How to Make Friends as a Transfer Student
Starting at a new college as a transfer student can be pretty scary, regardless of how old you are or how friendly you can be. It’s definitely not the same as starting a new session in a school as a freshman or a first-year student.
As a freshman, everyone is new and trying to get to know each other better as they get along. but as a transfer student, you are a newcomer trying to fit into a system or relationship already established among the students.
You may find yourself struggling to fit into the new environment and classes and trying to make new friends, which is not very easy, and most transfer students find it difficult and frustrating in many ways.
You may be wondering who a transfer student is?
A transfer student is someone who has earned the credit to study in one institution, commences with the academic journey, and then decides to transfer to a different school to complete their education.
If you fit into this definition and are pondering how to make friends as a transfer student, then you’re not far from finding a solution.
In this article, we will give you tips on making friends as a transfer student; although it might not be easy, it’s nothing you can’t do.
If you’re ready to learn to make friends as a transfer student, let’s get to it quickly.
How To Make Friends As A Transfer Student
- Identify with other transfer students
- Join a study group
- Participate in after-school activities
- Join a sports team
- Get acquainted with your classmates
- Give people sincere compliments
- Be yourself
- Be approachable
- Share more about your experiences in your previous school
- Help out your new classmates with school work as much as you can
Identify With Other Transfer Students
If you are looking for the quickest and easiest way to make friends as a transfer student, you might want to consider this method. Look out for your orientation meeting and try to connect with other participants, especially those with the same level as you.
You’ll find it less awkward because everyone at the orientation is in the same situation, i.e., you all are transfer students and looking for ways to familiarize themselves with other students too.
Think of it like being in a group of other transfer freshers, so you can just start your friendship journey from there.
Join A Study Group
Joining a study group allows you to make more friends, and the fantastic thing about most study groups is that they are always excited to have new members join them so long you’re a bookworm and serious with your studies.
One advantage of this method of making new friends as a transfer student is that you’re improving both your social and academic life. Isn’t this great?
Participate In After-School Activities
Aside from talking to other transfer students, Engaging in after-school activities is an easy way to make friends in your new school. After-school activities like social events, extracurricular activities, being a volunteer, etc.
These activities are more relaxing, and students are prone to be more receptive than when in the classroom.
Many transfer students find it difficult to mingle with other students in their school, so participating in after-school activities is an excellent way to start.
Join A Sports Team
Joining a sports team is another great way to make friends as a transfer student, and if you were part of a team in your former school, it works even better. This is also an opportunity to do something you enjoy while establishing friendships with other students.
Your new teammates may not become your friends automatically, but if you work hard and connect with them, you could find a few of them who like you for who you are and are ready to be your friends.
Get Acquainted With Your Classmates
Your classmates are one of the first set of people you might probably make friends with because you’ll spend more time with them than with anyone else. You can start by familiarizing yourself with your seatmate first, then make it a goal to talk to at least one classmate daily.
Some of them might not be receptive at first, but don’t let it discourage you from making new friends.
Introduce yourself, compliment something about them, ask a question that will make them talk to you, and also assess them to see if they are the kind of people you like or could associate with.
It may not happen at once, but they will all come around when they discover the amazing person that you are.
Give People Sincere Compliments
Everyone loves to be complimented; it has a way of brightening a person’s mood and is a sure way of breaking the ice.
You could compliment the person’s outfit or the character; it could be anything you find unique about the person. They will most likely appreciate it and might want to continue the conversation.
When complimenting, the goal is to make a new friend, so make sure it is genuine, and you don’t overdo it so that the other person starts to feel uncomfortable.
Be Yourself
There are many tips for making friends as a transfer student, but none compete with being yourself. Don’t pretend to be who you’re not or try to impress others because you want to appear calm.
Eventually, everyone will see through it, and your facade will come crashing down.
To make genuine friends that will truly value you is to be true to yourself because the more you lie or pretend about who you are, the more you will have to keep lying to meet the standard you have created.
One day the truth will come out, and you might lose all your friends because they were built on lies.
Be Approachable
You must be wondering how this happens to be on the list of how you can make friends as a transfer student. Yea!
Sometimes the problem might not be that other students don’t want to associate with you. It could be that you are creating a perception that appears to be highly approachable.
For example, if you’re a snub, always not smiling, always on a headset, etc., this sends an impression that you are not open to making new friends or may be antisocial, which will keep people far away from you.
If you want new friends, make sure you present an approachable disposition, respond to greetings or compliments, smile always, and be open to starting and engaging in conversations with other students.
Share More About Your Experiences In Your Previous School
A straightforward way to start new conversations and connect with others is by sharing your experience in your previous school, why you chose to transfer to another school and how you feel being a student in your present school. With this, you can make the other person comfortable and converse with you quickly.
Also, people like new things and learning from other people’s experiences, so make sure you have lots of stories, possibly about some key differences or similarities between your old school and the present one.
Everyone loves a good story, so be ready to share. This will get you more conversations, attention, and ultimately new amazing friends.
Help Out Your New Classmates With School Work As Much As You Can
Helping people using their knowledge, skills, or experience is one the best ways to earn their trust, loyalty, and love.
Be open to helping your new classmates or schoolmates in the best way possible, especially in areas where you have more knowledge or experience. When you help out, people become more attracted to you and want to connect with you.
However, you should also watch out for those who want to take advantage of you or use you to get what they want. When you spot them, try to avoid them as much as possible while still being kind to them.
Only accept genuine and good people into your life as your friends so you can have a successful academic journey.
Conclusion
Honestly, these can be quite difficult to take on, but certainly, you don’t want to end up being a loner in your new school. That is why this article has been provided for you to grasp one or two tips that resonate with you.
These tips are simple; however, there are no specific ways to make new friends as it depends on how well and easy it is for you to relate with your colleague.
One thing for sure is that YOU should be willing to take the first step in getting acquainted with your colleague, have an open mind, and step out of your comfort zone.
Also find out how to balance work and school
