5 Effective Ways to Make Friends in College

The funny thing about college is that even though you are constantly surrounded by a ton of people, it can be difficult to not feel very isolated at times. You don’t want to disturb people by starting a random conversation, and sometimes the conversations you hear around you are so dumb that you’re hoping those people won’t try to include you. However, since there are so many people to meet, there’s a good chance that there are some cool ones out there. Here are 5 effective ways to make friends in college.

1. Sign up for a Club

It doesn’t matter where you go to school or what kind of school you go to – you could be earning UAB’s bachelors in information systems, and your school would still have a ton of fun and fascinating clubs and organizations. Colleges are full of interesting activist groups, cultural clubs and religious affiliations. Start looking into the different groups at your school and start going to events or meetings.

2. Join a Sports Team

If you like to play sports but you’re not on one of the school’s athletic teams, then you should get into recreational sports. Most towns have all the standard sports, like football, soccer, basketball and baseball, but there are usually several other kinds of sports. You could find leagues of people who like to play dodge ball, kick ball, racket ball, or even capture the flag. You’re bound to have a lot of fun with friends if you join one of those kinds of teams.

3. Participate in Dorm Events

If you live in the dorms then there are usually all kinds of events that are organized throughout the year on your floor or in your building. They may seem silly at first, but in the end, they’re really just intended to give everyone an opportunity to meet each other and connect on common interests. The theme and the details of the event might seem cheesy, but who knows, you could meet some other people who will have fun with you making fun of it all.

4. Find a Study Group

If you have a lot of academics to focus on and don’t want your social life to get too much in the way of your studies, then you should find or organize a study group. If you have a few people that you take multiple classes with, then this could be the best way to get people together. If you don’t, then you might want to just form the group around your hardest class. Either way, you want to find other students who are responsible and have thorough notes and thoughts to bring to the table.

5. Attend School-Sponsored Events

Most schools have all kinds of events, like festivals, music concerts, sports games, musicals and art shows on a regular basis. If you have trouble relating to any of the people that you live with or go to classes with, then you might want to try and attend events that are more in line with your style and try to meet people there.