By Arts & Entertainment Editor Sawyer Pollitt

Making friends isn’t easy for everyone. In fact, for some people, it can be one of the hardest things to do. The stress of coming to a new school coupled with the stress of living on your own can make college seem like an insurmountable challenge.

The simple act of having a shoulder to lean on, or an ear to talk to can make the days more bearable when you’re staring down piles of homework and overdue assignments. Here are a few ways that you can jumpstart friendships and make some great connections on campus.

First, what might seem like a no-brainer is talking to people in your classes. The other students around you, especially if they’re freshmen, are just as nervous and awkward as you may be. Try reaching out to the person sitting next to you in BIO or CAS 101, there’s a good chance they’re in the same major as you and share similar interests.

Next, when asked by the Torch, upperclassmen overwhelmingly said that the best way to make friends is to join a club or student organization on campus. Joining a club can put you out of your comfort zone, possibly lowering your social inhibitions, making it easy to make friends. At UMass Dartmouth there are over one hundred different clubs to join, from academic groups, to theater companies, to sports teams, and Greek life.

With all of these options a bright young first year is bound to find some good friends with some shared interests. However, if none of the pre-existing clubs strike your fancy, then one should consider starting their own. Abigail Field, Senior history major, sat down with the Torch and shared her thoughts on starting a student organization.

“If you make a club about something you like, then you’re guaranteed that the people who join that club will like what you like, they’re like GMO friends!”  Field attributes much of her friend base to the History Club, an organization that she started when she was a freshman.  Now as the president of the club, she is able to bring new first years into the fold and into a place where every one has a shared interest in history.

There are also a number of events that are always being held by student groups, the SAIL office, RAs and others on campus. Attending these events will accomplish much of the same goal as joining a club. RA events, while they may seem like silly icebreakers, are great ways to meet the people who live in your building – the people who you will be seeing most often.

At the end of the day, if all else fails, sitting in a populated area and talking about the weather can always break the ice. No matter what method works for you, making friends is one of the best ways to get the full corsair experience.