How do I make new friends after high school?

When you're a kid, you get to choose who you hang out with. A lot of times, your parents are friends with their friends or you meet in class. If you're lucky, you get a class with your best friend and the world is all sunshine and rainbows for 10 months of school. But what happens if you get a class and you have "no friends" or "don't know anybody" in there? Well, in high school, you have two options: mope and sulk silently all year, or make a new friend. One of those involves using your social skills. In the real world, however (work, college, and life in general), you don't get those two options. Most of the time, you get option B: be a team player and deal with it. Talk to the people around you, introduce yourself, and get to know them. This does not mean get their Snapchat name and send them random photos of your shoulder and ceiling. It means tell them your real name, ask theirs, and talk about things while looking them in the eye (scary, I know). It might involve you being the first one to say something, and a lot of times, it feels really awkward. Guess what? Life is one big string of awkward moments. You get through one, and then you're experienced in that situation! Don't let a potentially great friend get away because you couldn't get past talking to them face to face.