Ready, set, you're off to college! Before you get there, take a sneak peek at life on campus. Did you know there are a ton of people working behind the scenes to help you connect with other students? Developing meaningful relationships is an important part of attending college. So how does dating fit into the picture? We talked to five college students and they gave us the 4-1-1 on dating on campus. Read on to see what you can expect when you finally arrive at your school.

When Jessica Kelley started her freshman year at Southern Wesleyan University in South Carolina, she was anxious, nervous and excited. "I didn't know anybody," she says. "I was really intimidated. But I just put myself out there and I made a lot of friends."

After being on campus for a few days, she saw a sign in her dorm promoting an outing with a guys' floor. The event was organized by the dorm's student activity board. (Most Christian colleges have similar boards or committees that plan outings to help students make meaningful connections.)

"I had no idea who any of the people were," she says. "But we went to this big bridge with a waterfall and just hung out and took lots of silly pictures."

Jessica met a ton of people and got hooked on going to co-ed dorm activities.

Now a sophomore majoring in psychology, Jessica tries to attend as many co-ed dorm activities as possible. That includes meeting about 20 people at 10:30 every Tuesday night at a local pancake house.

"We go and just talk about random things," Jessica says. "We also talk about projects we're working on, our parents and our families. We really bond. But there's still no pressure to date.

"I feel like God's telling me not to do the one-on-one thing," she says. "Group dating lets me see the type of man that I want to date someday. I get to learn about which qualities I like without having a relationship with anyone."

Jessica admits that going out with people from the dorm is really important to her. But she does realize that in order to have time to go to the circus or midnight bowling with people from the dorm, she has to be really organized and get all of her homework done first. She tries hard not to procrastinate or waste any time.

While it's not always easy, she says her hard work is worth it because she's building relationships with guys. And she feels like when it's time for her to date someone seriously, she'll already have an idea of the kind of guy she's looking for.

Looking back, Jessica is thankful that she had the courage to step out of her comfort zone and go on that first dorm-sponsored activity, even though she didn't know anyone. She admits it would have been easier to just sit in her dorm room.

"Freshmen should just give those dorm group dates a chance," Jessica says. "No matter how uncomfortable you feel, as long as you're there, it gives you an opportunity to connect with other people."

Wherever you end up going to college, you'll quickly learn about campus dating traditions. For students at Bryan College in Tennessee, some of these traditions are a little wacky and center around banquets that happen four times a year. The fun begins when students start searching for dates. For years, students have come up with unique ways to ask someone to the banquets.

Rachel Welch, a junior majoring in English literature, experienced this first hand. She was a little shocked when in the middle of chapel she was asked to come up on stage with all of her suitemates.

"I knew we weren't in trouble," Rachel says, "but it was weird. Then four guys came out with roses and asked us all to go to the upcoming banquet."

Totally nervous and a little shocked, all the girls ended up saying yes. The guys had gone to extreme effort to ask them in front of a ton of people.

But that's not even the most creative idea. Rachel says that one of her friends was kidnapped by a bunch of guys dressed up as pirates. The guys took her to their waiting friend, who then asked her to go to the banquet. Then another guy hung up a huge sheet in the middle of campus with 'Paige, will you go to the banquet with me?' painted on it.

"Guys find a lot of fun ways to ask the girls to the banquets," Rachel says. "They make it really fun."

But when it comes to the banquets, it's not only the guys who do the asking. Rachel once sent a guy an anonymous package with 'will you go to the banquet?' spelled out in candles.

Getting a date is only half the fun. Each banquet has a theme and most students go in costume. The theme for this year's homecoming banquet was TV shows. Some people showed up as the Flintstones. Others have gone as rock stars. And at one banquet with a fairy tale theme, Rachel went as a Renaissance maiden and her date was a frog prince. He was dressed in a green body suit, complete with a crown.

Rachel says that while some people do go to the banquet with a group of friends, most end up with dates. But those who go with a date aren't usually in a serious dating relationship.

"It's about having fun," Rachel says. "There's not a lot of pressure. If a girl says yes, it's not like you're saying 'I do.' You're free to be friends and hang out."

You've heard the joke. It's the one about people who only attend Christian colleges to earn their M.R.S. or M.R. degree.

Jared Freeman, a junior at the University of Mobile in Alabama, has heard it a million times and he's not laughing.

While Jared will admit that cupid is definitely alive and well on any Christian college campus—and many coeds do end up tying the knot—that's not the reason he dates.

"I'm not thinking about getting married," Jared, a finance major, says. "I like hanging out with people and noticing their different qualities. If I think a girl is fun, I'll ask her out on a date."

Jared has gone on a ton of dorm-sponsored dates, but he also likes going on dates that aren't a part of a group event. Sometimes it's as simple as meeting at a coffeehouse. He likes to get to know someone one-on-one without talking over a crowd.

