How to Make Friends in Foundations
Written by Nasir Harrison. Graphics by Aria Eyde.
There’s unpacked boxes all over my room, my laundry is still wet in the washer, I’m leaving for Savannah in four hours, and all I’m doing is fussing with my mom about how scared I am that I won’t make any friends at college.
It’s an epidemic of sorts—stepping foot on the doorstep of your new home away from home, and the only thought going through your head is, “Oh my god. I need friends, or else I’m going to be alone forever at this school.”
Hopefully, this worry isn’t as extreme for you as it was for me. Either way, trust me when I say there’s so many ways to meet fellow bees here. And it just so happens that one of the best ways is through your foundation classes.
Yes, the Drawing 1 class you’re taking as a writing major, or even the Art History class you’re in as a sound designer is the key to your social success here at SCAD. These classes are filled to the brim with students pursuing different majors and harboring that same daunting feeling of socializing. So, as a junior who’s been through the thick of it, here are my top tips for biting that bullet and forming friendships in your foundations.
- Talk to your in-class neighbor about literally anything.
You know that person you’ve been sitting next to for the past few weeks? Talk to them before class starts, and keep the conversation going during break. I know it sounds mind-numbingly simple, but that’s because it is. One of the first friends I made here was in my “Ideas to Ink” class, and we only started talking after I told him I loved the shade of red his shoelaces were.
Sometimes you just have to say something and the rest will come. Borrow a pencil even if you have ten in your bag, and complement their outfit when you hand it back. It’s the trivial things that draw people into friendships, especially when we’re all in a new place surrounded by a million fresh faces.
- Bond over your feelings about the class.
No matter what your major is, you’re bound to face one of, if not all the horsemen of foundations: Color Theory, 3D-Design, Business 1, and Speaking of Ideas. The amount of friends I’ve made by talking about our mutual turmoil in these classes is more than I can count. The reality of the situation is: who wants to do something they don’t enjoy? Nobody. But who would rather do such a thing with a bunch of like-minded friends? A good chunk of our student body.
- Engage with people from your class, outside of class.
If you stuck around this far, then it’s likely that a lot of your friendships are going to start in the classroom. But the last thing we want is for them to end there. After you take the first step and begin talking with your peers in class, invite them out to do something more. You could go study in the music room at Press, catch a bite at Amigos Nuevos, go on a shopping spree at Ex-Libris, or even just walk up down Broughton. There’s a million and one things to do in Savannah, and it’s always more fun to do them with somebody.
- Remember faces. You will see them again.
Despite how random the selection of students seems to be on a class-to-class basis, the chances of not running into familiar faces is nearly impossible. One of my best friends and I actually met and started talking to each other after having six foundation classes together. SCAD’s student body is simultaneously huge and very close-knit. So be sure to say, “Hey,” to that recurring face, because more often than not, there won’t be an end to seeing them.
- Do it scared.
This last tip of mine is one that most people detest: if you really want to make friends here, you’ll have to take the plunge and at least try even if you’re scared. I was utterly terrified to get rejected in my pursuit of friendship when I first came here. But after a couple of weeks of doing nothing every day and rotting away in my dorm, it got to a point where my fear seemed fickle in the shadow of my loneliness. So, I did it scared–complimented people in passing, asked for and lent out supplies in class, asked people to study after classes, sparked conversations at the bus stops and in lines for food–and it worked. I made so many friends, acquaintances, and connections with people that boil down to smiling at each other in the halls of Arnold.
If there’s any tip you take to heart, let it be my final one. There’s no shame in being scared to talk to strangers. We’re all human at the end of the day. Just turn to one of your classmates, embrace that fear, and take the baby steps towards new connections and friends.
