Starting college is scary enough, but when you add in the pressures of social life, the whole prospect of starting school could feel downright overwhelming. Making new friends in college isn’t all that hard, though, especially when you have some solid advice about where to start. While it’s important to always be completely yourself, the following conversation starting tips (known as “the 3 Ms”- majors, movies, and music) can help you break the ice:
Ask about their major.
This might seem a typical and somewhat bland way to start a conversation, and in some ways it is, but this tried-and-true method has marked the start of an infinite number of college friendships. Everyone is enrolled in college to get an education, and asking a stranger about their major is an easy way to start a conversation that you’ll both be able to take part in. College freshman have heard the question “So what’s your major?” about a thousand times already, though, so try to make it more interesting by asking them:
- What made them choose their major in the first place
- If they’ve ever thought about majoring in anything else
- If they like their program/ professors so far
- If they can recommend any classes or professors in their department for your electives
- What they want to do with their degree after graduation
Remember, talking about classes and majors is just a jumping off point, so don’t be afraid to let the conversation gravitate to more interesting subjects as soon as the opportunity arises.
Talk about movies.
Again, movies are just a starting point for conversation, but they do tend to be a good starting point. Most college freshman have seen many of the same movies, especially if those movies revolve around college, so ask the person about their thoughts on a particular film. Ask them what their favorite part was, if they liked the sequel, or if they’ve ever seen the leading actor’s other famous movie. Talking about your favorite comedies makes for a particularly great way to start a conversation, because usually, both parties end up reciting their favorite quotes and laughing along with one another. At the time of this article’s publishing, some comedies that have become classics on campus include:
- The Hangover
- Knocked Up
- Grandma’s Boy
- Eurotrip
- Old School
- The 40 Year Old Virgin
- Superbad
- Accepted
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall
The list goes on, and popular movies come and go, but make an effort to see some popular funny movies before you head off to campus because it could just help you start a conversation with your future best friend.
Ask them about music.
This conversation starter can sometimes be a little “iffy” because musical tastes vary so greatly, but if you get lucky, you could find yourself standing next to your musical soul mate. If you do start talking about music and an artist comes up with whom you aren’t familiar, ask the other person what their music is like. Ask them to compare it to artists you are familiar with, and ask them what it is about the music that they find so appealing. At the very worst, if you’ve never heard of each others’ favorite bands, you can make plans to burn them a CD in exchange for a disc with their favorite tracks.
The above tips certainly won’t carry you through an entire night with a stranger, but they should help to get the ball rolling in terms of conversation. Talking about majors, music, and movies might not be the most original conversation starters, but hey, it sure beats talking about the host’s ugly vase.
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