You are heading to a new college in the fall and you don’t know how to make new friends as a transfer student. I will show you how to make friends before the first day of class.
Nervous about making friends in college? Don’t know anyone at your new school? Transferring to your dream college could be exciting and scary at the same time because you will need to make new friends as a transfer student.
You are going to learn how to step out of your comfort zone, meet new people, and make new friends as a transfer student before the first day of class.
Making friends may not be easy but it may not be as difficult as you think. Once you implement the tips below your social calendar will be full to capacity.
This post is all about making new friends as a transfer student at your dream college.
How to Make New Friends as a Transfer Student
Before you arrive on campus
The first step in meeting new people is to check out your college’s social media. Most colleges have an active Instagram (IG) page and once you are on the page you will be able to find the orientation IG and other departments. Usually, there is an IG for the incoming class of new students.
If you have to search for the freshman, transfer, or new students’ IG account, go to the IG search box and type in your college and your potential college graduation date. For example, (the name of your university) and class of 2025, or just type in your university name and see what IG pages come up.
Make sure you follow all of your college’s IG pages that you are interested in. IG is a great way to make new connections prior to freshman and transfer student orientation. One of the quickest ways colleges can distribute information and especially last-minute updates is online, so turn your IG notifications on.
Potential and incoming students usually start chatting on the college’s IG prior to college decision day which is May 1. Some students want to get a feel of their potential college mates and have a sense of community before they even commit to a school. A high school student explained that she joined three different college IGs for incoming students and she was able to meet current and new students.
These chats helped her with her social anxiety, learn some of the pros and cons of each school, and meet students in her city. Even though the student could only choose one college to attend, she has already made friends at all three schools by being active in the IG chats.
Additionally, if you stay active in the IG chats you will start to learn what your college mates’ interests are, where they are located, and their majors—which are great conversation starters. Sometimes students plan in-person meet-ups which are great because you get to meet other students in person and create new experiences and build your social network.
Who knows, you may find a potential roommate and a new friend. These in-person meet-ups are great especially if your true self doesn’t illuminate behind your phone screen. Even if you can’t attend any meetups, you can still develop deeper one on one relationships.
You will probably engage with some students on your college’s IG page that you want to know better. Find these students on IG and check out their personal page and feel free to slide into their DMs. Don’t let the self-doubt creep in, if your DMs go unread, people are busy and it may take time for them to open and respond to you.
If you don’t get a response back in a couple of weeks, don’t take it personally and DON” T be a creeper. I would advise you not to send another DM because you don’t want to gain the reputation of being a stalker at your new college.
On campus but before orientation
As you pull up to the residence halls and you and your family are lugging your most important possessions when you are greeted by a group of students eager to help. Stop, not so fast! This is your first interaction in your new environment with your peers on campus.
These students are part of the orientation crew; they are committed to helping you move in and guiding you through the new transfer student orientation. This is your time to shine, even if you are struggling with your oversize suitcase.
I need you to be friendly and introduce yourself. Carrying things from the car and upstairs may not seem like the best time to exchange pleasantries but it is, just trust me. Find out the names of your helpers, where they are from, and their majors, obviously, they don’t have time to be interviewed but I need you to find out this info and try to remember it for future purposes.
After you have moved into the dorm, now it’s time to meet your roommate, suitemates, and hallway neighbors if you haven’t already. Besides learning and remembering everyone’s name you also want to find out what you have in common with each individual.
So you need to know where they are from and what their major is, you may have some common interests. However, we can save the FBI interview and background search for later.
Finally, you have made acquaintances by being active on your college’s IG, meetups, and from your dorm. There is one more opportunity to jumpstart your social life prior to the first day of class.
During orientation
Usually, new student orientation is a couple of days filled with workshops and activities. Get plenty of sleep prior to the start of orientation because you need to be fully present during orientation. You will be learning new things and meeting plenty of college students.
Orientation is designed to introduce you to your new college campus, meet other first year students, and learn about the campus culture. You will probably be assigned a couple of upperclassmen that will serve as your guide throughout campus and you will be put into a small group with other first time students.
You have the opportunity to get to know your orientation guides (some may look familiar from your dorm move-in) and get inside tips on how to navigate the campus, how to resolve roommate squabbles, and how to have a successful college experience.
Remember your orientation guides are at least second year students, so they were in your shoes last year or a couple of years ago. So get to know your guides and they will introduce you to other people too. Don’t forget about your orientation group, they are just as nervous as you and are looking to have great friendships. Over the next couple of days, you will get to know
Let’s not forget about the orientation activities. There will be plenty of opportunities to meet incoming transfer students and freshmen during orientation games, in the dining hall, and in other social activities.
