The secret to making new friends

We all know a person who seems to know tons of people and has no trouble making friends. You probably have thought to yourself before that you wish you could be like that person and meet people with no problem, but you are introverted and are not good at meeting people. When going off to college for the first time, everyone is nervous because they are leaving their old friends behind and are worried about meeting new people. But this is one of the greatest things about college, you meet all different types of people and establish relationships that will last a lifetime. There are some secrets to meeting people that many people don't realize, and even people who are good at making friends probably don't realize why they are.

First and most obvious, you have to talk to new people in order to make new friends. If all you do is sit in your dorm room all day, you will not meet new people. You need to get out and interact with people on campus, whether at sporting events or just the computer lab. Start random conversations, it's not hard. If you're waiting in a long line, start talking to the people in line with you about how long the line is, then introduce yourself and roll from there. If you're at a sporting event, that's one of the easiest ways to meet people. Just talk about the teams to people around you, because they are obviously interested in them or they wouldn't be there!

A very easy way to start a conversation is with a question. When you ask it, don't act scared or nervous, because that will make the person feel nervous and awkward. Be confident and make eye contact. Listen to what the person says, and continue the conversation from there.

Don't have a really shallow conversation, like, "hi my names jon, have a good day!" Find out about them, where they're from, where they go to school, what they want to do when the graduate, common friends, etc.

An important point is that you must try to initiate conversations and take advantage of every opportunity you have to talk to new people. Always introduce yourself, and go beyond your name and the obvious. Listen to what the other persons says, don't just let one person do all the talking. If you feel like you're doing all the talking, stop and give them a chance to talk, and continue the conversation from what they say.

Soon you will have a large network of friends, which is a very good thing to have. The saying "it's not what you know, it's who you know" is very true. Obviously you can't be a complete idiot and go far in life, unless you're a professional athlete or something, but you can be the most educated person in the world and not be successful if you don't know people. The easiest way to get jobs, favors, etc is through friends. I have never gotten a job that I just went out and applied for. Every job I've ever had I have been set up with through a friend.

Friends are a very important part of life, and are crucial to your happiness in college and success after college. So why are you still reading this? Go meet some new people and create some new friendships!

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