<p>Pretty self explanatory...this past semester was my first one at Cornell, and while I am very happy with the school, I feel like I've been having a hard time meeting and befriending people I really click with. I have made friends but it can be hard to keep up with them sometimes if we're in different majors and on different schedules, and I find that the people I am in the closest proximity to aren't really people I want to befriend. I think it would be my best bet to remedy this by joining more activities, preferably ones that meet regularly and have a social component (I've found that not all clubs and activities are created equal because some only meet occasionally, and others just aren't that conducive to forming friendships). Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Joining a few student organizations is how I made most of my friends at Cornell.</p>
<p>Hello redblue2011…</p>
<p>A dad, here. So I certainly couldn’t say which is the best vehicle for friendships. But I can say that my (freshman) daughter joined the APO service fraternity and loves the activities and the aquaintances she’s made. She already went on a weekend APO conference in…Syracuse maybe? They divide members up into “families” and assign each new pledge a “big”, so right off the bat you get a non-binding social sub-unit to belong to. Makes socializing even easier.</p>
<p>Service & volunteering may not be everyone’s cup of tea and, like everything else, your mileage may vary. But I know my D is very pleased with APO.</p>
<p>good luck and regards…
lowdenf23c</p>
<p>The clubs and Greek Life are the best ways to meet new people. Classrooms and parties are typically terrible environments. And dorms are generally only conducive for incoming freshmen and perhaps the transfers.</p>
<p>I was in the exact same position as you as a freshman! I didn’t really get along with people on my floor and was frustrated that I had a strong group of friends in high school but had trouble making strong connections with people in college. </p>
<p>When I posed the same question as you, everyone told me to join a club. I went to ClubFest my freshman and sophomore year and out of the 800 clubs, I could not find one that interested me! Instead, I found that joining Greek life helped tremendously. People will tell you this a lot, but it was probably the best decision I made at Cornell. There are truly fraternities and sororities for everyone and it will give you a great base of friends. I have made my strongest friends at Cornell through Greek life and it also alleviates housing concerns for sophomore year. If you are not planning on returning to Ithaca for rush, I would strongly suggest it. Worst comes to worst you don’t find a house you like.</p>
<p>A couple of underrated ways to meet people are through on-campus jobs, majors, and PE classes. I have had several on-campus jobs and I have made friends through all of them. Depending on the job, you may work in teams, and you get to bond over how much you love/hate the job and/or your boss. As you noted about clubs, I’ve found that some jobs are more conducive to socializing than others.</p>
<p>I am also in a major that hosts lunches to meet other people in the major. It’s a great way to find out which classes to take or avoid from upperclassmen while getting free food! You will get to see the same people over and over again throughout your 4 years.</p>
<p>Finally, choosing a PE class that is not individual-oriented/less physically demanding can really help. Most students are going to be freshmen too also looking to forge stronger relationships. My freshman year I took a chill PE class right before dinner at Helen Newman, so I talked to people during the 1.5 hours and then we went for dinner at Appel. I know that bowling is supposed to be really great for that.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the replies!</p>