Everyone wants to have some sort of social life in college no matter what they say. Yes, you may want to just hide in your room watching Netflix every night. A part of you may still want to go out every now and then. College is about making friends and trying to have a social level while also balancing work and education. I am going to provide you with different options to finding people that could one day become your closest friends.
1. Get to know your roommate first...duh.
GiphyYou literally sleep next to their bed every single night, so you may want to start being their friend. Talk to them and learn everything you feel like knowing about them. When you want to go somewhere, invite them along with you. Go and meet some of their friends too to get a nice balance.
2. Talk to some people in your classes.
GiphyYou have to sit with them for an entire semester, and it would be super boring to never talk to them. It is also good to have their contact information in case you need to get the notes from a missed class or something.
3. Make a group chat with people from your floor.
GiphyMy floor has a Snapchat group dedicated to anything and everything. It is a good way to get to know each other while also being able to organize things easier. If someone wants to play games or watch a movie, they can drop a message in the chat to invite everyone else.
4. Join some clubs or groups that will help you branch out more.
GiphyThis one may sound obvious, but joining at least one will substantially help you to gain new people. Find one that interests you and maybe bring a friend or roommate along with you to the event. You never know who you will meet there.
5. Try not to sit alone at lunch. Force yourself to find someone.
GiphyFinding people sitting alone in a lunch room always makes me kind of sad to see. It is easy to go find at least one person you know to sit next to. Often times they do not really want to be alone either, so you might as well try to stick together.
6. Go to some sporting events.
GiphyChances are they are free or mostly free anyway, so you should go to at least some games. Bring a group of people or just meet everyone in the student section. There is something thrilling about the energy of cheering on your school.
7. Spend some time in the lounge of your dorm.
GiphyMy dorm has groups of people constantly hanging out in the lounge in our building. They are often playing games, working on homework together, watching movies, or just talking and getting to know each other. Try it out some nights and see how you like it or not.
8. Find random people on social media and slide into their DMs.
GiphyThe easiest way to try to connect to people is to follow them on social media such as Instagram or Facebook. Adding people on Snapchat can actually be a great way to start conversations. Try it out, but also remember not to be creepy about it.
9. Invite a group of people over to your room even if you do not know all of them.
GiphyBring a deck of cards, have a movie night, whip out those classic board games, or do anything where you can invite others over. Tell one of your friends to bring a squad of their own over because it never hurts to meet new people.
10. Bring a car and use it to take random people wherever they want to go.
GiphyHaving a car on campus may be too expensive, but everyone also immediately wants to be your friend. If you have a car, actually use it to take people places. Visit the nearest downtown area or local farm or something interesting. Honestly just branch out and go exploring somewhere.
The main message I am trying to tell you here is to just try to make some friends. It may be difficult at first, but eventually, you will find the right crowd to hang out with.
