A guide to social life on an American campus:

Making the transition from high school to college is a major adjustment in itself. For many of you, it's the first experience living on your own, cooking, cleaning, getting to class on time, managing homework with a part-time or full-time job and just plain being responsible. Where do people find time to socialize? In the beginning of your acclimation period socializing may seem like the least of your worries but trust me, by the end of your college career, putting in the extra effort to meet your peers will be well worth it. After all, the person sitting next to you in that freshman orientation class could be your future employer when you are knee deep in college loans and struggling to find that wonderful post-college job in a vastly declining market. By following this guide, you will be well on your way to jump starting a successful college social life that will benefit you for years to come.

Put yourself out there!

It's not always easy to meet people in your classes. It's typical of college students to show up just on time or even a little late so that rules out socializing before class. After class, students are rushing off to their next class, job, or other commitments and are unlikely to wait around, hoping someone will speak to them; this takes effort. You have to be willing to put yourself out there. Introduce yourself and ask questions about the class. "Did the professor say this assignment was due next week or the following week?" Who cares if you know the answer? Just ask! It opens up the door for conversation and you will be surprised how far a simple question can get you.

Get Involved!

Contact your student activities center. They should have a list of all the available clubs and student organizations within your school. There are clubs you probably never knew existed. I was amazed when I discovered my college, in New York City, had an archery club. It seemed arbitrary to have such a club in the city but it made me wonder what other clubs my college could possibly have. After contacting my student activities center, I discovered that every Thursday the student activities center had a club fair that allowed students to meet and greet all of the club presidents. I attended the following Thursday and discovered there was a Theater club and a Movie Maker's club; both theater and film were major interests of mine. Through my participation in these clubs, I discovered my major and I made a

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