Hi Iman,
UBC is huge and overwhelming, so how do I find friends on campus?
Making friends is scary! But just because it’s scary, doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I know it’s something you’ve heard a million times over, but you have to put yourself “out there” to make friends. What does “out there” mean, though? It means going to class and chit-chatting with the person beside you. It means joining a club and actually going to events. And it means hanging out with others on your dorm floor when your RA hosts an event.
If you don’t give yourself the opportunity to make friends by opening yourself up, then you won’t be able to do it!
Campus is huge, and like you said, overwhelming. But you’ve got to remember one thing — everyone is in the same boat. It’s a cliché, but, it’s true. Everyone is just as nervous as you are, and everyone wants to make friends, be loved and have a sick college friend group that does everything together and has a ton of fun and works at the campus radio station and maybe is part of an acapella group and wait I’m just explaining Pitch Perfect.
But seriously, the classic film that every film bro should study instead of Fight Club or The Godfather or whatever, is Pitch Perfect. It teaches you how to make friends in university.
Let me explain: Beca didn’t make friends until she put herself out there by joining the Barden Bellas and getting her radio internship. If she didn’t do those things, she wouldn’t have met Chloe, Jesse, Amy, Benji and others in that cast of literal characters. And if she didn’t make friends, we wouldn’t have gotten a Pitch Perfect 2 or a Pitch Perfect 3 and that would suck (I love Pitch Perfect).
UBC has so many opportunities to meet people embedded into campus culture. From the 300+ clubs under the AMS to support groups, classmates, campus jobs and other communities — university really is the place to meet people.
And hey, if you want to join a super cool community where you’ll make friends (it’s where I’ve met most of my best ones), come visit The Ubyssey in room 2208 of the Nest. We’re exactly like Pitch Perfect, except we’re student journalists and not in acapella. So not really like Pitch Perfect at all, but we have fun.
You’re doing great. Keep it up!
Need advice? Send your questions, queries or problems to advice@ubyssey.ca, or submit anonymously at ubyssey.ca/pages/advice!