How to Expand Your Social Circle in College

By Alyssa Laffitte on January 9, 2019

College is a social environment like no other. Never again in your life will you be surrounded by a bunch of people around you age who have the common goal of gaining knowledge. Thankfully, this environment fosters social interactions. In this article, we’ll discuss how to expand your social circle in college.

Image via Isorepublic.com

Talk to the people in your classes

One of the easiest ways to expand your social circle in college is to simply talk to the people in your classes. It doesn’t have to be anything too difficult, especially at the beginning of the semester as everyone is still trying to get to know each other. Just saying “hi” to the guy or girl who sits next to you in class is a good way to start a friendship.

Soon enough, you can ask them about homework or the lecture material. After all, it’s good to have at least one friend in each class; if you ever have to miss class, you can ask them for the lecture notes, and if they ever miss class, you can send yours to them. Plus, if your class has a group project, you now know who you can choose to be your partner!

Talking to people in your classes is an easy way to make more friends in college. (Bonus points if you make friends in core classes for your major, as you are likely to see the same people in other core classes! For example, the friends you made in Biology 101 will likely also be in your Biology 102 class.)

Join an extracurricular activity that interests you

Aside from your classes, extracurricular activities and clubs are the best places to meet people who share your interests. It is easier to start a conversation with someone you meet at an extracurricular activity because you already know you have at least one thing in common with everyone in the room.

For example, if you are involved in the school newspaper, you can start a conversation by asking someone when they first got interested in writing. Extracurricular activities will introduce you to many people who share your interests.

You can easily find out about your school’s extracurricular activities through the school’s “organizations” or “activities” page. Sift through all the clubs they list until you find one that interests you. Another way to learn about the different extracurriculars your school offers is to attend the “student activities fair”, which will allow you to meet the leaders of these activities.

Start your own club on campus

Alternatively, if you can’t find an extracurricular activity on campus that interests you, you can start your own! It might be very time consuming and require lots of work, but how cool would it be to be the founder of a club? If you advertise your new club well, you could attract students who will be interested in it.

Thus, just as with joining an activity that already exists, you will be introduced to people who share your interests. In other words, starting your own club on campus is another great way to expand your social circle in college.

Volunteer

Another way to expand your social circle in college is to volunteer. For example, you can volunteer at an organization on campus, at a church, a soup kitchen, or even at an animal shelter. Not only will you be serving your community, but you will also be introduced to people who care about the same causes you do.

You will be satisfied to have donated your services, and you will also be glad to have met new people. This is especially true if you routinely volunteer at the same places. Volunteering is a fulfilling way to meet new people.

Start an internship

If you would like to further your career while also expanding your social circle, you should start an internship. The work you do during your internship will help you professionally, while the environment will help you socially. You will quickly become friends with your co-workers. For this reason, starting an internship will allow you to expand your social circle.

Get involved in research on campus

This might not apply to anyone, but if you are interested in research, getting involved in a lab on campus is another good way to expand your social circle in college. When you conduct research in a lab on campus, you get to know your labmates and the people who work in neighboring labs. Again, these will be people who share your interest in research.

This is especially true if you end up working long hours in the lab. As you get more involved in the lab, you might end up doing social things with your labmates outside of school and lab. Just like starting an internship, if you join a lab on campus, you will not only have excellent experience to add to your resume, but you will also gain new friends.

Take advantage of the unique social environment college provides. You will never experience anything like it again. During your four years there, expand your social circle!

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