongside you. What you choose to upload attracts the kind of people that are into the same things and it's a quick way to form commonalities with fellow students.
Letting people in on a portion of your life allows people to build a subconscious connection with you online so your first interactions in person may go smoother than they would have otherwise. People may quickly figure out your interests, mutual friends, and whatever other information you feel comfortable revealing.
When I first got to campus I began following students who were going to be in my graduating class and those who were already on campus, allowing them to know a little bit about me before we ever met in person. This worked in some instances as people were able to find out I’m into working out, professional wrestling, and who my close friends were and it was easier to form conversations and establish real friendships with fellow students.