Making friends in general, whether one is an international or local student, must be accompanied by a certain level of carefulness. Several factors must be considered when choosing those with whom we become friends.
In this blog post, we share some tips that will help you make new friends as an international student in the USA.
Tips for Making Friends as an International Student in the USA
- Join campus organizations and groups: Organised groups and associations give you the opportunity to meet people of like minds easily. These groups could include the school sports team, cultural groups, and academic groups. On rare occasions also, you could even find an association of people who are from your country.
- Attend orientation programs: During orientation events, new students get inducted into the school’s ways of life and activities. These activities are usually fun and lively, and one can easily meet fellow new international students looking to make friends as well.
- Attend Social events: universities usually have movie nights, cultural festivals, and mixers. These are the right places to meet fellow students who share your enthusiasm and who are willing to make new friends like you.
- Opt for on-campus housing: During your first year, while you are trying to get familiar with your host country and their ways of life and the university rules and regulations, the campus is your best option for accommodation. While on campus, you reduce expenses, especially for transport and you also get to meet new friends as well.
- Be open to cultural exchange: Many students in the United States of America are curious to learn about other cultures. This already presents a good opportunity for you to learn from them and share unique things about your culture with them as well.
- Volunteer for campus activities: Participating in free campus activities will expose you to people who share similar views and ambitions as you, and this can be a great place to meet like-minded people as an international student.
- Don’t forget reading groups: Reading groups will greatly help you sieve through the numerous options of the kinds of people available to make friends with, especially if you are serious about your studies.
- Online platforms and social media: Every university has an active online handle and groups where you can easily meet and connect with fellow students, whether local or international. You can connect through comment sections and group discussions and make good friends from there as well.
- Be friendly: One of the easiest ways to attract people is to be as welcoming and accommodating as possible. You receive in most cases what you give. If you are friendly with people, it will be easier for others to reach out to you and become friends with you.
- Make sure to attend international students’ events: There are specific events meant for international students living in the United States of America. Try as much as possible to stay updated on them in the order of their occurrence in every year that you stay in the USA.
In Conclusion
Making new friends as an international student schooling in the United States of America will demand from you some level of commitment and willingness to be a part of other people’s lives and activities, hence, you must ensure that you are flexible enough while paying attention to security measures.
