by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: July 25, 2009

One of the most anxiety provoking fears that all would-be college freshmen have is the fear over how they will meet other people. For almost every college freshman anywhere, the first taste they get of the whole college experience will be at the freshmen orientation program. The orientation will often consist of a series of scheduled events.

The purpose of the orientation program is to familiarize incoming students with the layout of the campus, help them learn the ropes of registering for classes, finding their dorm, possibly meeting their room-mate and learning about the all of the import things one will need to know: where the meal halls are, where the library is, where one goes to buy books, what sort of social activities there will be, and so forth.

Every incoming freshman will worry about meeting other freshmen during the orientation. Here are some suggestions as to things that may ease the meeting process and facilitate the start of new friendships.

*Introduce yourself to others -

At the start of the orientation program, there may be a period during which the college or university staff waits to be sure that everyone who has said they are going to come has arrived. Take the time to introduce yourself to people around you. If you are arriving at orientation and see other students arriving as well, stop and say hello. That one simple word can be a real ice breaker and it may be all that is necessary to start a conversation.

*Make a conversation starting comment -

Inevitably, whenever someone makes an observation like noting that they like someone's shoes, or they like their outfit, the person to whom the compliment was directed will have to respond, or risk being perceived as being rude. They may simply say thank you, but that can be enough to break the ice.

If you miss something because you don't hear it or aren't sure you understand, ask the person next to you. Excuse yourself and ask them if you can ask a question. Then proceed to ask your question. It may be that discussing something related to the orientation will turn into a lengthier conversation.

*Attend everything on schedule -

Attending everything that is on the orientation schedule is important for a variety of reasons. Just because you think you won't need to hear something doesn't mean that the event you want to miss isn't going to have something very important. Besides, the more events you go to, the more often you will see other people attending the orientation, and a humorous

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