Like someone else said...why wait to start? Even though you have a lot of work it shouldn't consume your life. University is also about the social experience and growth it can offer you.
I firmly believe anyone can meet people at university. You are mostly in the same boat...in a new place, with new people and everyone is a bit lost and scared. Believe me that I understand the situation and there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying your own company (if that is the case). If you are genuinely happy by yourself then don't totally go and change that. The ability to be happy by yourself is an invaluable one.
However if you aren't happy with the amount of alone time you are getting then you should do something to change it starting now..not in 2 years time. If you're planning something in 2 years maybe it's because it's a daunting idea and you find it easier to convince yourself that you have too much work. Live in the here and now..not 2 years in the future.
I was very shy up until fairly recently. I hated to phone people because I found it difficult to talk to people I didn't know. I didn't like partying or drinking, which made it hard to go 'out clubbing' (which of course us young uns are supposed to love), walking into a room of people I didn't know made me feel sick with worry. However I also felt that if I could overcome these fears I'd be a hell of a lot happier.
I got involved with an activity I really love (skiing) and surrounded myself with a group of people of similar interests. Because we shared a common interest I found it easy to integrate and start making friends. I would force myself to go out sometimes to a pub or club and have a few drinks and chat, even though I didn't feel like dancing I could still share their enjoyment of being out. I'd start to talk to people I didn't know in the street (just asking the time or chatting to people at a bus stop) and I realised that I actually kind of enjoyed it and had some fun resulting conversations. The main thing is I didn't change myself or my behaviour really at all. It was hard work to convince myself that going to the bar would be fun and indeed it wasn't always. However I definitely wasn't the only wallflower who wasn't into dancing and so I would join the groups of other people not wanting to dance and talk to them.
After I passed my exam to become a ski instructor I found myself in a position of authority. I was teaching other people to do an activity I loved, they look up to me, I was better at it than they were and really enjoyed passing along my knowledge and helping them improve. This was all a mega confidence boost. It really turned me from shy to talkative because I held the authority in my lessons and felt respected. I was my own boss during the lesson and I found that talking about a subject I loved was easy because everyone I was with wanted to hear it.
So rather than giving yourself a really hard task to make friends with everyone. Why not start by finding a club at your uni for something you really like or are good at. You can chat to other people about it, share knowledge and maybe teach them something. If that isn't your cup of tea then there are other things you can do. My friend volunteers on a phone in help line at her uni and it gives her a really nice feeling of doing something helpful for others. Plus she's talking to people she doesn't know and feels valuable because she is giving advice. Maybe get involved with helping to organise an event or something. It can really help you to stop feeling shy if you put yourself into a position of authority rather than shying away.
For me to stop feeling shy I had to improve my feelings of self worth and realise that I had interesting things to say. My shyness came from poor body image too, so things like wearing a nice new t shirt, or buying some new accessories helped me feel good about myself. Figure out what it is that you are shy about..then find a way to make yourself feel better about it. If you want to drop me a PM or anything then go right ahead. I've gone from shy to outgoing in a couple of years. I've travelled to different countries alone, met crowds of new people and made some great friends. I'm happy to share the how and why of it if you want.