January 20, 2026 by

Making new friends in college can be a daunting experience, especially for freshmen. I remember that on my Day 1 at Cedarville, I was scared I’d spend nearly all my meals eating alone. That was thankfully not the case, and while I cannot guarantee a fantastic friendship with everyone you meet, I can give you an idea of where a few of your friendships may start: 

  1. The residence halls 
  1. Classes 
  1. God’s will 

Residence Halls and Bro/Sis Community 

Residence halls are one of the first places you will probably make friends. Each hall or unit has a bro/sis — also known as a brother or sister hall. This is where a girls’ hall and a guys’ hall partner up as a way to meet new people. A bro/sis usually gets together for weekly meals and other events as arranged by the Resident Assistants (RAs). This can include hikes, scavenger hunts, and the occasional rodeo. Some groups only get together for the first couple of weeks, while others, like my sophomore bro/sis, hang out frequently. 

My freshman bro/sis was full of sophomores and juniors. The bro/sis hosted many exciting events, such as hiking, pick-a-date, and a Halloween party in a barn. Thanks to my bro/sis experience in freshman year, I met a lot of interesting people and had a lot of interesting experiences. However, these weren’t my only friends during freshman year. I got to know other friends during class. 


Classes That Build Connection 

The friends we make in our classes, especially in the first year of university, are one of the greatest comforts for our educational pursuits. It’s great to have others to share notes with, talk to about certain lessons, or even just to sit with. As you progress through Cedarville, you’ll find your courses become more focused on your major, meaning you’ll often take classes with the same group of people. After several years, you get to know and love these people very well. 

For instance, Composition, although one of my more challenging courses in my freshman year, was probably my favorite course because it introduced me to some of my best friends.  Merry, Katie, Sophia, Teagan, and I, met in that class. We call ourselves the “Lego Friends” and remain a friend group to this day.  

Through my bro/sis events and my academic courses, I found that Cedarville offers plenty of places to make new friends. However, I have also found that friendships can be made “randomly” through God’s will. Really, sometimes I don’t have any other explanation for how these friendships came to be! 


Unexpected Friendships From God 

I believe the best friend to illustrate this point is probably Sam. We met in a course our freshman year and never said a single word to each other that entire time. He sat on one side of the classroom, and I sat in another. However, when spring came around, it seemed we suddenly shared every gen-ed course. That was the semester when we really started becoming friends.  

Then came our sophomore year. I went from McKinney to Johnson. I was a little nervous about being in a hall where I didn’t know anyone until I remembered that Sam was in St. Clair Upper Front (Johnson’s brother hall). Sam was the first of many, many friends I made in that hall. My heart swells every time I think about that school year.  

Nurturing Your Friendships Throughout College and Beyond 

How do these friendships last? My answer is this: with love and effort. I have found that, even if it’s just brunch once a week or a coffee date every other month, people are just as happy to see me as I am to see them. Friends cannot be guaranteed, but so long as you love God, you will love others, and so long as you love others, you will never be alone. 

Posted in: ,