Facing college is scary. Not only are you leaving the safety net of your parents, but you are also leaving friends that you have had all your life. Making new friends eases the difficulty of this transition. Even if you are shy, you will have many opportunities to make new friends. You just have to take advantage of them.
Attend orientation. Orientation not only helps you learn what the school expects of you, but also offers many opportunities to meet other new students looking to make new friends. Take advantage of any freshmen lunches or dances offered to meet new people.
Do not go home for at least a month. Go to parties, ballgames and hang out at the student union to meet new friends. If you do decide to stay on campus to meet people, call your mom to find out how to do laundry. You might not make a very good impression if all of your clothes are pink.
Join groups and clubs. While many new students join clubs related to their major, joining unrelated groups allows you to meet more people and expand your interests. If your school does not have a group that you like, start your own.
Attend functions by yourself. In the first few weeks of school, most students will be going to activities by themselves. Typically, you can meet more people if you do not have someone with you that you can talk with.
Open your door. Students see an open door as an invitation to come in and talk. Leave your door open when possible to encourage visitors. Walk around your dorm looking for rooms that you can visit. While you may find some people that you do not want to socialize with, you will find some that will become best buddies.
Study in common areas when possible. Reading your assignments in a public place encourages others to come talk to you. However, if you are studying for a big exam, you should find a quiet place with few interruptions.
Look up your school`s Facebook or other social media website. The internet allows you to find activities that you might not hear about otherwise. Send friend requests to other students and grow your own personal network.
Talk to people. This may sound simple, but all of the parties and clubs will not help you make friends if you stay in a corner and don`t talk to people. Even if you are not typically an outgoing person, college is a time to become the person you want to be. New people will not know that you were the class geek or the most unpopular person in high school unless you tell them. New friends will only know the new you.
Find a job. Colleges offer work-study jobs that limit your hours but enable you to earn some money. An additional advantage of working on campus is meeting people. Usually, your co-workers will be other students that understand what you are going through. Use the extra spending money to go to the local coffee house or another place where you can meet even more people.
Join an intramural sports team. You don`t have to be an exceptional athlete to join a team and have fun. The time spent with your teammates can help them become your family away from home. If you don`t want to play sports, attend games and join booster clubs to widen your circle of friends.
Even if you choose one of the online colleges, you can make friends through online study groups and web classes. The main thing to remember when making friends is that you must reach out to others rather than wait on them to reach out to you.
