My favorite conversation starter works great in college but also everywhere else! But you have to actually be interested in the answer, whatever it may be.

“So, what have you learned or learned about recently, say in the last 6 months, that you found particularly interesting, and what about it is interesting to you?”

They usually ask for some sort of clarification because nobody starts conversations this way, and I frequently have to emphasize that I want to know what they found interesting, not what they think I will find interesting.. But if they have anything to talk about, you’ll hear it, very quickly. Saves a ton of time with small talk (I’m low-masking autistic; small talk is pain)

One of my favorites was some random old guy at a bar who designed the machines for making trash bags. He told me about some new design quirk he’d come across that was going to improve the machines, and he was very pleased to tell me all about how it worked and could be implemented.

It also weeds out boring people who legit have nothing other than themselves to talk about, like the people who try to explain sports or something.. if that’s really what they are into, cool, but they never choose interesting deep info, just basic superficial stuff. Those conversations never go anywhere, but at least I didn’t waste much time!

This also works with friends you’ve had for ages! It’s a great “I have nothing to talk about but I’m bored and want to talk to you” sort of thing.