College is, first and foremost, a place to learn more about the things that you are interested in, but it’s also a place to socialize. It’s where you make new friends and learn to expose yourself to other people, their values and beliefs, opinions, and (hopefully) common interests. As such, it’s also important to develop a set of skills that will make the process easier and more natural for you to connect with others. Some of these skills can be cultivated inside the classroom with fellow classmates and such, but others require a greater level of involvement beyond the classroom setting.

Here are three social skills that every college student should try to develop.

Networking - Every college student knows what networking is, but many have a misconception about networking. Networking is all about building relationships and long-lasting connections with people who are a) like-minded and share common interests or b) in a similar professional field as you are or will be entering in the future. However, one thing to keep in mind is quality over quantity: it's more important to invest your time with a few connections instead of having a large number of acquaintances. There are many ways to network. The easiest way is to attend events organized on campus, or even those organized outside by your community's leaders and organizers. Once you have an idea of what professional area you want to enter, you can also try to find events organized by the people who are involved in this line of work. You should network whenever and wherever you can. Networking can help you open up doors of opportunity and take you to places that you never imagine you could be in. One person can change the course of your life forever. It's important to build a strong network of friends and supporters, as it provides you for a more stable foundation for your future goals and dreams.