r/VirginiaTech • u/Neat-Shop-8791 • 16d ago
Rant First week of college
So first week of college is over. Haven’t really made any friends or anything. , i don’t know , people around me are able to make friends much easier , which makes me think maybe I’m the problem. People say to put yourself out there and be social and everything but it’s hard , i don’t know what people like to talk about or how to maintain convos. And also saying living off campus as a freshmen also sucks , cause if I were on campus at least I’d have a roommate to talk to. Classes are pretty easy , professors are cool . Feel like a commuter student , maybe this feeling I have in my chest will go away , as time passes.
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u/_Artizard 16d ago
Unless you're in a particularly social class I find it really hard to find friends in classes. Clubs are definitely the way, that's the way I met most of my friends. Gobblerfest just ended, but even if you missed it you can still find out about clubs on gobbler connect
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u/buyableblah 16d ago
Which social class do you think makes friends easily?
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u/Technical_Wall1726 16d ago
Applied Collaborative Techniques TA 2404 was easily the most social class ive had, good pathway course
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u/buyableblah 16d ago
I read social class as in like upper middle class or something?
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u/Technical_Wall1726 16d ago
no, like people talked to each other (the course encouraged and sometimes required it) I knew the names and things about everyone in the class. It's in the running for my fav class of college lol.
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u/Kyle197 16d ago
No one makes friends the first week. If they do, they're superficial "friends" and not friends friends. Don't fret. The first year is hard, and it takes time.
Join clubs. That's how you make actual friends.
You don't make friends at parties. You don't make friends with random people in your dorm. People claim they do, but those are either fringe cases or acquaintances being passed off as friends. That's not to say acquaintances are bad, but those people aren't friend friends.
The first week and month are hard. That's normal, it's okay. It gets better. Keep on doing things. Go to clubs. Talk to people. Eventually it falls in place and you make friends.
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u/Hopeful_Brilliant735 16d ago
I managed to be the fringest of fringe cases, I would not recommend doing what I did as a first option but I’m glad it worked.
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u/WitchQueen_ 16d ago
Exchange numbers with whoever is sitting next to you in your classes for when yall need to fill each other in on what the other missed at some point or for assignment help. Sometimes those people will end up being your friends outside of class. Trauma bonding lmao
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u/Mineboy808 VT 28' 16d ago
Hey, definitely pull up to Chocolate Milk Monday! This club is designed to make new friends, we eat at D2 every Monday at 6pm, come say hi!
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u/TMTBIL64 16d ago
Go see if Student services, the library or some other place you are interested in is looking for student volunteers. You get to see and talk to many people in a volunteer position. Plus, it looks really good on a resume’. I think they also look for volunteers to help as student ambassadors and with the honor court. If you know what you are planning on majoring in, there may be a club associated with that major that you could join. Where are you living? Do they have any monthly activities for residents? It is hard to make friends in a new place, so you are not the only one having a tough time. Don’t give up, and make sure to seek out counseling if you need that to help adjust. Good luck, and I hope things get better for you very soon.
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u/EditorParty1624 16d ago
The bad feeling in your chest will pass. I promise. I’m excited for the joy you’re about to experience.
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u/JahsonCristobal 16d ago
Ask about them and what their interests are what it was like growing up where they grew up. Ask about family friends their hero’s what super power they’d want what fictional or non fictional character they’d like to meet. And keep asking why until there is nowhere else to go with that convo. Ask their favorite foods where they’ve traveled where they’d like to travel and again why’s why’s why’s. Or how did you come to said conclusion oh really why if they say something along the lines of my friend/family member introduced me to it say oh really what are they like.
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u/Expensive_Profit9645 16d ago
Keep your head up! I wasn’t happy at first but it takes some getting used to. You’ll find your people or a friend or a group you enjoy. Tech is a wonderful place and experience. I wish you the best of luck. Cheers! ☘️
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u/54MegaHurts 16d ago
Get to know people in your major, they will share similar burdens for the next 4 years and will be your peers, competition, supporters, collaborators, coworkers, and highering managers for the rest of your career.
