Stephanie Osman ’21 writes about how she has already gotten to know some of her future classmates
By Stephanie Osman, Contributing Writer
People always say that the best friends you’ll ever make will be made in college, and I must admit, I’ve always been a bit skeptical of that. After all, we’re all practically strangers going in, and it is more than likely that we’ll be living with those same total strangers for at least two semesters. I can barely stand living with my brothers for that long, let alone someone I barely know.
That said, social media is a magical thing, and I might not be as much of a stranger to my future classmates as I thought. One of the first things I did after getting accepted early decision was join the Gettysburg Class of 2021 Facebook group. I figured I’d give it a shot, maybe meet a few classmates, and get some updates on what to do at my future home. Later that night, a new message popped up, saying that someone had made a group chat. Any accepted student was welcome to join. So, I texted whoever it was that posted and the next day I was in a group chat with about thirty of my future classmates. And that number only grew as time went on and more students were accepted, jumping from 30 to over 300 in the main group chat, and even branching out into major specific group chats. I even made one for fellow STEM students.
A screenshot from a group chat set up by the Class of 2021
Over time, I got to know my future classmates, and I was surprised by how comfortable I started to feel. I went from feeling afraid to post in the group chat with 30 people to chatting regularly with a group of more than double that in a Social Science group chat. Whether it’s political views, thoughts of what was happening on campus, or just how we plan on decorating our rooms, there’s always something to talk about and someone to talk about it with. People have made plans to get together before we get to campus and have been sharing ideas to start a new club. I’m honestly not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the line, a bunch of near strangers became closer than anyone expected.
When I first got accepted to Gettysburg, I had a lot of concerns, especially about who I’d be spending the next four years of my life with. Would I be able to make friends? What would the first few weeks be like, with me not knowing anyone? How would I adjust? But now, I’m feeling confident in my ability to make friends because I’ve already made some. It might be different when I get to campus, but I can’t worry about that now. For now, I’m going to be happy with the friends I have, and hope for the best once I get onto campus.
Only time will tell if these people will become my lifelong friends, but for now, this is a great place to start.
Editor’s Note: This article is the third of our series “Dodging the Bullet: The First Year Journal,” in which The Gettysburgian‘s staff members from the Class of 2021 share stories, reflections, and perspective on their first year experience. You can read the full series here. (BP)
