Making Friends As A Community College Student

There are always debates concerning the differences and similarities between private universities and community colleges. I have heard that the most apparent difference between both of them is how their students socialize.

Community college students are usually residents of where the institution is located. This means that they generally know and hang out with other students from high school and their neighborhoods. Because these students already have friends, they don’t make an effort to meet new people. Students attending private universities are mostly from different states and countries, so they are more willing to socialize with other people.

As an international student attending a community college, I think this mindset needs to change. When I moved from Lima, Peru to study at Miami Dade College, I did not know anyone on campus and I was nervous about socializing because of the rumors mentioned above. Even though I consider myself a social person, it was scary to think that I will never truly fit in because of how everyone already had their social groups formed. I knew this because back in my high school in Lima I had also already established my group of friends.

Currently, I couldn’t be more grateful to be at MDC. I’ve met new people and created incredible memories with them. Making the effort to socialize with my classmates has allowed me to learn about different cultures and points of views. It has also taught me to encourage others to be more social and to learn how to respect other perspectives since we are all studying in the same place and have the same goal of graduating and having a better future.

Whether we are transferring or staying, we have to make the best of this experience and there is no better way than by making new friends and sharing life-changing moments together.