Forget about first exams and getting to know your randomly picked roommatesâŠone of the most intimidating things to navigate as a newly enrolled freshman collegiette is the on-campus dating scene. In high school, it was easy to meet guys who already lived in your hometown. But in college, the dating rules are different, and itâs not always so easy to meet guys. Where can you find them? How do you impress them? How do you avoid being dismissed by them as just another frat party-hopping freshman girl? Weâve asked girls and guys across the country about the first-year college dating scene to bring you this tell-all guide on how to meet guys as a freshman girl (and how not to be that freshman).
Where to meet him: House parties
Maybe it was his slick dance moves or his mad flip-cup skills, but whatever it was, itâs thrown you head over heels for this Campus Cutie. So how do you get his attention? Katie King from Western Michigan University says that steering clear of the row upon row of frat houses and opting instead to hit up house parties can be a great way to meet older college guys and stand out from crowds of freshman girls. âA ton of freshman girls go to the frats, but that is what kind of makes you stick out as a freshman,â Katie says. âTalk to tons of people and try to go out with them. House parties are usually the best place to meet older guys.â House parties tend to be a more intimate setting for meeting guys: there are usually fewer people there and so itâs easier to chat up that cutie!
How to impress him
Be fun and flirty! Just remember that thereâs a fine line between being the life of the party and being âthat party girlâ (LiLo, anyone?). Zachary from Wake Forest University says you should be careful about hooking up with too many guys too quickly or youâll end up with a reputation that reaches all the way to the upperclassmen. âI guess if hooking up is what youâre all about, then have at it,â Zachary says. âBut it doesnât make you look good when youâve hooked up with all my friends by the end of fall semester.â In other words: keep it classy, collegiettes!
Related: 7 Common Myths About Your Freshman Year
Where to meet him: Tailgates and games
Sure, weâre all swooning over the quarterback of the football team or the captain of the ice hockey team, but what about that cute friend of a friend you meet while tailgating? Tailgates and sports games can be the best places to meet guys (the ones who arenât sweating up their uniforms)!
How to impress him
If thereâs one thing that guys love to talk about, itâs sports, so why not strike up a convo about the game, the teams playing, and the players on the field? Even if you know zip about the sport, take that as your opportunity to chat him up for info like Emily from the University of Mississippi did. Emily met her freshman year boyfriend through her sorority sister at a tailgating party. âTailgating is big down here at Ole Miss,â Emily says. âBut itâs funny, because coming from New England, I really didnât know a whole lot about Southern football teams. So he tried to explain what was going on out on the field, we ended up talking for the whole game, and he asked me out. Weâre still dating three years later and now, tailgating is our favorite thing to do!â If all goes well, you’ll have a date for next game! And even if heâs from another nearby school and youâre rooting for opposite teams, that only brings up the opportunity for you to use this perfect betting line: âIf my team wins, youâre taking me to dinner!â
Where to meet him: Dorm halls and study lounges
If youâre looking for guys, what better place to start than with the guy next door? Kema Christian-Taylor from Harvard University says that the common room in the dorm was always a hotspot for scoping out hotties. âI would always go down to my dorm’s common room, no matter what the hour!â Kema says. âIt was rarely ever empty, and def a hot spot on Friday and Saturday nights after everyone had finished partying, but didn’t want to go to bed yet!â
How to impress him
The great thing about dorms â and especially dorm lounges â is that there is always something happening right down the hall, whether a group of your guy hallmates are watching a movie or playing a video game (in which case, you can show off your mad gaming skills at Mario Kart playing as Yoshi)! Dorms are a great way to meet, get to know, and hang out with other guys who are living in your dorm.
Where to meet him: Classes and labs (or in-between)!
If that broodingly handsome cutie in your chemistry class is making eyes at you across the lecture hall, spark some chemistry of your own by approaching him in class. Amelia* from the University of Michigan says that even waiting in between classes can be a perfect time to approach guys. âI would grab a quick bite to eat in between classes sometimes and random guys would come sit by me,â she says. âOne time I was reading a magazine and a guy approached me and said, â[T]alking is more fun than that, right?â I laughed and let him sit with me. Although it never went anywhere, I did enjoy talking to him.â
How to impress him
There are plenty of ways to approach a guy in class. Nab him as your lab partner, work on a group project with him, or, as Claire from Ohio State University suggests, âAsk for his notes!â Offer to study for the upcoming exam with him. While youâre at it, offer to meet him for coffee post-cram sesh or pre-lecture. As girls, we can be intimidated by asking a guy out, but being upfront and confident is always sexy. âThereâs no harm in making the first move, ladies!â says Bill Feldman from Emory University.
Where to meet him: Student clubs and off-campus activities
You might be the shy type, or maybe youâre not into the party scene on campus. Itâs still easy to meet guys thanks to student clubs, sports teams, and other extracurricular groups. Odds are that youâll want to start writing for your college newspaper, or maybe youâll want to try your hand at juggling â either way, there are countless different groups for you to join, and freshman year is the perfect time to do so!
How to impress him
Joining as many social organizations as you can is the best way to meet guys who already share the same interests as you. Youâll know that youâll have at least one thing in common and you can impress him with your skills. Even if that first date with him doesnât work out, you at least found a group where you can do something you enjoy (and possibly where you can meet other guys who love dancing, foreign films, or kayaking just as much as you do).
Whatâs most important to keep in mind about freshman year is that as a freshman, you should experience all that the college dating scene has to offer. When thereâs so much to discover about being a new collegiette on campus, serious boyfriend-hunting shouldnât take a big priority. And if you do snag a Campus Cutie your first year, donât be distressed if the relationship doesnât work out. It can be limiting being tied down in a relationship, anyway, and college can be the best time in your life to live it up as a single lady!
*Names have been changed.