Words of Wisdom

September 13, 2011

Domenique Ciavattone, a junior dual communication and global issues major at Stonehill, offers words of wisdom to freshmen on how to meet new people and establish new friendships at college in the Freshman Year Guide issue of Student Advisor Magazine, which is sent to more than one million college-bound high school students across the country. The magazine's online site is also a popular resource for prospective college students.

"It is perhaps most important to keep a completely open mind when you transition from high school to college," she said. "There is so much to learn, so many opinions to consider, new information and different ways of thinking that you'll be exposed to. You'll start forming your own opinions. Some that you hold now will be reinforced, but you will also establish new ones, as college is nothing like high school, and nothing like living and home-and the concept of embracing change and being a college student really do go hand in hand."

The Stonehill junior says she initially expected college to be more like high school. "I went to a Catholic high school, not too far away from Stonehill, which is a Catholic college. While there were some similarities among the students, I found lots of differences, too. My circle of friends quickly grew from a few people who grew up near me to include students from places like Pennsylvania, Maine, New York, New Hampshire and Costa Rica."

Domenique says her own biggest hurdle to overcome as a freshman was opening up to introduce herself and establish new friendships. "At first, I was terrified to meet new people, but I found the other students to be welcoming. I literally looked for ‘open doors' in my residence hall, and found that those who left their doors open were among the most friendly and approachable students. I started leaving my own door open, whenever I could, which encouraged people to stop by and say hello. It also seemed to me that those students who kept their doors closed all the time weren't as likely to meet new people. Just like keeping an open mind is important, I would suggest that a new freshman consider keeping an open door-it's the best way to get over the hurdle of meeting new people and establishing some new friendships and connections in college."

-StudentAdvisor.com

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