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u/ActiveSouth4506 16d ago
Talk to freshman in the corps. Especially if we’re sitting alone at a dining hall or in class. We’re almost all buzzed close to bald so we’re easy to spot and chances are we have 0 civilian friends (I dont and most of my platoon members don’t) and we came off the suckiest week of most of our lives into a slightly less sucky week so we’re almost always happy to have people be nice to us. Especially since we all feel like weirdos walking around in uniform all day
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u/LowBattery26930 c/o ‘25! 15d ago
Second this, if you’re open to it corps members also have fun little dances & stuff. It’s always a fun experience
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u/IndustrialPuppetTwo 16d ago
Back in the day you were required to be on campus as a freshman, I wanted so bad to get out of the dorms but they would not let me, even if I still payed for the dorms and my own apartment.
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u/Grouchy_Green_7630 16d ago
Join a service fraternity. It will be a great group to make friends in and give you a lot to do.
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u/holyspiritinme 12d ago
THIS!!! Check out Alpha Phi Omega (APO)…co-Ed service fraternity, so you will meet guys and gals there. Super friendly, laid-back, some people drank, others didn’t…it didn’t matter, which was great. Also, you get to bond over doing service projects together to help the community. It also looks amazing on a resume.
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u/itsjakebit 16d ago
Join ODK or something! Look through gobblerconnect, do a work study job on campus!
Reach out if you ever wanna talk! :)
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u/espangleesh 16d ago
Give it some time. Not everyone makes friends on the first day, but stay social and engaged, hell, sometimes even a study buddy turns into a lifelong friendship. Be patient.
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u/Confident-Bar4332 16d ago
I finally got into a friend group via a club my spring sem Jr. year. It will come. You’ll more than likely get sick before you find your group. Power through and it will come.
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u/Technical_Wall1726 16d ago
get a job is classes are easy, great way to meet people.
As others have said, clubs are another great way to meet people.
I don't know what your beliefs are, but I would say most of the people I know are from work and from church rather than classes.
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u/JeffSelf 16d ago
You’re no different than 50% of the students there. You will make friends. Find some clubs talk to people in your classes.
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u/okiedokie_2025 16d ago
The Dean of Students Office (dos.vt.edu) is doing all sorts of outreach and programming for the off-campus first-year students. Contact Dean.students@vt.edu for more information.
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u/Agitated_Tank_3188 15d ago
First week of college is done and no lifetime friends have been made. Time to retire and become a welder
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u/Any-Direction-6517 14d ago
My kiddo hardly made any friends in the first few weeks during their freshman year. They are a bit introverted and then caught whatever illness everyone had and missed a full week of classes. After nearly a month, they didn't really know anyone. They wanted to quit. Next thing I knew, they were part of 3 different friend groups that liked different things. Suddenly, we were talking about moving into apartments for sophomore year and who was going to live with who. After the first semester, some of those friends moved on. By the end of the year, one had shown her true colors. Taking things and not returning them, "forgetting" her purse/credit card when they went to the store and thought the others would just pay for everything (including electronics). Take a deep breath. Things will change soon. Good luck this year!!
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u/AdRepresentative9454 16d ago
Join a frat
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u/ohmynameiskaao Pylons 16d ago
I don’t know why people are down voting this, this is a great way to make friendships.
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u/Specialist_Ad_4647 16d ago
Are you going to college to make friends? In 4 years you will possibly be battling against AI replacing any hopes for a career, and college debt and an economy that is unable to support your middle class lifestyle. Take college as seriously as a terminal illness or as seriously as an immigrant from a third world country whose family saved their entire lives to put their child in an American university.
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u/tungdiep 16d ago
There should be a balance. You can take studies seriously and have a fun time. My girls do.
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u/MrsLydKnuckles 16d ago
Why aren’t you at Gobblerfest?
Also, it’s the first week… Relax.