"It's definitely a more intimate way to just see who they are," he says. "You have much more serious conversation. It's not just light-hearted conversation with a group of people."

Jared also likes to date in small groups. On Valentine's Day he went on a triple date with some friends from his dorm. While no one was dating seriously, they all got dressed up and had dinner at a nice restaurant.

"It was just a complete friend thing. We just wanted to show the girls a good time," Jared says. "We just wanted to treat the girls nicely."

For now, Jared is enjoying getting to know a lot of different people. He says if you're willing to put yourself out there, you'll never have a problem meeting new people.

"Everyone hangs out in groups," he says. "There's always that potential to get to know the opposite sex."

While Jared doesn't think that asking a girl to hang out at a coffeehouse is the first step towards marriage, the old joke about finding his wife on campus lingers in his mind. After all, he's surrounded by young Christian women who share his same Christ-centered values and views.

"There's a lot of great Christian young women here," Jared says. "There's definitely a possibility that I'll find my wife here, but I'm not actively searching for her."

Whether you're meeting a group of friends for a pancake feast in the middle of the night or going out on a one-on-one date, it all adds up.

So how do college students afford it?

According to Justin Carruthers, a sophomore at Dordt College in Iowa, being broke shouldn't stop you from going out.

That's where creativity has to kick in.

"You can go and hang out with friends and play a game of cards instead of going out to eat," Justin says. "There are ways of saving money."

Not every dorm activity will cost you a small fortune. Remember, everyone is in the same boat, so student activity boards do try to keep the cost down. Many activities, like going out to watch shooting stars or going on a silly scavenger hunt, won't cost you a dime.

Justin, who has a girlfriend, has to watch every penny. So he rarely takes his girlfriend out to eat. Instead, he plans things like going to a park to walk the trails. It's a cheap, fun way to get off campus, too. They also hang out a lot with other friends, some who are dating and other who aren't, and just play games or watch movies.

Justin says there are other ways to go on low-budget dates that don't require stepping foot off campus.

Most Christian colleges have places where students can just hang out. At Dordt there's a community building with a piano and tables set up to play cards. The dorm lobby is usually filled with people chatting and playing games. It's also a great place to meet new people. Dordt also has a common picnic area where students can use grills.

Many Christian colleges like Dordt also have an open dorm policy, which means girls and guys can hang out together in their dorm rooms. The one caveat: The door must be open, and at Dordt those open dorm hours are only on the weekends.

A lot of people just go over to the guys' side or the girls' side to meet people or hang out. It's a great, stress-free way to connect with the opposite sex.

Justin says he's seen some guys get pretty creative when it comes to meeting girls during the open house hours. One guy from his floor went over and started doing card tricks for a bunch of girls.

"He actually started dating a girl that he met doing card tricks," Justin laughs. "Guys are creative when it comes to meeting girls."

Justin loves just mingling with people. He sees a ton of people just hanging out and talking. No one ever has a ton of money to go out, so there's always something going on in the dorm.

"When you just hang out," Justin says, "and you do cheap fun things, true personality and character comes out. It's a fun way to get to know someone."

There's no doubt that dorm life can offer you a ton of different ways to meet the opposite sex. Between ice cream parties, going out at midnight to watch a meteor shower, or visiting the local zoo, you're sure to get to know a lot of different people with a ton of different interests.

When Brenna Henry was a freshman at Hillsdale College in Michigan, she wanted to meet people with interests similar to her own. So she chose a few activities that she felt really passionate about.

But don't go overboard. College is not the same as high school. Just because you were super involved in high school doesn't mean you'll be able to pull that off in college.

"Be involved, but don't get overcommitted, either," Brenna warns. "Find one or two things that you enjoy and join some extracurricular activities."

Brenna decided that she wanted to be involved in the campus ministry and orchestra. Each activity gave her a chance to meet a ton of different people—including guys.

She started going to noon prayer meetings and not only found her faith deepening but was also making connections with other people.

"It's a great time for fellowship," Brenna says. "I also joined a small group for women but we had a 'brother' Bible study that we'd hang out with."

Orchestra also gave her an opportunity to meet people. Because it was a huge commitment—she practiced nearly two hours a day—she found herself bonding with people from the orchestra. They'd often eat dinner together after practice.

As a senior majoring in education, Brenna can no longer be part of orchestra because of her class schedule. But she says those bonds with students in orchestra are still there. Although she's not dating seriously, she's still close with a guy that she met in orchestra.

"I remember being excited, nervous, and jittery about meeting people when I was a freshman," Brenna says. "But everyone is going through the same experience. Take it easy, meet a lot of people, and make a lot of friendships. The dating will come later."