Finding your place at UW Madison is difficult. I am an incoming senior and I don’t feel like I fully know where I belong yet. In my opinion, the idea of finding a perfect niche where once you find it all your problems will be solved is a fantasy. That being said, finding people to connect with is a vital part of your college experience and it can be the difference between enjoying college and dreading it. Here are my three tips for finding those people who will build you up and help make life in college all that it can be.
One: Accept the love. If you’re like me then when you first arrive on campus you will have a plethora of preconceived notions about the amazing friends you are going to find. If you make a friend who you didn’t see yourself hanging out with in your mind before you arrived, treasure them. Good friends are hard to come by. If you get along with someone and you can laugh together don’t underestimate the value of that. I found that throughout my college years so far, it is not the coolest or most outgoing friends that I treasure the most. It’s the people who care about me and show me that they do by reaching out consistently.
Two: Please try not to compare yourself to other people. Freshman year, everyone looks like they are having a better time than you, making more friends, going out more, and learning more. I’ll let you in on a little secret, deep down everyone is freaking out and no one has the slightest idea what they should be doing.
Three: It is going to be lonely. I’m not going to give you the stereotypical “Oh it’s your first time away from home, be ready to be lonely ” speech. While it will be hard being away from home, what you will come to find is that life itself is a lonely endeavor. And college is no different. Don’t run from the feeling of loneliness and try to find solace in fake friendships and shallow connections. Embrace it, go out and join clubs you think look fun, and the right people will find you. I promise.
Disclaimer –
This is just my view of college. Nothing you read on the internet can tell you how to do college. There will be hard times. They may last for a long time. But you’re not alone in that experience. Everyone struggles. The good news is that those hard times are usually when the most growth happens, I think. Good luck.
https://www.wisc.edu/student-life
Go Badgers!