Before you read this page, be sure to check out 10 Ways to Meet People on Campus (Part I)!

5. Cafeteria
The cafeteria is going to be one of the places you frequent most often in college, and you’re not alone. The cafeteria is always filled with people and makes a great place to meet new people. Often you’ll be there with your own group of friends, but when you’re not, why not sit down at a new table? For the most part people are very friendly, and all freshmen are eager to make new friends, so pull up a chair and ask if you can sit. Who knows, things might just click.

4. Study In the Lounge Instead of Your Room
Have some homework due in the coming week that just has to be done? Why study alone in your room or in silence at the library? Find the nearest study lounge and take a seat with some other students. Study lounges are great because they provide a more lax environment than a library and allow you to interact with others while you study. More often than not, you’ll meet someone else working on the same assignment, which typically leads to some great collaboration. Have a good time studying together? Go ahead and grab some late-night food or a few drinks to celebrate actually getting some work done!

3. Attend Your School’s Sporting Events
Sporting events at almost every school are a big draw, and this means lots of people. These events also tend to bring together drinking and camaraderie, which make them great for meeting new people.

2.  Meet With Groups Outside the Classroom
Depending on your course of study, you will have some (if not lots) of group projects. Often times these groups will have to meet on weekends to get some work done, so the classroom is a pretty typical place to meet. But if you want to get to know these people better, why not discuss your project over lunch, which makes things more social. If you’re getting along great with them, why not invite them to the party you’re going to that night? Often times great chemistry out of class, leads to better in-class performance for groups.

1. Parties / Bars
This is so obvious, we almost left it off the list. But if you want to meet lots of friendly (and by friendly, we mean drunk) kids, then get off your butt and go out to a bar or party. Not a drinker? Nobody cares. Parties and bars are places of socialization, so you’re almost certain to meet some great new people. This is a very important part of college, and it is a huge part of the overall experience, so get out there and mingle!

Bonus #1!
As a bonus, we’re adding Facebook to the list. We’re not condoning Facebook as a way to meet people…because, well, that comes off as a bit creepy. But if you meet some new people in class, at a party, or at the gym, be sure to add them as a friend on Facebook. This will keep the connection alive, and will increase the chances that you keep in touch with your new friend…and as long as we’re on the subject, we started a CampusCompare Facebook Fan Page. It isn’t complete just yet, but we’d love for you to become a fan of ours! Who knows, maybe you’ll meet some great people from your school who also love CampusCompare!

Bonus #2!
I guess we’re not actually supposed to talk about this yet (who cares, right?), but the wonderful folks at CampusCompare have been working hard with college counselors, students, admissions officers, and others to develop a nifty tool called the What Are My Chances? Calculator.  Word on the street is that it’s almost finished, and is deploying later this week, so keep your eyes and ears open for the coolest thing to hit admissions since the Common App!

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)!