8 Ways To Meet New People and Get Involved
By CHAD FULLERTON, MACINSIDERS
I just came across a thread in the forums titled "
I barely know anyone at Mac... what if I make no friends? :(". Some great (and humorous) responses from users as usual, and even some MacInsiders members offering to become the poster's friend. Awesome.
I'd like to share some tips of some ways to meet new people if you're in first year and would like to build your network of friends. In my first year I found that most of my friends went into Engineering or Sciences, and being in Humanities.. I didn't have very many friendly faces to calm my nerves during the first week of university surrounded by strangers! However, by utilizing a few of the tips below I was able to meet new people and before I knew it I was able to build some amazing friendships that have lasted throughout university.
1) FACULTY DAY EVENT - meet others in your faculty that you'll see around the halls on a daily basis, introduce yourself, say hi!
2) FACULTY NIGHT EVENT - now that you've met others in your faculty, attend the faculty night event and go socialize/mingle with your new-found friends!
3) ATTEND MAC CONNECTOR - Mac Connector is a great way to meet hundreds of people in a very short time span. While you won't be able to get to know people on a deep level during Connector since its a lot like speed dating (introduce yourself, find people with similar interests, do quick fun activities, etc) you will at least recognize a lot of friendly faces of the people you met during the Connector event. You can always give others your e-mail and then contact them later or find them on Facebook as well
4) JOIN CLUBS, CLUBS, and MORE CLUBS. Clubs and societies are a great way to meet new people. With over 250 clubs, you're going to find one that interests you and at the same time you'll instantly be able to meet others with the same interest! Go to club meetings, introduce yourself to the group, go to their events, and enjoy doing something you have a passion for while also meeting new people! Plus if you're into sports there are also plenty of intramurals you can join too!
5) VOLUNTEER WITHIN THE MSU. Your students union runs some
amazing services on campus, many of them run primarily by student volunteers. They are always looking for new friendly faces... so find one that interests you and go to their office to see if they need help! Chances are that they can fit you in somewhere and you'll be able to meet a team of students and staff, as well as making a difference on campus. The MSU also holds elections for many student positions in committees such as the First Year Council, SRA, and more. Learn about these committees and get involved with them! Check out our articles on many of these committees by clicking "Articles" at the top, or do a search.
6) ATTEND TUTORIALS. It sounds pretty basic, but tutorial can be a great way to meet new people and make new friends. Tutorials set up a great atmosphere: you're in a small room with a small group of people, open discussion, and the chance to work with new people on interesting projects together.
7) KNOCK ON DOORS. If you're living in residence, go and knock on the doors of others on your floor and introduce yourself. You'll be living close together for the entire year, so get to know those around you! Also go and ask about IRC (Inter-Residence Council) and how you can get involved with it.
8) BECOME A REP. Maroons, SOCS, Faculty, etc. Reps can be defined as anyone wearing some form of jump suit... and there's many different types of reps, but they all have a common goal: encouraging school spirit and having FUN! Join the MAROONS! Rohan recently did a guest post on MacInsiders telling you exactly who they are and how to become one
here. We also regularly cover SOCS (Society of Off-Campus Students) and you can become a SOCS rep if you live off campus. There are also reps for each faculty such as HUMMERS (Humanities), RED SUITS (Engineers), BLUE SUITS (Soc Sci), etc. Ask them how you can become a rep too!
Check out past articles on getting involved
We cover student life on campus and any time we hear of a chance to get involved at Mac, we'll post it up on the homepage. So check back often and learn about the many things you can do to become involved on campus and at the same time be able to meet many new people and make new friends. Check out our past articles on 'Getting Involved' by
clicking here.
Remember: The more effort you put into student life, the more rewards you'll get out of it. You have to make the first move! Step out of your regular boundaries and try new experiences. Take a risk! You really don't have anything to lose. Good luck
