Making Friends as a Transfer Student

By Alexis M Peters ‘20

You may think that this process is no different than making friends as a freshman, but you would be wrong. Any transfer student knows that making new friends at your new university is not always an easy feat.

Maybe as an incoming freshman at your previous college, there was a welcoming committee ready and willing to help you move into your dorm in a flash. There was a long welcome week full of events and activities specialized for you to mingle, make friends and assimilate into college life. There are mixers and events to get you integrated into your dorm community. And sure, they’ve got welcome week at USC, but as a transfer student, it’s just not the same. You’re older than a freshman, and should therefore be able to figure out USC life yourself, right? But coming from another college can be challenging in many ways, and one of those is making friends.

As a transfer student myself, I understand how difficult it is to start over from scratch at a whole new university. It might be tough, but it’s not impossible. Fear not! Here, I offer tips to making friends as a transfer student easy as pie.

1. Get out of your apartment.

Whether you live in university housing, or otherwise. Spend as little time as possible inside your room. Since USC upperclassmen residences are all apartment style, as a transfer student, you will not have the luxury of a dorm to help you make friends right away. People don’t spend much time hanging out in the hallways like they do in dorms, so you’ll need to go elsewhere. It’s important that you put yourself in situations where you’re more likely to meet people. That won’t happen if you’re curled up with Netflix all day.

2. Don’t be afraid to call up that person you met during orientation.

As a freshman, you were meeting so many people and exchanging so many numbers because you weren’t sure which people were going to stick and which weren’t. Usually the people you met at orientation you never saw again, even though you still had their number in your phone. As a transfer student, you have to use orientation to your full advantage. These people are in the same boat as you. So call them up and ask them to lunch with you! Chances are: they’re looking for friendship too.

3. Talk in class. All the time.

Seriously, never stop talking. (Unless a lecture is going on, but before and after is totally fair game.)

As a transfer student, you have limited opportunities for meeting and greeting. Everyone in your grade already has their friendships established, they’re not looking for new friends. Or so you thought. Freshman have the excuse that ‘it’s my first year in college so I have talk to everyone in class!’ But as a transfer, you have an excuse too! If you’re willing, tell people you transferred, it’ll probably start an interesting conversation! Or talk to your classmates about that really tough assignment, how you can’t wait for spring break, or anything else that comes to mind. Just remember that the classroom is a great place to start looking for people to bond with.

4. Go to all the events.

Every. Single. One. (Schedule permitting of course.) ResEd has some really fun events for people living in USC housing, and it’s a great way to meet some new people with common interests. Coming up is a celebration of the Persian New Year, and Arts in the PAHRC (an event with arts and crafts and food!). Plus, USC puts on cool events all the time. Find the event calendar here.

5. Remind yourself that other students want to be your friend.

It’s easy to think that no one is interested in making more friends, and sometimes being a transfer student is lonely because USC is so big, you feel like it’s too hard to get to know anyone. Just remember that people are kind, and they want to get to know you. It’s okay to put yourself out there.

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