Meeting people on campus

What can you do when you find yourself in school without enough friends? Making friends on campus is not the easiest thing to do especially when you are new on campus or you go to an urban commuter campus. Meeting people at school need not be a daunting task, there are several methods that are not difficult to master and you may find easy when you try them out.

Start by looking around at people you tend to see frequently, such as, people who you see in your classes, dorms and dining areas. Often an easy way to start a conversation is to focus on an area of obvious common interest. For example, before or after classes, ask, "did you get the assignment for next week", or " what did you think of the professor's theory of..." This gets you past the most difficult part, which is starting the first conversation. Be sure to introduce yourself before the end of the conversation.

If your campus has a dining facility, cafe or coffee cart, then there will be more opportunities for meeting people. After you've introduced yourself and talked about class, it's the perfect time to ask the other person to join you for a cup of coffee. Once you are at the table it should be easier to talk about where you're from, what is your major, what you think of the class, is it easy or hard. Once you start a conversation, you've gotten past the most difficult part. It will be much easier to suggest meeting again for coffee, or to meet socially off campus.

Put yourself where there are other people that you will see over and over. Join a club, interest group or sports team. For some people this mean joining a Fraternity or Sorority, which is a good way to meet people. But don't think it is the only way to meet people, and don't rule out meeting people in other ways. Get a job writing for the school newspaper. Check the school paper and Web site for social events. Concerts and cultural events are good ways to meet people with common interest in a relaxed setting. Obviously if you live in a dormitory you will have chances to interact with people in your dorm floor as well as the dorm cafeteria. Make it a point of inviting people to meet you for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Don't be a cockroach (someone who hangs out in a dark room and scurries when the lights are turned on).

Study lounges are great place to meet people as well because there is only so much time people will study before they take a break. People have to take study breaks and if you are in the lounge with them, there's a good chance that you'll be able to strike up a conversation. Consider study lounges in dorms, on campus and in research libraries.

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