Remember how easy it was to make friends in elementary school? If a classmate shared one of their Sour Patch Kids with you at recess, you were instantly best friends and life was good.

Fast-forward to college. No matter if you’re a freshman, senior or an older returning adult, making new friends in class is part of the college experience. Unfortunately, sharing candy among strangers is probably not the best way to go about it.

Although it can be hard to break the ice and interact with your peers, now that the awkwardness of the first week of classes is over with there really is no excuse for you to remain antisocial.

Push your jitters or anxiousness aside before you step into the classroom and disengage from your electronics so that your body language comes off as approachable and not hermit-like. Having your ear buds in or a game of Candy Crush open on your phone screams “don’t talk to me” and your fate is officially sealed.

Once your composure is calm and relaxed, avoid sitting in corners where no one can see you, and instead take a seat near the middle of the room. Now is your time to strike up a conversation with whoever is sitting near you.

Avoid going straight to the generic questions like “what’s your major” by cracking a joke that they can relate to right off the bat. This eases the awkwardness and opens up a perfect opportunity to begin to engage in a real conversation.

Nothing is worse than someone who starts up a conversation only to let their eyes glaze over once the other starts talking. So remember to remain attentive to whatever your fellow classmate is saying if you truly are interested in expanding your circle of friends this semester.