December 17th, 2008
Meeting New People on Campus
It can be a slightly unnerving experience getting to school for the first time and not knowing anyone. While a few other students from your high school may be attending the same college, you’re still going to need to step outside of your comfort zone and start meeting new people. Even though it can be difficult at first, making friends is an acquired skill and something that you’ll feel more comfortable with over time. It’s a skill that you should invest some time in; you don’t want to be the weird kid in back of the class with no friends, do you?
Even though it takes some effort, you don’t have to go far to start meeting new people. Getting to know your neighbors in the dorm building that you live in is a great way to start making new friends. Many people make friends that they have for the rest of their lives right in their dorms. Most dorm floors will have social events, but you don’t have to wait for these. Just stop by some of your neighbors’ rooms and introduce yourself. Leave your door open to encourage others to stop by. You can even plan a floor party-put a sign up in the hallway inviting anyone on your floor to come over and bring a couple sodas or a bag of chips. Not only will you meet a bunch of people, but you’ll also help generate a sense of community on your floor, which will make your year a lot better.
Another place to meet people is in class. If you’re sitting next to someone that you don’t know, introduce yourself and strike up a conversation. You may find that you have a lot of things in common. If nothing else, you can try to scope out cute guys or the really smart girls that will make good study partners. A lot of professors use “ice breaking” activities during the first week of classes; instead of acting cool and avoiding these (sometimes very cheesy) activities, take advantage of the chance to talk to people that you may not have otherwise. If your professor doesn’t give you an opportunity like this, you’ll just have to make your own.
Because of the rise of social networking websites, you now have another option for meeting new people. While this shouldn’t be your primary method, you can use one of these sites to help you in your quest to make friends. Facebook is extremely popular with college students and is used by many people to organize parties and outings. You can meet a large number of people through your friends this way. It’s also very useful for finding people that have similar interests; you’ll be able to find people who listen to the same music, like the same movies, and spend their Friday nights doing the same things.
There are as many ways to meet people as there are people . . . you’ll come up with methods of your own soon enough. Just be confident and be yourself and you’ll have tons of friends in no time!
As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com

If you’re already in college, you already know, and if you’re a high school student, you’re sure to find out, that college students will try just about anything to save money. The time that you spend in college will probably be one of the more financially difficult times of your life; because of this, you’ll be looking for ways to save money, too. Try not to get roped into your friends’ harebrained strategies—just take some of the following advice.
The college admission essay is one of the most important pieces of writing that you will create as a high school student. Although your GPA and your standardized test scores are very important, it is your essay that really helps to set you apart from the other applicants. The essay gives you the opportunity to explain to the admissions committee exactly why they should accept your application and admit you to their school. Because admission essays are often very open-ended, it is difficult to give concrete advice for every composition. However, there are certain general principles that hold true for the vast majority of them.
While getting sick is never any fun, it can be a lot worse if it comes at a bad time. Some of the worst times include spring break, the day before a big test or presentation, and, worst of all, during finals week. Being sick during your finals can be very detrimental to your grades, as it’s difficult to study and concentrate on your tests. If you want to make sure that you stay healthy during finals, keep the following tips in mind.
Christmas can mean many different things to a college student; a break from class, seeing the family again, eating for free, sleeping in a real bed . . . the list goes on. One of the things that go along with Christmas is gift-giving. But how can you go about buying Christmas gifts on a student’s budget? It can be tough. You’re not going to buy iPhones for all of your friends, and your family certainly won’t be receiving a Blu-Ray player. The amount of advertising for expensive gifts around the holidays can be exasperating. Don’t give up hope, though; there are many gifts that are affordable to the average college student.