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Congratulations! You’ve packed your bags, finally got your high school diploma in the mail and are ready to start your college experience living on campus. Except suddenly you realize you can’t pack your best friends in your suitcases because they’re all going to different colleges and now it’s time to *shudder* make new friends. 

Some of you may be social butterflies that understand how to be effortlessly cool. But if you are feeling even a little nervous like I was coming to college, here are five of the best ways to find your people on campus. 

#1: Join a club! 

At the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno, there are over  to choose from and you don’t have to limit yourself to one. We have intramural and club sports, Greek life, professional fraternities, academic clubs, social clubs, and many more.

During the first week of school, there is a giant club fair hosted on the quad where all the clubs have tables, hand out free stuff (take it all!) and ask you to join. During my freshman year, I joined the Outdoor Adventure Club and went sledding up at Lake Tahoe in the winter and even went spelunking in caves during the spring. And no, I did not bring a car my freshman year to make it to any of those events. 

#2: Go to events on campus

If you’re like me and you are a bit of a homebody, there was nothing better than not having to leave campus to get my socializing on. Lucky for me, the University hosts a variety of events on campus such as Wolf it Down Pancake, , casual hamburger BBQs on a Wednesday by the Joe, and concert performances by University ensembles. Some events may have free food but all of them are a great opportunity to mingle with the Wolf Pack. 

#3: Get an on-campus job 

Looking for a way to get paid and make friends? Look no further than finding an on-campus job. On campus employers work around your school schedule and are usually just a hop, skip and a jump away from your afternoon class, making it easy to walk to work. Plus, your co-workers will also be full-time students who can immediately commiserate with you on the delicate balance of working and schooling at the same time. 

#4: Hang out with your roommate 

Now you may be wondering: “But Schaller, I already live with them, so of course I’m going to hang out with my roommate.” And to that I say, NEWS FLASH, your roommate is not going to be like living with your family. Even if your roommate is your best friend from high school, I can guarantee that you will not have the same class schedule as them.

Just like you, your roommate is meeting people in class, joining clubs, going to study sessions and generally having a life outside of living with you. By hanging out with your roommate (and yes, it must be outside your dorm room sometimes), you get to meet their new friends and hopefully make them YOUR friends too. 

#5: Don’t go home every weekend 

The biggest mistake you can make is going back home every weekend after your last class on Friday. Don't get me wrong, being homesick is a real thing and sometimes the best decision for your mental health is spending time with your family and friends back home. But if you continually skip town on the weekends, you’ll miss out on a lot of quintessential college experiences. You won’t make a true connection with the Reno community, you won’t know where the best Sunday brunch deals are and you won’t be able to stay up late on a Saturday night with your new friends. 

Being a college student is so much fun, but I know it can be intimidating and scary to leave everything you know behind. Remember, there are 22,000 other students on campus who also want to make a connection and I guarantee at least one of them is bound to be the Ned to your Moze, the Patrick to your SpongeBob, and the Wolf to your Pack