AN INTROVERT'S GUIDE TO MAKING FRIENDS IN COLLEGE
I have always found solitude in having time to myself. When I decided to attend NMU, I wanted to “put myself out there” in terms of making friends. In this trek, I have done *almost* everything to find true meaningful friendships. When I came to Northern in August of 2018, I knew no one. I was one of three students from my high school who decided to move 441 miles away from home. With this, I entered NMU with the knowledge that I was starting entirely over. I had the chance and desire to find my place and leave my mark.
I'm Dallas St. Onge, a self-proclaimed introvert, and this is my story on how I made friends in college. I hope for you to use it as an example rather than a template for how you can find your place at NMU and meet amazing people.
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I have always found solitude in having time to myself. When I decided to attend NMU, I wanted to “put myself out there” in terms of making friends. In this trek, I have done *almost* everything to find true meaningful friendships. When I came to Northern in August of 2018, I knew no one. I was one of three students from my high school who decided to move 441 miles away from home. With this, I entered NMU with the knowledge that I was starting entirely over. I had the chance and desire to find my place and leave my mark.
I'm Dallas St. Onge, a self-proclaimed introvert, and this is my story on how I made friends in college. I hope for you to use it as an example rather than a template for how you can find your place at NMU and meet amazing people.
When you enter college, people always warn you that you will change your major and that you should prepare for that. I am the odd folk out because I never changed my major while attending NMU. Technically, when I applied to NMU, I was going to major in Special Education, but in my last couple weeks of high school, I switched to Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences (SLHS), and I have remained there ever since. With this, I was given an amazing opportunity to experience a niche major. SLHS is currently a major of about 45 people, allowing you to easily meet people with similar interests. I have always been grateful for how small my major is because it has allowed me to make life-changing friendships. As a freshman, I dove into the studies of my major and became involved in our chapter of the National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences Association (NSSLHA). Through this, I was able to learn about NMU through the members of the older cohorts. Oddly enough, in my very early involvement in NSSLHA, I was offered the opportunity to have a leadership role where I would be managing the finances for our yearly attendance of a conference that focuses on the scopes of practices of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. Fast forward to today, and I am the Vice President of our NSSLHA chapter.
The NSSLHA and the SLHS major was my first stepping stone into the realm of involvement, which led to me making amazing, life-long friends. Through NSSLHA and my major, I became involved in the following organizations: Club Cross Country, Superior Edge, the Student Leader Fellowship Program, and Mortar Board. I joined Club Cross Country my first few weeks at NMU, and quickly, I found what has turned into my closest friends. Superior Edge is an amazing organization that emphasizes volunteering in the four areas of Citizenship, Real World, Diversity, and Leadership. Superior Edge gives you recognition for the volunteering and community involvement you are already partaking in. As a National Honor Society Member since the fifth grade, I am no stranger to volunteering. Superior Edge walked me through the door that NSSLHA opened for me and allowed me to have countless experiences and meet so many amazing people that I never would have encountered. My involvement and admiration of Superior Edge led me to my job as a Superior Edge/Volunteer Center Coordinator at the Center for Student Enrichment. During my time at my job, I have made the most remarkable and supportive friends.
My involvement in Superior Edge led me to apply for the Student Leader Fellowship Program (SLFP), a two-year leadership program designed to aid students in developing community-centered leadership skills. I heard about SLFP from the older members in NSSLHA and I decided to go for it. I was accepted the second semester of my freshman year and began the program sophomore year. I would not trade my time in SLFP for anything due to the friends I made. Like my major, SLFP is a niche, tight-knit community. We proved how tight-knit we are during the pandemic where even though we were meeting over Zoom, we still were supporting one another through the struggles of completing our Community Service Internships during a pandemic. My time as a Student Fellow leads to my last listed, and most recent, involvement on campus where I have met great people: Mortar Board, a senior honor society. This organization is composed of individuals like myself, who strive for achievement in scholarship, leadership, and service.
My first year at Northern was difficult in ways that I did not envision it to be. I struggled to find my place outside of my major, and my involvement in the aforementioned student organizations was infantile. Sure, I had Club Cross Country, but we mainly practiced during the fall semesters. I knew I had to find more ways to be involved to make friends. I tried *everything* to find my place. I tried out for club sports that I never would have imagined playing. I joined organizations that put me far out of my comfort zone and later discovered they were not beneficial for me.