I will never forget during my freshman orientation our class spent the day at the beach. While at the beach I met new friends, but more importantly, I met two of my best and lifelong college friends. If I would have chosen to chill out in the dorm instead of going to the beach, I don’t think I would have had my two best friends today.
Spending the entire day at the beach was a bonding experience and one that we will never forget. We were in a car wreck on the way back from the beach, which we still laugh about whenever we get together.
As you can see, it is vital that you participate in orientation no matter how mundane the activities and workshops are, because skipping one event may cause you to miss out on lifelong friends.
After Orientation
You are really making progress but why stop now? I know you survived orientation and have made some new friends, but there are still ways to expand your social circle.
Have you thought about what campus activities you want to join? Maybe you were on a sports team in high school and want to check out the different intramural teams or you just want to learn more about student life on your campus.
Well, you need to check out the campus clubs fair which is an annual event held during the first week or within the first month of school. This is a fair where all the student organizations have an area at the fair where they can display their student club.
Take the time to circulate through each organization’s area and check out their social media, which will help you learn about the organizations and their members. Find a couple of organizations that interest you and start attending their meetings to see if the association is a good fit for you.
Try to join organizations that you are truly interested in because this will help you meet people with similar interests. Active organizations mean that you will spend quality time with the members which may establish new relationships. This is an easy way to step out of your comfort zone and expand your friend group.
Before Classes Start
The final step at your new school and probably my favorite way to expand your social skills is to surround yourself around a group of people. You can do this by joining a study group or making a TikTok video at the back to school bash, well that’s not quite what I had in mind but something better.
You want some independence and don’t always want to beg your parents for money right? Great!!! Find a job on campus. Yes, you need to work on campus for several reasons, but we will only focus on one.
The best way to meet people is to be around people. So find a job on campus, but not just any job. You can work for a professor and correct their student’s papers, however, are you going to meet a lot of people being crammed up in the professor’s office? Look for a job that has high human traffic. Think of areas on campus where students congregate.
I’m sure you heard about how most students gain 15 pounds during their first year of college. So working in the cafe or the snack shop may be a great place to meet new faces, whether it’s the students that are coming into the cafe or your co-workers that are working with you.
The bookstore and the library are great places to work because there is always a steady stream of students coming in and out all day.
It doesn’t matter whether you are starting your freshman year or you are a transfer student, just remember to follow your college’s social media, attend all orientation activities and pick your campus job well, so when it’s time for spring break you will have some money in your pocket and a circle of friends to travel with.
This post was all about making new friends as a transfer student before the first day of class.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make friends in college with social anxiety?
It can be stressful going into a new environment where you don’t know anyone. If you are dealing with social anxiety the best way to meet people is in your dorm and during orientation. The dorm is a great place to meet people, start with your roommate and the girls on your wing.
Appear friendly and introduce yourself to people in your dorm, take time to learn and remember people’s names, where they are from, and their majors. If you are uncomfortable introducing yourself try to find something that you like about a person, maybe it’s their hair or outfit, and give them a compliment to break the ice.
Who doesn’t love a compliment? Orientation is a great place to meet people because everyone that is participating in orientation is new to the campus and they are looking to make friends also.
You will probably be assigned an orientation leader and a group. These orientation groups are usually small and you will be in the same group throughout orientation which will give you the opportunity to get to know the people within your group.
How long does it take for college students to make friends?
Most students will make friends within the first few days of school. You will meet a lot of people during the first couple of weeks of school and you will probably establish your friend group during this time. Some people may take a little longer to find people that they connect with and this is okay.
This is why it is important to be active in and outside of the classroom. Whether you join a study group, work on campus, or join a campus club, there will be opportunities throughout the semester to meet new people. Remember, if you only leave your dorm room for class you will have a difficult making new friends. Of course, you need to study but also take time to attend some of the fun activities on campus.
Is it harder to make friends as a transfer student?
It can be harder to make friends as a transfer student but it doesn’t have to be. You will be able to make friends with other new students because they are looking to get acquainted with other students.
Current students have already formed their friendship groups already, some will be content with the friends they already have while others will be open to making additional friends. By the end of freshman year, a lot of friend groups will split up because people will begin to see they didn’t have much in common with their friends or they are not the type of people that they want to hang out with. So don’t worry because friend groups are always shifting and you will find your tribe sooner than you think.
Should I make new friends in college?
Yesss!!! Going through college without any friends on your new campus can be very lonely. Nobody wants to go to the cafe or homecoming all alone. College can be really stressful so you need a friend squad that can help you forget that painful breakup or that C you got on your Chem test. College friends will play a vital role in your life, especially as you start to see your high school besties less and less.
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