When studying abroad, TALK English Schools students may find it hard to make new friends during their study period. Making friends is an important part of the college experience, and sometimes those friendships can last for years and even lifetimes. Here are some tips that will help you make good companions and/or lifelong friends while at college.

1. Be involved: When you want to make friends, one of the best ways to do this is by congregating with other students around a common interest, event, or activity. In settings like this, friendships happen more organically and do not feel so forced.
2. Encourage balance: At time when you are encountering very new experiences to do with college life,  our TALK English Schools students should remember that what is important is a healthy and proper life/work balance – which is all about the right priorities and good time management. When getting to know other students and selecting your friends and your friendship circles, make sure that your focus is still on maintaining an effective study schedule. After that, you can parcel out your leisure time to allow for spending quality time with activities and with socializing with your new-found friends and companions.
3.  Use Multicultural Resources: International students can seek out all sorts of multicultural venues and cross-cultural events to attend. These venues could be cultural or national clubs, seminars, social events and parties. By attending such events and getting to know members of these kind of clubs and societies, you can re-connect with people from your home country and meet others from other lands who share with you the need to feel at home in a strange land.
4. Connect with Classmates: When studying with other international or US-based college students, it is a great idea to connect with them firstly as classmates. Although you may think it is hard to find a common interest, a great starting point is the fact that you are studying the same subjects. Introduce yourself, ask questions, see if they would like to work with you on a project – and so on. By communicating with those in your classroom you may be able to find someone you just “click with”.
5. Spend Time With Friends: If you become bonded with certain of your classmates in a new classroom situation, it can be tempting to stay within that group and not bother to move beyond it and make create new relationships.  It is always a great idea to branch out and introduce yourself to new people. Say hi and chat to students on your campus, make sure that you get to know both international and American students so that your experience of the diversity of America’s college campuses is one you will always remember.