High School is a time when friendships form and break apart. How do you make new friends in high school? Some students struggle to make friends, and some don’t even try.
Are you having trouble making new friends in high school? Whether you want to make friends, it’s important to start now. Whether you’re looking for someone who shares your interests or wants to hang out, finding friends is easier than ever.
High school years are a vital period in life. They allow us to develop our social skills and build lasting relationships. Unfortunately, some students struggle to make new friends, especially when they move into college.
The social scene in high school can be tough. Most students are busy studying, extracurricular activities, and afterschool jobs. They don’t always have time to hang out with friends.
High school is filled with social anxiety and awkwardness. If you don’t make new friends, you’ll miss opportunities to develop relationships with people with similar interests.
Why Is It Hard To Make Friends In High School?
It is hard for some students to make friends because:
1) You may feel like an outsider at first.
Some people are naturally more outgoing than others and will find themselves surrounded by friends easily. Others need a little extra encouragement to get started.
2) You may be shy.
Shyness isn’t necessarily bad; however, being too quiet around others makes it difficult to make friends. Speak up! Ask questions. Talk about yourself. Show interest in other people.
3) You might lack confidence.
Confidence comes from being comfortable within yourself. When you’re insecure, it’s easy to worry that no one likes you. However, you don’t have to be confident all of the time. Just show up and let your natural personality shine through. People will notice.
4) You may think there aren’t any good friends left.
After moving schools, leaving home, starting a new job, or taking a part-time course load, you may have lost touch with old friends. Don’t be discouraged. Many people are out there who want to become your friend.
5) You may be struggling academically.
If you’re falling behind in class, it can be discouraging to see how far ahead of everyone else you are. Try to keep positive. Believe in yourself. You can still succeed.
6) You may be afraid to talk to people.
Social anxiety is common among teens. Even if you’re not nervous about talking to strangers, you may be worried about what you say once you meet them. Learn to relax. Approach people as they approach you. Smile and say hello. Introduce yourself.
7) You may be depressed.
Depression can cause you to withdraw from other people. It doesn’t mean you should isolate yourself. Rather, reach out to friends and loved ones. Talking to someone who cares about you can lift your mood.
8) You may be experiencing bullying.
Bullying can lead to isolation. If you’re being bullied, speak to your teacher or counselor. Find support groups online or offline. Seek help from a trusted adult.
9) You may be dealing with a lot of stress.
Stress can affect your ability to connect with others. Take breaks when needed. Go outside. Read a book. Meditate and exercise.
10) You may be having trouble fitting in.
Teens today face many pressures. The amount of homework required during high school years adds to the stress. Many students struggle to balance work and social life. Try to set aside enough time each day to focus on academics. Then, use your free time wisely.
Check out for: How to make friends in a New City in 2023|| best review
How to make friends in high school when you are shy
How to make friends when you are shy is a common problem faced by teenagers around the world. However, there are several ways to overcome this problem. One of these ways is to seek help from a professional. A good therapist can guide you through the process of overcoming your shyness.
Being shy can be a challenge. Not only does it affect your social life, but it also affects your academic success. Even though shyness is something that most people struggle with at some point in their lives, there are ways to overcome it.
Shyness can hinder your ability to make new friends. When you are shy, you tend to isolate yourself from others. This makes it harder to meet new people. The good news is that you don’t have to be shy forever. There are ways to get over shyness
Here are some tips on how to make friends when you’re shy:
1. Be open – When you first start meeting people, you will probably be shy. So, don’t worry about trying to get to know someone right away. Just be friendly. Talk to people. Try to smile at them. Do something nice for them. And most importantly, don’t force yourself to talk to people. People usually like to talk to other people. So, let them come to you.
2. Be honest – Don’t lie to people. You do if you tell people you like hanging out with them. Also, please don’t pretend to like somebody so that you can hang out with them. That’s also lying.
3. Have fun – Laughing makes people more relaxed. So, try to laugh whenever possible. Laughter helps break down barriers.
4. Participate in activities – Volunteering and participating in extracurricular activities are great ways to meet new people.
5. Get involved – You can do many things to get involved in your community. For example, join a club or become a leader in an organization.
Read: 30 Online Remote Jobs for College Students in 2023|| Best review
Why can’t I make friends in high college?
