Tufts Blogs

Hi Readers,

Nervous about making friends in college? Anxious because this is new for you and your family? Well, listen up because everything will be okay. As corny as it sounds, everything happens for a reason and making friends might seem like the most difficult part of college, but here at Tufts it might be the easiest.

I like to ground myself and remember that other students are all experiencing college for the first time too, whether or not their parents went to university. What I did was participate in the pre-orientation called Building Engagement and Access for Students at Tufts (BEAST). BEAST is primarily geared towards our first generation, low-income students, and it was a week of being surrounded by people who grew up similarly to me, getting to learn about all the many resources at Tufts for first-gen students as well as gaining mentors who can help guide you through your college experience. I still keep in touch with one of my peer leaders because he truly helped give me insight about Tufts and was also just a person of a similar personality and background who was able to support me. 

Additionally, Tufts has a First-Gen Week in November where each day there are lots of events and celebrations that you can have community engagement. I have found that all my best friends here at Tufts are first-gen and we go to the FIRST events because the FIRST center is constantly hosting events and talks and ways to make friends. If you are looking for a community, it can definitely be found here. The group is tight-knit and we all want to see each other succeed. In my honest opinion I think the community so strong because everyone is so excited to do this new experience together. It’s important to have a strong group of people to support you in order to make your college experience the best it can be.