Studying abroad is a great experience many people like to try since they can go to new countries and learn about different cultures. However, doing so can pose some challenges since you may not know others in the area when you initially arrive. If you don’t know how to make friends while you study abroad, you can try these three tips to get started.
Interact With People at School
Since you plan to study abroad, you can start meeting people by interacting with others at your new school. While you live in the area, you can talk with people in your classes and see if you can meet others you get along with. For example, when you sit down in your first class, you can talk with the person next to you and start a conversation.
This works well since you can find people with similar interests to you based on the classes you attend. For example, if you attend college outside your home country and pick a college class that interests you, then you can talk with the person next to you about the subject. That way, you can figure out if your classmate also has an interest in the class.
Even if you attend a required course, you can still meet people and talk with them about it. As you do so, you can quickly meet new people and potentially make friends in the class. You can even bring up how you’re studying abroad, so more people will become willing to help you out.
Get Some Roommates
As you study abroad, you may try to get an apartment of your own or stay with a host family. While these approaches do have their benefits, you may want to stay in an apartment with other students. If you do this, you can be around more college students, make some friends, and have your own roommates while you attend school.
By interacting with roommates, you can meet more people, become friends with your roommates, and meet their friends. Even if you don’t make friends with your roommates, you can talk to others in your apartment complex. By doing this, you can meet some new people, get to know them and do your best to make some friends in the country.
If you plan to stay at an apartment complex, you should do your best to find on-campus housing. By doing this, you can avoid dangerous areas and call on the school for help when you need some assistance. With that point in mind, you will have an easier time meeting people if you live in on-campus housing, so this might be an ideal option if you study abroad.
Go Where Others Go
Getting to know people also involves going where others go in the country. This means you should figure out which areas the local students like to visit, so you can spend some time with them. This will vary depending on where you go, but you can quickly find out by asking people about common local locations.
For example, if people in the area like to spend time at the mall, you should go there and invite others with you. You can find other local locations people like to visit, so pay attention and see where others like to go. Even if people like to go to bars and you don’t like drinking, you can still spend time there without getting drunk. If you plan to study in Canada, go to a local sporting event like hockey, or find out the popular spot for poutine and go with other students.
If you don’t know where to go, you can find common hangout spots on campus. See if people attend clubs or do anything else at the school, so you can find other students who have similar interests. By doing this, you can identify the right groups of people to hang out with, so you can make some friends while you attend school outside of your home country.
Conclusion
As you study abroad, you will need to tackle lots of challenges like navigating the area and interacting with a new culture. While this can be hard, you can have an easier time making friends and interacting with them by utilizing those tips. You can get started by using the tips, so you can meet others in a beautiful foreign country.
