How to approach a woman honestly, but respectfully without creeping her out or making her feel weird

Title is pretty self explanatory. I have pretty good social skills (I like to think so, anyway lol) in every aspect but spontaneous conversation . I’ll see a girl in public that I think is pretty, but I’m not able to work up the courage to approach. I’m going to be staring college next month, so that will make things easier (group projects, class environment, etc). But if I see a girl in the dining hall or something, how would I approach? Under the assumption that she’s not busy or talking to someone, of course. The last thing I want to do is make her uncomfortable and have a disingenuous conversation.