Your first few days as a freshman in college are some of the most exciting and, at the same time, scariest, days of your entire educational life. You get the fun of a new city and being out on your own for the first time, but of course you also have the daunting task of college courses and, yes, making new friends. But don’t worry, that’s what CampusCompare is here for! Without further adieu, here are ten ways to meet people and make new friends on campus:

10. Play an Intramural Sport
Not only are intramurals a great way to stay in shape, but they offer a fun atmosphere that is extremely conducive to making new friends. You’ve already got a common interest - whatever sport you play - and unless the league is super-competitive, chances are you’ll get along with the other team just fine. Note that this applies more to sports like Wiffleball and Softball, where competition generally takes a backseat to fun, than it does to basketball and flag football.

9. Talk to Your Neighbors
When you’re hanging out in your dorm room, leave your door open and talk to your neighbors. This is a great and easy way to meet some new people, and it requires no effort at all. When you see the same few people every day, you’ll find it easy to come up with new things to talk about. You can also knock on a few of your neighbors’ doors during the first week or two of class just to say hi. A lot of them will end up becoming your close friends for the next four years.

8. Join a Club
Much like playing intramural sports, joining a club is a great way to meet like-minded friends in a laid-back atmosphere. Interested in politics? Join the College Republicans or Democrats. Enjoy writing? Join the newspaper or a journal. In college there is a club for just about every interest, so find yours and go with it. Clubs will also look good on your resume if you decide to go on to graduate school.

7. Go to the Gym
The on-campus gym at school is one of the best places to make friends. Everyone is awake, alert, and friendly…because as we all know, working out is strongly related to feeling better and, as a result, a more pleasant outlook and attitude. The gym also has a ton of great conversation starters; ask the girl on the stationary bike next to you what she’s reading, or joke with the Vin Diesel-looking guy in the wife beater, asking if he wants a spotter for his next set on the bench.

6. Chat With Classmates
Of course, the easiest way to meet people is in class. It’s how you’ve made most of your friends for the last 18 years, and just because you’re in college now doesn’t change that. The people in your courses will most likely be in your major, so you’ll be seeing a lot of each other for the next several years. They leave you plenty of time in between classes to stick around for a few minutes afterwards and chat about anything: your new dorms, the upcoming test, or how the professor spits when he talks.

Update: Be sure to check out 10 Ways to meet People on Campus (Part II)!

In the current economic crunch, on-campus jobs might be hard to find this year. If you have already secured a job for the fall, show up on time and do your best work. If you don’t, there will most likely be someone eagerly waiting in the wings to take your place.

If you haven’t lined up a job on campus yet, or if you have found yourself on a long waiting list for one, don’t fret. There are other options for part-time work during the year. See if one of these fits your style:

Work retail.  Join the legions of college students who have worked at countless retail establishments in the evenings and on weekends. Stores are usually chomping at the bit for part-timers, since many of their summer hires have headed back to campus elsewhere. Stores like it when employees can take the closing shift, since most of their full-timers work during the day. Don’t worry if you don’t have a car at school—most cities and towns have a bus or train that stops at the mall, or your own campus bus might take you there. Bonus tip: Apply to a store whose merchandise doesn’t catch your fancy; that way, you’ll be far less tempted to blow your paycheck with the help of your generous employee discount.

Babysit or nanny. Many families are looking for a small, but regular weekly commitment from a reliable, kid-friendly person like you. You can study while the cherubs nap, or you can do your homework together after they come home from school. Bonus tip: You can score more pocket money if you are hired as a tutor in addition to your babysitting duties. Motivated families might especially like foreign language majors or music majors to teach a new language or instrument to their children.

Wait tables. With a great smile and a pair of comfy shoes, you can make some great tips as a waiter or waitress. Working at a busy restaurant or cafe can also do wonders for your social life; wait staffs are often known for their camaraderie both on and off their shifts. Bonus tip: Watch the free food or drinks that head your way or else you’ll gain more than just a steady paycheck.

If you are feeling more entrepreneurial than these three options, go ahead and post your own ads touting your services. Craigslist and Barefoot Student are two sites to check out.

Got spare time during your job search? Take a few minutes and review your college for CampusCompare. Better yet, get 10 buddies to do the same and we’ll send you $20 in iTunes cash!

U.S. News and World Report released their much-anticipated college rankings today. For some schools, this day equates to a second Christmas morning each year. For others, even those with consistently high rankings, it’s just another day. The jury is still out on how much rankings should weigh in with college-bound students because so many different factors go into determining a school’s rank. Still, it’s fun to see some of America’s top schools duke it out for the top spot.

Here’s U.S. News’ list of the top 25 national universities. Please note: I can indeed count very well; the repetitive numbers mean that those schools tied for that spot on the list.

1. Harvard University
2. Princeton University
3. Yale University
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
4. Stanford University
6. California Institute of Technology
6. University of Pennsylvania
8. Columbia University
8. Duke University
8. University of Chicago
11. Dartmouth College
12. Northwestern University
12. Washington University in St. Louis
14. Cornell University
15. Johns Hopkins University
16. Brown University
17. Rice University
18. Emory University
18. University of Notre Dame
18. Vanderbilt University
21. University of California—Berkeley
22. Carnegie Mellon University
23. Georgetown University
23. University of Virginia
25. University of California—Los Angeles

Keep in mind that this is the list of national universities—there are plenty of other rankings in U.S. News. Don’t want to go to a large school where you’ll be in a cast of thousands? Check out the magazine’s ranking for liberal arts colleges, which features some of the best smaller schools in the country, like Amherst College and Williams College, which tied for the top spot on the list.

If you are aiming for a top-ranked school, why not try our What Are My Chances? online tool, making its debut on the website next week.