You're a fresh face in a new school, just like everyone else around you. You might recognise some familiar faces from your secondary school, but there's also a chance you don't know a single person. For some, making friends is easy—natural social butterflies, they thrive amongst any group of people. Most others, however, find being in a new social environment a big step out of their comfort zone.
If making friends is a challenge for you, don't worry because many others have struggled before you. That's why we sat down with 3 seniors, Melissa, Wei De, and Wileen, during our Poly Preparation Programme in March to find out about their friend-making experiences and the tips they have for you!
Melissa’s Story:
Fit every person you meet into a category and Melissa would be the perfect example of outgoing and extroverted. For someone who is so social, you'd expect her social life in Poly to be a smooth-sailing one. Instead, while Melissa made friends easily in her second and third year, she spent her first with almost no friends.
When Melissa first entered Poly, she was hesitant in making friends because she was sceptical about how long-lasting those friendships would be. Close friends made during the first semester are often difficult to maintain throughout the three years, as everyone moves on to different classes in the following semesters.
Looking back, Melissa realises that that's okay—even if every phase of your Poly life puts different people by your side, these friendships still provide the support you need. She is thankful that while she wasn't able to make friends in her first year, she had her secondary school friends by her side as pillars of support during those times.
When asked to share one piece of advice with the Poly freshmen, she said, “What’s the worst that can happen? Just go for it.” Don't be afraid to approach someone, because the person is likely to be open to making friends as well!
Wei De’s Story:
As a shy person, most of Wei De's Poly friendships started with the other person making the first move. His very first friend was made during a school orientation camp when one of the campers approached him, asking if he wanted to be friends.
Taking initiative is important, which is why Wei De now challenges himself to put on an 'extroverted mindset' while making friends. If it gets awkward, he tries to find something that both of them enjoy in order to create a common topic for conversation. He shared that by keeping this in mind, he has forged many friendships despite his introverted nature!
"Treasure the friends you make for the next three years," said Wei De, when asked to share one piece of advice he has for the freshmen. In Poly, you are likely to meet genuine people as well as people who use you for their own gains. That's why, when you find friends who are there for you in times of need, learn to treasure them and be a friend to them as they are to you.
Wileen’s Story:
For Wileen, making friends from the same course was easy because they had the best common topic: their course! As she and her coursemates were passionate about what they were studying, topics revolving around their projects and assignments naturally made easy conversation starters. Aside from her course, she also made good friends through her CCA (co-curricular activity). Wileen recommends joining a CCA you enjoy, as you can meet a lot of like-minded people there.
She also shared how her friendships have helped her to grow. As a person who is non-confrontational, Wileen tends to avoid conflicts and dislikes pointing out a person's faults, especially in group projects. It was her friendships that have taught her how to deal with criticism and conflicts; true friends understand where you're coming when you share your opinions. For that reason, Wileen has learnt (and is still learning) to be honest in a loving way!
Her advice? "Don’t be afraid to open yourself to new experiences [because] you don’t know what kind of people you will meet along the way.” Wileen mentions that it is ok to overthink and it is normal to do so because everyone does but just be confident of yourself and don’t be afraid to meet more people.
Starting a new year, a new semester in Poly can be scary, but it doesn't have to be when you have friends who will support you! Join us for a night of wholesome conversations and meet new people outside your social circle at our upcoming virtual event!
Besides getting to know new friends and seniors, get up close with our special guest Annette Lee who will be sharing about friendship and performing her latest single live!
Click HERE for more details.
Sign up now at bit.ly/polyspeedfriending