High school is a tough time for everyone. It’s full of drama and stress, and it’s hard to make friends. But once you’ve made friends in high school, it’s much easier to keep those friendships going into college. And once you go to high school, it gets even easier to make friends.
High school students tend to be outgoing and friendly, so meeting people with similar interests is easy. Plus, since thousands of new faces surround you, you’ll probably encounter many people you don’t know. So, with so many new people around, you’ll have plenty of chances to make new friends.
Steps on how to make friends in High school
Making friends takes time, effort, and practice. Start where you are now and try something new every day. I will show you how to make friends in high school, step by step.
Step 1 – Create an Interest Group:
The best way to make friends in high school is to join an interest group. These groups usually have activities you can participate in, like hanging out at each other’s houses. There should be people your age in these groups, so it will be easy for you to hang out with them.
Step 2 – Find Your People:
The next thing you want to do is find your people! Browse through Facebook or Instagram to look for people who seem fun. Try finding people based on their profile pictures. Look around at different student groups to see if there is an organization with students who might be interested in making friends.
Step 3 – Make Friends With That Person:
Now that you know about that person, you need to figure out ways to make friends with them. Start talking to them easily. Ask questions about things they enjoy doing. Show interest in what they’re into. It doesn’t matter whether you become close friends with this person, but you want to be friendly enough to talk to them on a regular basis.
Step 4 – Give And Get Help:
You also want to give back to your new friend(s). Do things for them, such as helping them move, giving them rides, or even being nice to them regularly. When you help someone else, you create a relationship between yourself and this person. This allows you to feel more comfortable interacting with them.
Step 5 – Stay In Touch:
Once you’ve made friends with someone, you want to stay connected with them. Send them messages asking how they’re doing or telling them about cool stuff happening in your life. You can also invite them over to hang out with you and your friends.
And finally, remember to thank them whenever you can. Letting your friends know that you appreciate them goes a long way towards creating friendships.
Check out: 20 Online Jobs for High School Students In 2023
Ways on How To Make Friends In High School
There are many ways to make friends in college which include:
Be yourself
Being yourself means knowing who you are. Let people get to know the true you. Be proud of yourself for who you are, and don’t be afraid of showing that to others. You might like soccer, photography, tech reviews, and more. Don’t pretend you don’t just fit in. You could miss out if you don’t try to meet people with similar interests.
Most people prefer to be around genuine people rather than fake ones. If someone dislikes you because of who you are, they don’t deserve to be your friend. Besides, you’ll enjoy yourself more if you can be around the people you know.
However, don’t pretend to be something you’re not just to try to impress other people. If someone tells you they love basketball, don’t act like you’re a big fan when you aren’t. You can ask questions such as “What’s your favorite team?” if you want to show interest without being dishonest.
Be open to learning about things other people like, even when you don’t know much. They might share something that helps show it to you in a new light. For instance, if a friend invites you to a football match, you may decide to go along and see what it’s like. If you enjoy it, you may want to keep going to games.
Get to know people who live in your dorm.
This is for my first-year High school students. If you’re living in a community-type dorm this fall, you’ll probably make new friends because everyone else there is in the same boat as you. Your new classmates would be so happy if someone made the first move and invited them over for a study session.
When living in dorms, you’ll soon realize that most people are usually in the lobby. So, leave your room and interact with people on your floor. Your resident advisor (RA) may also set up team-building activities to get people to bond. These might seem cheesy, but they work! Before writing them off completely, give them a chance. Just go out there and meet new people.
Suppose you’re not living in a dorm. Don’t worry. Many schools offer special orientation programs for new students or ways to bond with commuters. While these programs might seem lame at first, they’re an excellent way to meet new people, and most of them are probably looking for friends too.
Be patient
Don’t force friendships. Let them develop naturally. The best friendships develop naturally over time. Don’t try to hurry them along by forcing them; just be friendly and keep talking to new people.
If you keep putting yourselves out there, eventually, you’ll meet people who like you just for who you are. If you get to understand someone and it turns out that they don’t want to become your friend, then it doesn’t mean anything bad about you as a person. It doesn’t mean they were the wrong fit for you as a person.
Don’t be hard on yourself. Don’t feel bad if you’re having trouble making friends or if it takes longer than you’d like. You should always keep a positive attitude, even when things aren’t going well for you. Remind yourself of all the great things you’ve done and all the great qualities you possess.
