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CELEB RATIN G FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2026
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YE A R S
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IN DE PE N D E N T
ST U D E NT
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
J O U R NA L I S M
ORIENTATION ISSUE
YEAR LVI. VOLUME A. ISSUE I
From East campus to West, Terriers make friendships that last COMMUNITY
WRITTEN BY AVA WISELEY
GRAPHICS BY HANNAH YU Graphics Editor
Associate Community Editor
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rom club meetings to rides on pppppppppppthe Green Line, Terriers have pppppppppppfound myriad ways to form pppppppppppstrong connections at BU. Nicholas Wagner, psychology professor and director of BU’s developmental science program, said strong social relationships are critical throughout one’s life while highlighting their importance through times of transition — like beginning college. But how do you make those strong friendships? Citing relationship formation research, Wagner said the easiest way to connect with new people is to create opportunities to interact with the same new people multiple times, like in class, at a campus job or during club meetings. The Daily Free Press spoke to six BU students who formed friendships in these ways and more about their experiences and advice.
COURTESY OF ISABELLA BALUYOT
Boston University’s Queer Activist Collective Executive Board. Baluyot (left) joined to support a cause she cared about, which naturally led to meaningful friendships and connections.
Isabella Baluyot For Isabella Baluyot, joining a student organization was not an outright attempt to meet her best friends, just to be surrounded by similar people. This is what drove Baluyot, a sophomore in CAS, to join the Queer Activist Collective. “I didn’t go headstrong in there thinking, ‘I’m gonna meet the closest people ever,’ more-so just like-minded individuals,” she said. Wagner said that this mindset can lead to friendship anyway. “Be proactive in spending time doing the things that you think are interesting and care about. It doesn’t have to be for the reason of making friends,” he said. “You’re going to be around other people who care about similar things, which will sort of naturally support friendship formation.” Baluyot also mentioned how bonding with orientation group members, participating in Welcome Week events and attending SPLASH, BU’s club fair, during the first week of the semester can be a good way to form connections in the first week on campus. “Sometimes they do sound a little cheesy and corny,” she said. “But honestly, you’re missing out on more opportunity not going.”
Sarina Policastro Student organizations and campus events aren’t the only way to meet people. Sarina Policastro, a junior in the College of Fine Arts, said she once spotted someone with a keychain of a TV show she liked while riding the T. “We ended up getting into this really extensive conversation because she was also taking a really long ride home,” she said. They didn’t stay in contact much beyond exchanging Instagrams, but it was a memorable moment of connection. “I was giving her advice on her situationship by the end of the ride,” she said. Policastro said she also made friends while at a Paradise Rock Club metal show her freshman year. “The whole audience was mostly way older, like a Gen X kind of crowd, so I was like ‘I don’t really know if I’m gonna fit in over here,’” she said. “But then I found these two BU seniors that I ended up talking to like the entire night, so we became friends through that.” Though freshmen are often the most eager to make new friends, many upperclassmen — like the ones Policastro met at the concert — are also set to form new connections.
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SARAH CRUZ | DFP FILE CLARE UNG | DFP FILE COURTESY OF SARINA POLICASTRO
Sarina Policastro, a junior in the College of Fine Arts, finds connection on campus through organic interactions, like a conversation with a stranger on the T.
SIENA GLEASON | PHOTO CO-EDITOR