After moving across the country and switching schools multiple times, I created a long history of not doing well in new places and new situations. My first few months at a new school were always filled with loneliness and timidness, but I was determined that my freshman year at NC State would break this pattern.
However, during my first Wolfpack Welcome Week I started making the same mistakes I had made before.
I knew two people from high school that also attended NC State, so I invited them to go to Wolfpack Welcome Week events with me and my roommate whom I had just met. We all sat down in front of Talley Student Union to watch the “Screen on the Green.” My roommate started striking up conversations with the people around her, but I stayed quiet or talked only with my friends from high school. I stayed in my comfort zone and did not meet anyone new.
Days after “Screen on the Green,” I looked in front of Witherspoon and saw the “Panhellenic Ice Cream Social” that I originally planned on attending, but instead of joining I got nervous and walked by. I was literally walking past opportunities to join organizations and meet new people. Although I was determined to change my ways and meet new people, I wasted every chance that Welcome Week gave me.
After only being at NC State for a couple of days, I cried on the phone with my mom because I felt so alone. I already was hopeless of my future at NC State. I had to learn the hard way that people were not going to approach me and suddenly become my friend; I would have to put myself out there instead. NC State was not going to become my home unless I changed my behavior.
After my poor attempts at connection during Welcome Week, I went into the first day of classes fearful I was going to fail again. However, I ended up meeting one of my best friends simply because I went up and asked her for help finding my building. I talked to the people I sat next to in class, saw at dining halls, and went up the elevator with. The more I put myself out there, the less alone I started to feel.
During my freshman year, I did not utilize Wolfpack Welcome Week to its full potential. Now that I am going into my senior year and last Wolfpack Welcome Week, those feelings of nervousness and loneliness sometimes reappear, but I continue to put myself out there.
Whether this is your first year at NC State or you have been here for multiple years, Wolfpack Welcome Week gives you tons of opportunities to make new relationships, but you have to take advantage of the situation and make yourself seen. Attend Campus Connections and see the various organizations and clubs that share the same interests as you. If you are interested in joining a fraternity or sorority go to “Fraternity and Sorority Connections” and “Chillin’ and Grillin’.” Show off your dance moves and make new friends at Dance Marathon and Pack Disco. By going to these events, you will have hundreds of opportunities to connect with new people.
There are still going to be countless ways to find friends outside of Welcome Week, but you are going to have to approach people and be approachable. I ended up joining the Chi Omega sorority, participating in academic organizations like English Club and doing volunteer work with the Companion Animal Club. Making an effort to create connections is one of the main ways I made NC State my home, and it can be for you too.
