How to break out of your shell

     Getting back into the swing of school can be a difficult, process especially for new
students. There are three easy steps to saying goodbye to school bells and teachers,
and saying hello to dorm rooms and professors.

     The options on how to meet new people are limitless on campus. The first step a student should take is to become engaged in something on campus. The TLU campus
offers a variety of entertainment for students to get to know their peers. Just because summer is over doesn't mean the fun of summer has to end. Filling your shoes full of sand at an intramural beach volleyball game or attending a concert on the front lawn are fun ways to make new friends.

     "You need to get involved, get connected and just enjoy the moment," Malikah Pitts, director of first year and campus programs, said.

     The second step is connecting with people who have similar interests and people you
see every day. There is an instant connection with students who take classes together
or who join the same organization.

     "Get to know the people they live with and people who are in their classes," Ginger
Taylor, director of student activities, said.

     The third and final step to breaking into college life on the TLU campus is to have
fun. Having fun while getting involved and connecting with other students will make breaking out of that invisible shell a lot more enjoyable. Not everyone is a social butterfly, but if they take the advice given to them, they will become familiar with the faces they see every day while on campus.

"I know the transition from high school to college is difficult but everything is about time management and being able to do the simple things like showing up to class and doing
your work on time," Justin Nadeau, sophomore, kinesiology major said.

"For first year students to be successful at TLU I truly believe that they have to get involved in whatever campus organization they want to be a part of and that they join it and they
join it fast," Paul Riser, senior, English and education major, said.

"Get involved with the different groups that interest you and meet people through there," Rachel Kubena, senior, computer science major, said. "The more people you meet the
better it's going to be."

"I would advise freshman to join different organizations outside of their communities and expand their horizons," Rebecca Acy, junior, communication studies major, said.

"Come to campus open house there are a lot of different opportunities to sign up to volunteer throughout the year and how to get involved with different groups," Jessica Mann, senior, education major, said.

"Go find people who you can actually connect with and who you have similar
interests with," Caleb Geleske, senior, history major, said.