By Elizabeth Coss
The Youngstown State University App has been drawing attention from students for more than the purpose of housing availability and popular events. The app has become a resource for finding new friends and fostering new relationships.
Caleb Ellison, a sophomore telecommunications major, has used the app to reach out to people and create friendships since he started school.
“I saw other incoming freshmen in my grade asking for friends and making group chats and stuff like that, so that’s where I started to make my first friends,” Ellison said.
The app also has grown into a place for students to reach out about classes and assignments since its debut.
“Now people post their classes when the semester starts, and asking who has the same classes, and that’s where I made one of my friends this semester,” Ellison said.
Sophomore human resource management major Amanda Furlong has also used the YSU App as an easy way to make friends and said she will continue to do so.
For students who don’t know where to start, sharing social media platforms such as Snapchat is a great place, according to Furlong. She added that students may also want to consider making friends in order to have support in courses.
Making friends isn’t always easy, but according to Joy Tang, a psychological sciences and counseling professor, the benefits that come with friendships are abundant.
“Meaningful relationships and intimacy are linked to a host of psychological and physiological benefits for human beings. For college students, they are at a particularly unique developmental juncture in life, when [most of] them are leaving home and entering young adulthood,” Tang said.
According to Tang, in addition to relationships being crucial in development, there are three things that come into play under the rules of attraction while forming these friendships:
1) Proximity: meaning you need to close to/cross paths with people in order to form a bonding relationship with them. Think about who you’d like to be friends with, and where you can find such people, and then involve yourself in activities/classes/physical locations where you will come into contact with such people.
2) Similarity: people are drawn to people who are similar to them. So think about who your kindred spirits are and go find them. Find people who share your interests, inspirations, backgrounds.
3) Reciprocity: People like those who like them back. Show kindness to others, be nice to them, and show interest in others. This can help facilitate your positive bonding.
Another way to make friends on campus is through joining organizations. Caleb Queen, the coordinator for student involvement, said student organizations are a great way for students to find common ground.
“Student organizations allow students to gather around a common goal — be it something related to their academics or special interests like a hobby or a social issue,” Queen said.
For students who are interested in joining an organization, visit the Penguin Portal and click student organizations under e-services.
