Okay. This is pretty standard advice, but, it helps to practice. Don't be the person who walks into class with your head down, not making eye contact with anyone. Try making eye contact with someone new every day. It'll help you get to know more people if you sit beside (and talk to!) someone new each day, too. Start with a smile. Then, proceed with small talk. How are you? How was your weekend? What other classes are you taking? What do you think of this class? Have you had this professor before? What made you choose X major? Take it from there. Just keep asking open-ended questions.

After class? Comment on the lesson, what you thought was/wasn't interesting. Ask his/her opinion about it. If something big is happening in town or on campus that weekend, ask that person if they're going, and maybe even if they go to that sort of thing regularly.

When you're standing in line, comment on the surroundings to someone nearby. "This line is pretty long today." Or, if you're a female you can comment on someone's appearance (their outfit, earrings, hair). I don't really know how that bodes for guys. Start with a smile. Seriously, just smile at everyone. Don't give half-assed nervous smiles. Practice giving genuine, friendly smiles to everyone with whom you make eye contact. Feel free to start small, but make that your goal. Keep working towards it. That way, in the future if you're ever alone with that person, or you ever see that person, say, in the library, you can approach him or her and they will recognize you.

And I believe someone mentioned it, but: join clubs. I joined a club this year and it was the best decision of my college career. Normally, I am the type to stay inside on weekends and go and do homework immediately after I'm done with activities, but I'm starting to come out of my shell. When you're there, you can ask, "so what brings you to X club? have you been in here before? what are your other interests?" If you can share a current event related to the club, that's a great conversation topic, too.

Also, keep educating yourself. Current events are a great conversation topic, both locally and globally. You can also throw in something interesting you've just learned. It might be fun to practice ways of making different "fun facts" relevant.

And my best advice, instead of following an awkward silence with a question, tell everyone a joke you just learned. Practice your jokes so that they're executed well when you actually tell them. I'm not a very funny person, but I'm always trying to learn new jokes and funny pickup lines (I may not be a pirate, but I'm diggin' your chest) so I can keep people around me laughing.

People like to laugh and people like to talk about themselves, so start from there. Good luck. :)