(Disclaimer: This article should not be taken seriously; any advice given may or may not work. In the unlikely event that it does, your mileage may vary.)

So you've just gotten into college, but are you cool enough to party it up with the other kids? Since time immemorial, this has been a dilemma that has plagued all incoming freshmen. Whether you were the popular jock or the unsocial goth, it makes no difference; the moment you step onto campus, you can be anyone you'd like simply through the fact that no one knows who you were before.

There are rarely, if any, other chances like this in one's lifetime so why not make the best of it? This begs the question of who you'd want to be in your new life. Of course there are as many choices as there are stars in the sky so I won't go through the trouble of listing them here. But what's common amongst everyone's aspirations going into school is the desire to be liked and respected.

You may have heard things like “Be yourself!” or “You're fine the way you are!” but that kind of advice is not very helpful -- especially when you're still in the formative years of your life and you don't have a clear sense of who you are in the first place. Of course personality and social skills are very important in any type of interaction with your colleagues so it's important to keep a few guidelines in mind when you're hanging out with prospective friends:

Put your colleagues' needs above your own!

Don't take the last bit of food when eating out (at least when others are looking)

 

Always offer to help in some way or another!

Offer to help others move into their dorm rooms

Hold doors open for others

 

Share what you have and others will do the same!

Offer some of those ____ that your mom sent you (in my case, I receive curried ham so I won't venture to assume what you receive)

 

Don't be afraid to try new things!

Drinking and partying will be strange and uncomfortable for many people but even if you don't drink or aren't interested in partying it's advantageous to get in face time with others especially in the beginning (at the very least, others will appreciate having someone to carry them home)

 

Keep your room open!

Don't shut yourself out from the daily-happenings of the dorm! You never know when something interesting is going to happen and keeping your door shut will just make you oblivious to what's going on (be warned though that there is the off chance that the dorm drunkard will stumble into your room)

 

Keep your room stocked!

Having an arsenal of goods, snacks, and entertainment – whether that be video games, music, board games, movies, etc. -- will help make you the center of dorm life (or at the very least it will act to lure others into spending time with you)

 

 

Keeping these tenets in mind, I'm sure that you'll find your way onto the path of social success in college!