“Wait, I know her too!”
When it feels like everybody already knows each other.
BY Sasha Fafel ★ October 2nd, 2026
Photo Credit: Mams Jagha
“Wait, I know her too!”
That sentence was seriously the theme of my welcome week.
First, it was the girls sitting next to me who knew a mutual friend from a summer camp 300 miles away from campus. Next, it was classmates that went to the same high school and still stayed in touch. Or, it was some of my Instagram mutuals who met through the Class of 2030 account and were proclaimed best friends by move-in week. Then, it was a pair of girls who bonded over one of their situationships from home. All of a sudden, it seemed that everyone easily connected with each other over the guise of mutual connections and monthslong online relationships.
How does everyone already know each other?
I wondered if I had done something wrong between my acceptance in December and my move-in in August. If I had DM’d more people on Instagram or commented on more posts, would I have known more people going into college?
These questions weighed heavily on me as I navigated my first week on campus. I started to feel like I was third-wheeling every conversation or space I entered.
Feeling that you’ve already missed out on this opportunity to create connections is crushing.
Oh, you feel that way too?
Soon enough, I found that I wasn’t the only one who felt like this. That alone relieved a lot of stress that I had. It’s unrealistic to assume that a class of approximately 3,600 freshmen all know each other already.
The time between move-in and the start of classes can feel like forever when socializing is the only thing to do. However, if you’re still struggling with this or will be entering college next year, you’re not doomed if you don’t know many people at first.
So remember, people come to college from all over the world. Even if you didn’t go to sleepaway camp for seven years or are the only one from your hometown to attend your school, you will meet and connect with people!
The path to finding your people has only just begun, so embrace where it might take you.
Edited by Kiera Miller