Happy fall semester, everybody! I hope your classes are going well and you’re adjusting to normal-ish classes again. I can’t believe we’re back in person; I thought this day would never come. Finally back on these campus grounds, I’m really enjoying seeing familiar faces and talking with friends.
For my first article of Girl Talk this semester, I thought I’d talk about something everyone is always tasked with at the start of a new semester: making new friends. From one girl to another girl, I’m referring to finding your girlfriends at Stevens. Coming to Stevens, accepting the culture shock that I am attending a male dominated school is certainly not easy. As a freshman, I was extremely intimidated by the drastic ratio. A new school, new home, new people—it was definitely not a walk in the park to adjust to a completely different environment. On top of this, wanting to make the most of my college experience made me want to really put myself out there and meet new people. Don’t get me wrong, I love socializing, and I’m a very talkative person. But, even as a friendly person, finding girlfriends was a challenge for me. In all my classes, clubs, and when people hangout around campus, the ratio was evident. Although it was difficult, I managed to meet some amazing girls through my extracurricular activities, classes, and talking to people through Zoom. I was able to create some very special bonds.
As I learned the hard way, life rarely goes according to plan. March 2020 hit and my amazing college experience was ripped right out of my hands. I was stuck in my childhood bedroom taking college courses through my computer. I felt pretty lonely, and I struggled to continue making friends. My male-dominated classes suddenly felt a lot more scary and a lot more evident. On top of this, it was hard for me to stay involved and to stay excited about my time at Stevens. I felt like COVID-19 would never end. But, like I did when I was a freshman, I decided to put my best foot forward and continue my friend-making journey over Zoom. Although I was still nervous and intimidated, I put my worries aside and stayed involved. Making this choice drastically changed my college experience for the better, enabling me to create some very special bonds.
An important change in my virtual friend-making journey was by joining The Stute. I became an Opinion Columnist for Girl Talk, and then went on to support and uplift my community in this organization as Business Manager. In addition, I joined a sorority on campus. It values sisterhood and has introduced me to many hard working, kind, and strong women. I started building relationships with many more girlfriends on campus, and I am having an absolute blast. There are also tons of organizations predominately female around campus — I recommend getting involved with those. Some examples include: Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Stevens Women in Business (SWiB), Stevens Women in Computer Science (SWiCS), and Stevens Fashion Association of Marketing and Entrepreneurship (FAME).
Although I came to Stevens intimidated as part of the minority group and nervous to put myself out there, I pushed my worries aside and did it anyway. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. If you happen to feel the same as me, my word of advice is to remember everyone is in the same boat, specifically to my girls. Everyone is looking for a friend, acquaintance, or just someone to talk to. At the end of the day, people are just…well, people! Engage in conversation, listen, share funny stories, and have fun. Sometimes, all you have to do is smile and just say “Hi.”
Girl Talk is an Opinion column written by a current female student to discuss issues surrounding women, whether it be feminism, current events, personal experiences at Stevens or in life, and more.
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