Before my freshman year at UW Madison, I was terrified of how I was going to meet people. As a relatively introverted person, being in a completely new environment with completely new people was daunting. But with these few tips, I was able to find people I connected with and make my first year a great one!
- Get out of your dorm. While it may seem simple, this piece of advice helped me the most my freshman year. People are friendlier and more willing to make friends their first couple of weeks, so going out to popular spots is an almost guaranteed way to meet some people.
- Go to those cheesy welcome events. If just going out and socializing is too much for you, Wisconsin Welcome is the next best thing. While sometimes silly, I found that people at these events were always willing to join in a conversation or play games, and were overall a great way to cheer myself up during my first week.
- Clubs, clubs, clubs! If all else fails, clubs are a place to meet amazing people who have the same interests as you. UW Madison has hundreds of student orgs, so you’re practically guaranteed to find something you’re interested in. My freshman year I joined two orgs and immediately became as involved in them as possible, which helped me make so many connections.