5 Guides on How to Meet People in College

Just starting your first year of college or looking to meet more people with the new year beginning? We have a few suggestions on what guides to take a look at!

Here are our Top 5

1. wikiHow provides a great collaboration of ideas on how to meet new friends in school.

2. Susan Johnston provides a few out of the ordinary tips, like bathroom bonding, that are worth giving a look at. Take a look here

3. Dorm Delicious not only gives tips on decorating your dorm but on how you can meet people in your dorm!

4. Succeed Socially tells you not only how to meet people but where to meet them!

5. Jessica Salerno shares her story on how she found friends her freshman year.

We All Made Mistakes in College: A Guide to Frat Parties

Attention freshmen girls aka “fresh meat,” your first year of college is a learning experience, to say the least, and it is undoubtedly filled with trial and error. Let us help you out a little with advice on how to handle those booze filled parties you have heard about. Whether or not you decide to “go Greek” it’s important to know a few do’s and don’ts of frat parties. Her Campus recently posted an article that I found to be very enlightening, so here are a few points from the article that I recommend to keep in mind…

1. DO know which frat house you are at.

Chi Psi, Chi Phi, Phi Psi, Psi U—it gets a bit complicated when they all sound the same. “There’s nothing worse than calling a fraternity by the wrong name,” says Alaine, a junior at Miami University (OH). Also, make sure you know how to pronounce the name (Sigma Chi is pronounced Sigma Kye, not Chi like a Chia pet), and are familiar with the frat’s nickname (Sigma Pi Epsilon is usually referred to as Sig Ep). Ask a friend which house you’re going to before you actually get there.

2. DON’T wear a “new student orientation” lanyard around your neck or carry around a campus map.

I know it’s convenient to put your room key and ID card in a plastic holder hanging from your lanyard, and this is perfectly acceptable during the day (at least during the first week), but put these important items in your pocket or purse when you go out at night.

3. DO know the house rules for beer pong and flip cup.

These are great party games—when you know how to play the right way. Ask for the next game and wait around for your turn so you don’t miss out. Alaine suggests “enlisting the cute guy nearby to play with you.” If you’re nervous about drinking when you play these games, no one will know if it’s just water in your cup.

4. DON’T go alone.

The last thing you want is to be alone when that creepy senior offers you a mystery drink he got from a closed room. You will probably feel awkward in a huge party setting all by your lonesome, anyways. At the same time, don’t go out in a huge group. Megan, a recent University of Michigan graduate, says, “Don’t go with like 17 people. Go in pairs.”

5. DO dress for the theme but don’t go overboard. 

Wear something versatile so you can easily party-hop. Think a bright shirt for an 80’s themed party that can double as a glow-in-the-dark shirt at a highlighter party. Do not wear a full sexy cop or bunny costume. Not only will you look out of place if you go to another party, but you will also be a perfect target for real cops looking to catch underage drinkers.

To read the rest, which I recommend even for solely entertainment purposes, click here and enjoy!

For those that have attended frat parties, do you agree with these tips? Are there anymore tips that you would like to add? Let us know!

List of 10 Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates

What do most prospective students look for while deciding what college to attend? Location? Available majors? Biggest party school? Before a student makes their final decision, one vital factor to look for is how satisfied the college’s current students are. One of the easiest ways to quickly figure out student satisfaction is by researching the schools retention rate. U.S. News & World Report recently released the list of the 10 Colleges with the Highest Freshman Retention Rates.

Interested in finding out about more schools retention rates? Take a look at the full list of highest and lowest retention rates.

I remember going into my freshman year of college and being very intimidated by how big my class sizes were. After having numerous people warn me about the 500 person intro classes, I was worried that I’d get lost in the crowd and fade out easily. Luckily, I found my school to be a lot smaller than it actually is and adjusted fairly quickly.

In your opinion, what would be a few crucial factors that would cause a student to stick around or decide to pack their bags and find a new school?