What you Can do to be More Social in College

You’ve packed your bags, moved across the country and set up your dorm. You’ve done it, you’re in college! Leaving the comforts of home and the social network you’ve developed throughout high school is a big step, and it can be a little intimidating. All of a sudden you’re in a much bigger pond, where making new friends isn’t always easy. Many students have gone, are going, and will go through the same hiccups, and as admissions consultants, we’ve had the privilege to work with hundreds of them. Here are a few tips we’ve picked up along the way that should help make the transition is as smooth as possible.

1. Embrace dorm life

If you’re used to your own room, the relative lack of privacy in a dorm can be a bit shocking. But don’t shy away from communal living: embrace that dorm life and leave your door open. You never know who will walk in, and it just might be your new best friend. This is doubly true early on in your freshman year – chances are your neighbors are searching for friends just like you. So leave that door open, say hello to the gang next door and you’ll be friends in no time.

2. Join an on-campus group

Neighbors are great, but what if you want to make friends that share your specific areas of interest? Well, college is the absolute best place to find those people, because there’s almost certainly an on-campus group dedicated to your hobby. Are you a political junky? Then find a group interested in activism. Are you a musician? College musicals are a great way to make friends and show off those chops. Sports nut? Check out an intramural league in your field of choice. Your school’s student center should have a full list of active clubs and activities, and a quick Google search will reveal plenty of club websites, social media groups, and forums. Oh, and if for some reason there isn’t a group dedicated to your passion, you can always start one!

3. Unplug a little…

No, we’re not going to start ranting about how Gen Z is constantly glued to their screens and it’s destroying the fabric of society – we love our phones just as much as you do. However, if you want to meet people and make friends, you’ll actually have to… meet them and that means taking those earphones out, looking up from your app of choice and making first contact. That gang playing hacky sack might just need an extra player, but you’ll never know if you’re not even looking.

4. …but use technology to your advantage!

Between dating apps, class-specific group chats and campus-specific social networks, there are plenty of opportunities to leverage social media for real life social interactions. The trick is to make sure you don’t get stuck replacing genuine connections with screen time. If you make a connection online, suggest meeting up as a group on campus.

5. Pull your weight in group projects

We won’t sugarcoat it: unless you’re extremely lucky, you won’t like every single person you’re assigned to work on a group project with. Some people pull more weight than others, and the random chance of how group projects are assigned, particularly to freshmen, means it’s a crapshoot. Nevertheless, work hard, be friendly and do your best to be a good teammate, and there’s a good chance you’ll make a friend or two just by attending class. I met my best friend in college this way, solely because of a group project where the teams were put together based on alphabetical order.

6. Hit the gym

The ‘Freshman 15’ isn’t a myth: far from parental supervision and with access to all of the fast food you can eat, chances are you’ll gain a bit of weight during your first year of college. The good news is, you don’t have to cut the carbs and count those calories quite as rigorously if you hit the gym and join an exercise class. While lifting weights and exercise machines can be a solitary pursuit, you can always ask someone to spot you, and every college worth its salt has a plethora of group classes from Zumba to yoga to martial arts. This is an easy way to make friends and stay fit!

7. Once you’ve done all of the above… go to a party!

The catch-22 of parties is that you need friends to get invited to them, but once you’ve made some friends, you’ll make even more when you meet up as a group! Just be responsible and make good choices.