Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone in College

How do you come out of your shell at such a large and intimidating place? College is supposed to be the best years of your life, but that's hard to do with a timid personality.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

This blog post is written by Kristina Hipolito, an Intern Queen ambassador.

It can be difficult transitioning into a new school, let alone becoming a more outgoing and confident person. How do you come out of your shell at such a large and intimidating place? College is supposed to be the best years of your life, but that's hard to do with a timid personality.

Here are five ways to step out of your comfort zone: Join organizationsCollege campuses can be overwhelming when you first step foot. By joining a club on campus, you'll be introduced to a smaller group of people that you can really get to know. It helps build your networking circles too! Without even realizing it, you'll be meeting more and more people.

Introduce yourself first Some people are just as shy as you are. Take initiative and be that first person to say hello! I can guarantee the other person will appreciate the gesture. I know it can be nerve-wracking, but if you push yourself just a little and do something as small as greeting someone, people will remember you.

Don't be a perfectionist What stops a lot of people from reaching out is the thought that they might mess up or say something wrong. Don't be afraid of what others might think of you. Drop the perfectionist act. It keeps people from seeing the real you. Everyone makes mistakes and that's completely fine. Also, if you're worried about everything you say, your conversation won't be as fluid or sound as natural. If you act yourself, others will be more comfortable speaking to you.

Have a positive mind setOptimism is key in coming out of your shell. Negativity is a huge hindering factor in many shy people. They're afraid that they'll get rejected. Truth is, everyone gets rejected at some point. By accepting rejection early on, it'll be much easier to cope with situations like that. Also, it's easy to pick out the people who are positive and always have a smile on their face. You'll appear more approachable!

Make others feel importantWhen meeting new people, ask them questions. Where are you from? What's your major? By making them feel important, they'll be more likely to open up to you. It will also enhance your social/communication skills and we could always do a little better in that department.

iq

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot