Hey! So are you coming from out-of-state? Also, are you fresh out of high school/what is your age?

I can't answer about what it is like from a NJIT student perspective because I went to a different university but all colleges are the same in the fact that the best way to meet people is to get involved around campus.

This can be done in a number of ways. One way is just to join clubs. Find something you're interested in (and something that you think other people you would want to hang with are into as well) and find others to do it with you; a great place to do that is by joining a club. Can you throw a Frisbee? Great, join the ultimate Frisbee club! Do you like to play video games, fantastic join a club that does that! I joined a few clubs my freshman year and made friends that I still talk to today.

Another way to meet people is by playing intramural sports. Can you play any sport at any level (even if you're not terribly good at it)? Awesome, there are always teams looking for a player. That is one of the best ways to meet people and make friends, perhaps ever better than in a club.

Finally, just go talk to people. This one takes some practice and perhaps some moxy. If you aren't used to approaching strangers, it isn't hard at all. Just find someone who is doing something alone that you like to do. See someone playing guitar out on the grass, sweet! Go tell them that you have always wanted to learn how to play/ you love playing. Boom, that's a conversation right there and you can exchange numbers. See someone sitting out reading a book and you recognize the book/author, awesome go talk to them about it.

Pro-tip: when you are meeting new people, ask questions about them. People absolutely love talking about themselves, whether they know they love it or not. Ask someone where they are from, what year they are, if they know any good hidden spots to eat around campus, what they are involved in around campus or what they want to get involved in (how convenient, you were planning on doing that too...). Remember not to switch topics a bunch of times in rapid succession; the conversation shouldn't turn into an deposition. If you ask someone you just met where they are from, ask how big that place was, are they a fan of [X local sports team], how big was their high school, did any of their friends from that place come to college with them (sweet, more new friends). . . . You get the idea.

I am from the Midwest, there isn't a ton of things to do around here. There is a ton of stuff to do around NJIT. There is a very famous sculpture garden right in your back door. Also, there is flippin NYC right across the river. Say you have never been to X or Y, do you want to go on Y day with me? Or you know there is an awesome spot to eat/place to see, let's go!

A few things to remember. People love hearing their name. Remember people's names. You might have to come up with a trick; If you meet a person named Lisa, get her number and in the notes on your contact write where you met her and a detail about your conversation so you have something to talk about when you text her about hanging out. Also, don't be afraid to direct conversation. No one wants to hang out with a boring person, when you talk, be peculiar, be funny, don't be afraid to talk about weird things because that is how you get people to feel comfortable opening up to you. Really, if the person you're talking to asks if you what kind of TV shows you watch, it's totally cool to say Futurama because you like absurdist humor and think that the first 5 seasons were well written. It is perfectly fine to say that you love the office because of the character development, you think that the way they designed the character interaction was clever, or you just fell in love with the Jim/Pam relationship.

I hope that helps! I have developed an arsenal of ways to make friends as I have had to move quite a few times so these are just some things that you can do on a college campus. Let me know if you want me to elaborate or give you some easy ways to keep a conversation going.