For the first time in my life, I am in a brand new place with absolutely no roommates. Hurray! No crusty dishes with the petrified remnants of last week’s tomato soup mounting in the kitchen sink. No more awkward evening debates about who’s turn it is to buy groceries. No mystery hair carpeting the bathroom floor. My apartment is just the way I like it. Almost.

I am also coming to realize an undeniable truth in this lovely new living space that is all mine. Friends don’t come knocking on your door until you meet them. Of course, I have always known this but until very recently, they always seemed to come with the apartment. The only solution is to do something incredibly uncomfortable that will inevitably end up being the highlight of your day. Get dressed, not in the ratty jeans that look like they were mauled by a grizzly bear. Put on something nice. Go outside and meet people.

Opportunities to do this are built into nearly every college experience. There is a club for everything and you are constantly surrounded by people your own age who generally think and act like you do. Such opportunities don’t disappear after graduation but they become much more shy in presenting themselves. Therefore, stop staring at the same four walls, or however many you have in your home, and go talk to the new and interesting characters that are living their lives just outside your door.