Making Best Friends at Summer School

For many years I was a somewhat socially intimidated person - before going to LSE Summer School I was hoping to overcome my fears. Luckily, not only did I stop being afraid, but I made quite a few solid friendships.

Honestly, I was anxious before going to LSE Summer School, and I learnt a lot about socialising in preparation. For example, because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to fit in and that cultural differences would make socialising more difficult, I researched "how to make friends" "cultural customs in different countries" "how to make friends in different countries" and so on. I also searched for companions on various social media to reduce the pressure of socialising in reality. However, on the first day of school, I found that all these worries were unnecessary.

That day, I followed a friend I met online ahead of time to chat with new students from countries such as Italy, Japan, and the United States. Since then, I've found that it's not hard to be socially active at all, and that there are no cultural differences that affect friendships as everyone is just so fun and friendly. Therefore, I gradually become more and more comfortable with taking the initiative to make friends, and I've found a lot of great people to be friends with.

In fact, when it comes to making friends, I particularly appreciate those who can think objectively, and who like to share their enlightening and inspiring ideas with those around them. Meanwhile, a sense of humour, peace of mind in dealing with things, and sincere character towards others are features that I really admire. The fortunate thing is that I met so many people who have all the characteristics mentioned above this summer at LSE.

There were many opportunities to meet people at Summer School. When taking classes, I was always thrilled to hear wise points of view from my classmates and we had memorable in-depth communication. Undoubtedly, thoughtful communication is the key to connecting with the people around you.

Attending social activities was another great way to meet people and connect. They allowed us to learn more about each other, for example, someone’s talent for telling jokes or the ability to make regular things funnier. We had so much fun in joining those activities and getting to know each other better, and among them, the one I have to mention is the Boat Party, where my friends and I watched the sun set over the river from the window, talked about our favourite songs and danced excitedly to the music, everything was so amazing!

My three week experience has made me realise that it is actually quite easy to make friends at LSE Summer School. For example, when making friends with people from your home country here, you will find that there is naturally a closer and stronger emotional bond between you, which easily brings you together, meanwhile, when making friends with people from other countries, it's also very easy for following reasons. On the one hand, as people of the same age, there will always be a lot of songs, TV dramas, films, movie stars and so on that we like together, and, moreover, the pressure of study, the dilemma we face, or the interest in study often coincide with each other, which creates a number of conversational topics. On the other hand, most people from all over the world here have a tolerant and open attitude, and people’s different cultural backgrounds just make communication more interesting.

I was fortunate to meet my amazing friends at LSE Summer School and I am so glad to have taken this opportunity.

 

This blog was written by one of our 2023 Student Ambassadors, who are here to share their stories and help you understand the summer school experience at LSE.