One of the best things about moving to your new four (or eight) year home is meeting the bajillion new people you’ll be racing to class every day. Who knows? That girl who complimented your Lord of the Rings backpack in chemistry could be your future best friend. But if you’re anything like me, you know that your average social skills leave something huge to be desired. You can’t expect to be making lifelong friends in the 12 seconds before class starts. But have no fear, CM is here for you (as usual), my socially awkward brethren. Take a look at some killer places to meet people in college, no fancy shmancy etiquette classes required.
Study Groups
I know, I’m sorry. It’s kind of like class, but not really, so it still counts. Here’s your time to show off that flashy brain of yours. Helping people pass their classes will make them practically worship you. Just kidding, don’t give yourself a god complex, but do help out when you know something others don’t, and then ask people for help when you need it. It’s a classic “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” situation. Bring some cookies, talk to people and find your mutual loathing of mathematics to be the basis of your new friendship.
Clubs
School clubs are awesome because for starters, you’ve already got common interests with the people around you. Step two: Talk to someone. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll gain friends when you join a club or two. Especially if it’s a particularly social club. Love Beyonce? Join the Beyonce Club and booty shake your way to a long lasting friendship. The possibilities are literally endless.
Clubs 2.0
Slightly different from the other clubs, but works just as well. Clubs may not be right near campus, but they’re easy enough to find and swarming with overly friendly, drunk students. There’s always a crowd of people that you can interact with and get to know. Chat up that girl about her mad dancing skills or spark a conversation with the guy in a cool shirt. It doesn’t matter, there are hundreds of people there; you’re going to find someone you have something in common with. But first, time to show off your karaoke skills.
Volunteer Work
There’s a thousand opportunities for volunteer work on or around campus. A community is an always-evolving project, and people are thrilled when they have volunteers to help out. Just look around for notices on campus, and you’ll find a project in need of volunteers. Whether it’s with the people you’re helping out or the people that are helping with you, it’s definitely a good way to bond with those around you. Plus, knowing you’re doing a good deed will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside like your favorite teddy bear, which is always a great feeling.
Gym
Not only are you likely to meet a whole slew of people that commit the gym to their daily (or weekly) schedule, but you’re also getting exercise while you’re at it. And trust us, you’ll need it because the Freshmen 15 is all too real. If you’re new to the gym, ask people for help when you don’t know what you’re doing (Uh, how do you turn on the elliptical machine?). I mean, don’t get in the way if you see people going hardcore with it, but be respectful and chances are you’ll meet some friendly people. And maybe your future sweetie. Hey, we all dream about dating a handsome gym hunk, right?
Campus/Sport Events
Need I say more? School spirit, people, I cannot emphasize this enough. If you show up with your face painted in your college’s colors and you’re chanting and talking smack to the opposing team, all you have to do is agree with the guy behind you – “Yeah, I can’t believe it either!” – then congratulations, you’ve met someone. That wasn’t too hard, was it? School events are huuuge, especially if your college is big on school spirit. Go to parties or groups and talk school, classes and clubs. You’ll find someone else who has that horrible professor that’s giving you nightmares, and you can both suffer together. If school comradery isn’t going to bond you, I don’t know what will.
Sororities/Fraternities
Rushing is a big thing. Like almost on the scale of how crazy it is at a movie theater when a new superhero movie comes out. People come out of the first day of rush friends already, so if you have the desire, go for it. You’re literally adding brothers and sisters left and right; you’re definitely going to get a whole stampede of new friends out of the experience.
Dining Hall
People on the meal plan have a select number of places they can eat without spending even more money than they already are. So trust me, you’re gonna run into people more than once, and that’s your opportunity to bust out those social skills we all have. “Oh, you’re eating pizza for the third time today, too?” Soon enough, you’re going to have a table of people saving you a seat every day. Here’s your chance to feel like the coolest kid on the college block.
Dorm Activities
Especially for freshmen, RAs go all out and create amazing entertainment the first few weeks of classes and then throughout the year. They’re like the super cool college version of parents. Go to the start of the semester activities. Seriously, they’ll have something for almost every interest. Gaming, s’mores, board games, paint wars, you name it. It’s easy to strike up a conversation with someone while you’re threatening to throw a water balloon in his face. Bonus: You’re living in the same place for crying out loud so hanging out is instantly 10 times easier.
