The arrival of summer begins a departure of many close friends of ours during the normal school year. Many of us will say goodbye to girlfriends, boyfriends and best friends this week and won't be saying hello to them until September.

But even though there are less people in State College before and during the summer sessions, there are better chances to become better friends with those that will be staying in town.

Here's a short list of people we all know already but haven't taken the time to really get to know.

Moving out of the dorms for the first time? Here's your first chance to live independent from dinning commons food and a bathroom shared by 20 other people. Sharing an apartment with an acquaintance or even a complete stranger blows open the get-to-know-someone doors. Here is someone you can share a meal with, watch television with and if all goes well, share a beer, or nine, with on the weekends.

If they have friends lingering around for the summer and if you do to, here is a circle of friends that aren't as big a squares that you thought they would be.

Summer classes are typically denser in material covered and exams typically stack up on a weekly basis. What better way is there to study Spanish than asking one of the friendly people sitting next to you in the classroom? Then after finding a mutual interest outside of class, pop a proposition to coffee or whatever people studying Spanish favor.

Also, you can exchange AOL Instant Messenger names with them so when you are cramming your brain at www.freetranslations.com, you can both complain about your mutual dislike of tests, homework or how AOL Instant Messenger is butchering the way people communicate with each other. Irony is really funny when the joke is pointed back at you.

Many of us have part-time jobs and through them, we have part-time friendships with the people there.Ever notice that the few things your work buddies frequently talk about are usually work-related items?

Why not assemble a crew to take time after a shift and catch a movie? That way, you'll have more to talk about aside from dorky and demanding managers and nagging customers. And if other co-workers get jealous of your good times with other members from work, and they want to tag along, then by golly, ask them.

Here's a scenario that's happened to all of us. You're just getting on the elevator in your apartment or dorm and while the door is closing, we press the open button for someone that just ran into the building.When the person gets in, you ask what floor they are going to and it ends up being the same floor where you're place is. The elevator begins its ascension and meanwhile, the two of you are basking in the most prevalent and uncomfortable silence ever. I have an amazing way to make the air a little more lighter: ask them what their name is.

Hey! What do ya know, here's someone that lives yards away from you and wouldn't mind if you borrowed the vacuum or swiped a CD to burn for the day. Now, instead of having surface-level conversations with the unnamed person about the weather of about how slow the elevator is, you can indulge in surface-level conversations with (insert neighbor's name here).

Any of the above friendships can inadvertently brew flirtatious gestures, extended eye contact and perhaps a brisk kiss. If the light is green, I say go for it.

There's something about the summer that makes the opposite sex more attractive. Perhaps this is because they are wearing less clothing, but that is beside the point. Knowing that fewer people are in town, here's a chance to use all the extra time and emotional space that is available to fill with a casual (or maybe permanent) fling that parallels the summer weather, lots of sunshine and mounting temperatures.

Sometimes, this person is the hardest one to get along.Of all the time you spent looking for friends in college, how much of that time did you take care of the best friend you've ever had ... yourself.

I lived by myself in an empty apartment and didn't realize how much I love blasting music and how good I am at being an air guitarist. I didn't realize that doing absolutely nothing could be the most productive thing I've ever done for myself. Most importantly, living independently in State College and away from your hometown is the best way to prove yourself to your parents.

If there is one point that you can derive from my babbling, it is that simple communication with others right next to you could be one of the most unexpectedly fulfilling improvements to your summer social life.

Granted, I studied the field of communications in college, but applying what I learned was the best part.