Find people with similar interests.
You can’t expect everyone to approach you and ask you to become their new best friend, so you need to put yourself in situations where doing so is more natural. Start by getting involved with the things you already enjoy doing, like student council or sports teams. So you can start talking to them right away, and you already know they share the same interests as yourself.
Give people sincere compliments.
Please share what you like and admire about others to brighten their day. For example, if you see someone who looks good, tell them! Tell them if you feel like one of the students always asks excellent questions or makes the best jokes.
Doing this will help make you seem positive and friendly, which might help you make friends more quickly. Don’t comment on someone’s appearance or body type. It may make them feel uncomfortable.
Join Clubs
One of the best ways to make new friends at high school is to join some clubs or even start one yourself. Whether you’re a natural dancer or someone who loves writing, there’s a club just for you! Don’t know what your passion is yet? Look at some club flyers, go to a few meetings, and see where it goes.
Hang out with people
Make sure to plan activities outside of school to develop friendships. It can be difficult to get to know people at school. If you feel you’re clicking with someone, ask them if they’d like to hang out at your house or go somewhere together after school.
Don’t make a big deal out of it. Just casually say something like, “Hey, want to come over after school?” If you’re nervous about spending time with a new friend, invite them to do an enjoyable activity with you, like watching a movie, playing video games, going to the park, or watching a sporting event.
If they agree, then smile, say something positive and move on. If they say no, don’t get mad or act disappointed when you ask them. Just shrug and say, “Maybe next time.”
Attending social events
Even if you don’t enjoy school social events, dress up and go anyways! You might be amazed at how much fun you’ll have when pushing yourself outside your comfort zone. If you know someone who wants to go, ask them if they want to go with you.
If you want to go out and enjoy yourself, but don’t want to spend too much money, then cheer for the home team at a sporting event, show off your moves to the kids at a school dance, get tickets to the theater club’s next performance, or see a movie with friends. The more active you are, the more you’ll have to meet new people and make new friends, so get out there!
Volunteer or get a job
Working and volunteering are great ways to improve your résumé and college applications, but they can also help you develop new friendships and meet people. If you’re looking for ways to meet new people, having an afterschool job, volunteering, or helping others out can be a great way to connect with people who share similar interests.
Are you’re having trouble talking to people, look for local volunteering clubs on your campus, or check out volunteer organizations in your town. If you have a hard time doing so, try getting an afterschool job where you’ll work directly with the public. If you want a job, try applying for jobs where teens usually go, like your local pizza parlor or movie theater.
Through social media
If you feel like people would genuinely like you if they got to know your awesome personality through social media, then social media may be just the ticket. Follow people you know from school on Facebook, then keep your page updated with fun, upbeat content that shows a little about who they are.
That might just lead to connections you can turn into real-world friendships. For example, you might share memes or offbeat jokes that show your unique sense of humor. If you have a particular talent, don’t be afraid to show that off! For instance, if you’re really into art, you might post photos of your finished works. If you’re a singer, you might post videos of your latest songs online.
Check out: How To Make Friends in College in 2023 | 10 Proven Tips
Conclusion
In conclusion, high school is when everyone is trying to figure out who they are. The best way to make friends in high school is to focus on building relationships with your peers. This means spending time with people outside of class, joining clubs, and participating in activities that interest you.
You’ll also want to avoid hanging around with people who aren’t going anywhere with their lives. Instead, look for people who share similar interests and hobbies, and spend your free time doing things together. You don’t know; you might end up finding someone amazing!
FAQs
Is It Hard To Make Friends In High School?
Making friends in high school is hard, but making friends doesn’t have to be impossible.
How Do You Make New Friends?
Start by taking steps to meet new people that you might have something in common with.
What Are The Best School Social Events?
Don’t skip school dances, parties, and pep rallies. Even if school social events don’t seem like your thing, dress up and go anyway!
What's the best way to get along with someone?
Then, ask them a few questions to get to know them better.
How do I find people from school?
Connect with people from school on different online platforms. Social media might be the ticket if you feel like people would like you if they could get to know your awesome personality.
What do you post?
Friend or follow people you know from school, then keep your pages updated with fantastic, upbeat content that shows off a little bit about who you are.
What is the best way to make new friends?
One great way to do that is by joining an academic club, sports team, or other school-related organization.
