Answers

The reason people say their most meaningful relationships start in college is that this is the first time you will be away from your parents and out of your comfort zone. You will have a roommate and friends that you see on a regular basis. You will build some very close friendships. To a certain extent, it does just happen. The proximity leads to very strong relationships. Beyond that, you can broaden your friend base by trying to meet people from other parts of the world through ethnically-focused clubs and with people with differing interests through other clubs.

Why are you looking to make the right friends? Even though we choose who we want to be friends with, it's not like you go to a "friend discovery" web site and type in characteristics you're looking for and it tells you who you should be friends with. I think you should just focus on being the kind of person that makes a good friend - honest, reliable, empathetic, etc. I think one of the things that people hate most is a flaky person - don't be one of those! You will make lots of friends.

It sounds like you're trying to plan this one out too much. You will meet people everywhere in college - during orientation, in classes, dorms, clubs, sports, Greek life, and through other friends. Just make friends and some of them will turn out to be close friends.

I don't see how I'm going to have any better friends than the ones I already have in high school. I have grown up with these people since the age of 5 and I know them well, their families well, and we hang out all the time. Don't go off to college and forget your high school friends!