Studying online can be a solo experience, but it doesn’t mean you’re disconnected! Making time to connect with other students in your classes is a great way to stay motivated and mentally healthy. Here are five ways you can build friendships as an online student.
1. Stay open-minded and curious to new connections
Making friends is a skill. To begin, you need to stay open-minded and curious when entering a conversation with someone you are interested in getting to know. You can send a message by responding to something they’ve shared in class and ask a question, or just share your support for what was shared. Remember to ask questions to continue the conversation – most people who want to engage will ask questions back. From there, let the conversation flow naturally!
2. Connect on social media
Once you’ve made those initial connections through Blackboard, propose a way to connect outside of the education forum. Following others on social media is a great way to spark conversations about study, assignments and shared interests, and enables you to discover more about the other person.
3. Organise a video meet-up
Whether you choose to connect via Skype, Facebook Messenger, Facetime or Zoom, video calling is a great way to have a face-to-face conversation with those in your class. Organise a time that everybody is available to catch up for a virtual coffee or even dinner!
4. Propose an online gaming session
Online gaming can be a great way to connect with your new friends. A quick Google search will bring up a multitude of online multiplayer games you and your friends can try. For more experienced gamers, chat applications such as Discord can allow you to talk to other gamers live as you play.
Houseparty is a video chat app that allows groups to play games whilst the video conversation stays open. Games include Trivia, Chips and Guac, a word association game and Heads Up! for an online game of charades.
5. Host an online movie night with Teleparty
Teleparty is a Google Chrome extension that allows you to watch Netflix and other streaming services with your friends. Teleparty synchronizes everybody’s playback feature so nobody will be a few seconds ahead of anybody else (perfect for avoiding upcoming spoilers) and there is a group chat function so you can discuss the movie without interrupting anyone. This extension is perfect for an online movie night!
Technology has provided so many ways to connect with other people online. It may be daunting at first to reach out and establish a connection with people outside of your class, but you’ll probably find they are just as nervous as you about making that first move.