My journey to making friends through my involvement in various student organizations can all be traced back to my early involvement in the SLHS major. I view my major as a tree and all of my student organizations are the branches, to which the friends I have made are the leaves.
College is a learning process, in terms of your educational and social development: while you are advancing your education, you also are fighting to find your place in an environment that, for many of us, is extremely different from home. Making myself get involved was very hard at the beginning because I did not know where to start. The best advice I can offer for making friends while in college is to find something you love or are interested in and invest yourself in it. Start there and follow the branches to other organizations and social crowds.
When you enter college, people always warn you that you will change your major and that you should prepare for that. I am the odd folk out because I never changed my major while attending NMU. Technically, when I applied to NMU, I was going to major in Special Education, but in my last couple weeks of high school, I switched to Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences (SLHS), and I have remained there ever since. With this, I was given an amazing opportunity to experience a niche major. SLHS is currently a 
major of about 45 people, allowing you to easily meet people with similar interests. I have always been grateful for how small my major is because it has allowed me to make life-changing friendships. As a freshman, I dove into the studies of my major and became involved in our chapter of the National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences Association (NSSLHA). Through this, I was able to learn about NMU through the members of the older cohorts. Oddly enough, in my very early involvement in NSSLHA, I was offered the opportunity to have a leadership role where I would be managing the finances for our yearly attendance of a conference that focuses on the scopes of practices of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. Fast forward to today, and I am the Vice President of our NSSLHA chapter.
The NSSLHA and the SLHS major was my first stepping stone into the realm of involvement, which led to me making amazing, life-long friends. Through NSSLHA and my major, I became involved in the following organizations: Club Cross Country, Superior Edge, the Student Leader Fellowship Program, and Mortar Board. I joined Club Cross Country my first few weeks at NMU, and quickly, I found what has turned into my closest friends. Superior Edge is an amazing organization that emphasizes volunteering in the four areas of Citizenship, Real World, Diversity, and Leadership. Superior Edge gives you recognition for the volunteering and community involvement you are already partaking in. As a National Honor Society Member since the fifth grade, I am no stranger to volunteering. Superior Edge walked me through the door that NSSLHA opened for me and allowed me to have countless experiences and meet so many amazing people that I never would have encountered. My involvement and admiration of Superior Edge led me to my job as a Superior Edge/Volunteer Center Coordinator at the Center for Student Enrichment. During my time at my job, I have made the most remarkable and supportive friends.
My involvement in Superior Edge led me to apply for the Student Leader
Fellowship Program (SLFP), a two-year leadership program designed to aid students in developing community-centered leadership skills. I heard about SLFP from the older members in NSSLHA and I decided to go for it. I was accepted the second semester of my freshman year and began the program sophomore year. I would not trade my time in SLFP for anything due to the friends I made. Like my major, SLFP is a niche, tight-knit community. We proved how tight-knit we are during the pandemic where even though we were meeting over Zoom, we still were supporting one another through the struggles of completing our Community Service Internships during a pandemic. My time as a Student Fellow leads to my last listed, and most recent, involvement on campus where I have met great people: Mortar Board, a senior honor society. This organization is composed of individuals like myself, who strive for achievement in scholarship, leadership, and service.
My first year at Northern was difficult in ways that I did not envision it to be. I struggled to find my place outside of my major, and my involvement in the aforementioned student organizations was infantile. Sure, I had Club Cross Country, but we mainly practiced during the fall semesters. I knew I had to find more ways to be involved to make friends. I tried *everything* to find my place. I tried out for club sports that I never would have imagined playing. I joined organizations that put me far out of my comfort zone and later discovered they were not beneficial for me.
My journey to making friends through my involvement in various student organizations can all be traced back to my early involvement in the SLHS major. I view my major as a tree and all of my student organizations are the branches, to which the friends I have made are the leaves.
→ Takeaway
College is a learning process, in terms of your educational and social development: while you are advancing your education, you also are fighting to find your place in an environment that, for many of us, is extremely different from home. Making myself get involved was very hard at the beginning because I did not know where to start. The best advice I can offer for making friends while in college is to find something you love or are interested in and invest yourself in it. Start there and follow the branches to other organizations and social crowds.
