<p>It really depends on where your other friends end up living, the “hangout” spot will generally be the one where the majority of your friends live, or is easiest for everyone to get to. </p>
<p>Also, just keep your door and mind open to meeting new people.</p>
<p>Keep your door open, microwave some popcorn and people will drift in. Also, have a few comfy seats around (like those butterfly chairs or puffy bean bag chairs). Free alcohol is a plus.</p>
<p>This wasn’t in college but it was CTY (camp) in a college dorm:</p>
<p>Our room was the hangout spot because of:
a) location. We were the first room in the hall
b) food. I packed a load of snacks and on the first day told everyone they were free to grab them
c) door status (? lol). the door was always open! haha
d) decorations. we happened to both be obsessed with decorations and filled our walls with pictures/posters/lights/random things. these were great conversation starters and also definitely gave our room a more comfortable feel.
e) cleanliness. I wasn’t particularly clean but I made an effort to stuff everything in my closet so it would look clean. </p>
<p>My roommate and I were just very fun people (so I guess roommate dynamics also help). We did stupid things like play around with glowsticks, but I guess our hall liked that stuff. </p>
<p>But sometimes it just happens. When I had a single room one year, my room was the hangout dorm. And I don’t know why.</p>