The beginning of college is weird! There are hundreds, if not thousands, of young people from all walks of life thrown together in a place that is generally far away from most of their homes. These young adults are away from home and living independently for the first time and most show up knowing very few people or no one at all. That first semester of college can be difficult to navigate as everyone is trying to find their own niche and make connections with like-minded students.

The good news is, most people not only end up meeting people and making friends in these few days, weeks, and months of college but end up creating lifelong friendships that last well past the walk across stage 4 (or so) years later. To guarantee yourself a good start making friends when you first step on campus, there are a few things you can buy that will come in handy. Here are 5 purchases that will help you make friends in college.

Coffee Machine 

Even though people are starting to drink coffee at younger ages nowadays, college is still one of the most popular times for people to start drinking the caffeinated beverage. In college, there is a general lack of sleep for many reasons and the need to be “on” at all different times of the day. This is why coffee is the functional drink of choice for many college students.

In a college dorm, finding a cup of coffee when you need it can prove difficult. The cafeteria might be a long walk away and the nearest coffee shop is probably an even further ride. Sure, you could Postmates or UberEats a cup right to your door but that can get expensive and hot coffee doesn’t travel all that well. For these reasons, if you are the person who has a hot and fresh cup of coffee available on your dorm floor at all times of day, you will be a true hero and a fast friend to all your dorm-mates.

Poker Chips

There is a lot of downtime in college. Unlike living at home, there are no household chores to do or family time you have to partake in. Outside of class and studying, your time is completely your own. The question is, how will you fill the hours? There are many on-campus extracurricular activities you can get involved with and usually plenty of “social activities” you can find at night. Still, you will eventually find yourself sitting around your dorm room at times wondering what to do.

In these situations, poker is a fantastic option! It is an inclusive game that many people can play and those who don’t know it can pick up quickly. You can play for hours and it is a great way to bond with your fellow students. The best part is, all you need to play is a deck of cards and some poker chips. After that, you are on your way. To find a great set of poker chips that will help you become the poker shark of your college dorm, check out the Giftwits poker chip buying guide.

Multiplayer Video Game System 

If poker is not your thing and you like your games more digital and techy, you can buy a video game system for your dorm room to help you make friends. Video games are more popular than ever and it is easy to make friends playing games online like Fortnite or Call of Duty. In college though, you want to focus on making real, live friends in real life. To help do this, make sure you get a multiplayer video game system so you and your new friends can actually play together in the same room.

Which system you choose can be personal preference as both Xbox and PlayStation are fine systems. To really make your video game system into a college friend magnet, the Nintendo Switch is probably your best choice. It is small and does not take up a lot of space in your dorm room and is portable so you can take it to hang in someone else’s room as well. There is also a lot of party games that you can get for it that people can connect their phones to and all play. As far as friend-making video game machines game the Switch is the best.

A Car 

This is a bigger purchase than the other things on this list but it is almost guaranteed to make you more popular and in-demand than anything else on this list. Some colleges do have rules prohibiting Freshmen from having cars on campus but if you are allowed to bring one to school, you will quickly gain a lot of friends.

Cars are so important because not many Freshmen have them in college. It does not even matter if it is a nice car. Any car that has four wheels, a steering wheel, and can get you around campus and town will be a huge deal. If you are able to find a cheap car that will just get you from point A to Point B, you will have lots of new friends in no time.

Beverages 

There is one more purchase you can make that will help you make friends in college. If all else fails or you cannot get your hands on any of the things above to help make friends, there is always the “old-fashioned way”. Everyone who is new to college is looking for people to hang out with and for a free drink. To make friends, go to your local convenience store, buy a six-pack (if you are 21 or over of course), and offer a cold one to a stranger back at the dorm. That is how people have been making friends at colleges for decades and a trick that will work for decades to come.

Conclusion 

The nice part about college is that everyone comes in on the same level. They are all young, experiencing something new, and looking to meet new people and make new friends. With any of the 5 purchases above, you will be on your way to making friends in college before you know it.