For the fifth part of the Q&A for ‘25s blog series, I (Sarah, the ASC intern writing this) will address the following questions:
- What is the best way to make friends?
- How can I acclimate socially, especially if I’m not into Greek life?
Ways to Make Friends
Go on First-Year Trips! I was fortunate enough to have great trippies (which is what we call other freshmen who went on the same trip as us) and made three friends on trips, whom I still talk to and get meals with two years later! Not everyone gets along with their trippies, so if you don’t like yours, don’t worry! The student body is diverse, and you’ll be able to find your people if you look for them.
Joining clubs is another great way to make new friends. This is especially true for smaller organizations where you’ll have the opportunity to interact with people, or you have to interact with people when you show up to events. Some smaller clubs I’ve been able to make friends in are Mental Health Union and Dartmouth Japan Society. Any sort of club that requires collaboration (e.g. Habitat for Humanity) would be also excellent for making friends!
Living Learning Communities (LLCs) facilitate friendships because LLCs have required weekly meetings, and you live on the same floor, so hanging out is convenient. If your freshman floor UGA organizes events for you all to hang out, those are great opportunities to get to know your floormates better. You’ll have an hour weekly meeting with them as well, so you’ll have plenty of time to get to know them.
Classes that require a lot of interaction or group work are also great. Introductory language classes are helpful for this because you have to see your classmates at drill too, so you’ll be spending at least six hours with them per week, and you’ll have the opportunity to casually converse with them (in another language, of course). I also find that harder classes give way to friendships because people tend to seek out study groups or go to group tutoring when they are struggling, and I have made friends this way as well.
Due to Dartmouth’s housing crisis, you’ll probably have a roommate. If you do, you can make friends with your roomies! However, you don’t have to be best friends with them. Most people are not besties with their roommates. As long as you maintain cordial relationships and respect one another’s needs, establish cleaning rules, etc, you’ll be fine.
If you’re eligible for any affinity-based pre-orientation programs, it doesn’t hurt to attend those as well. I didn’t get lasting, close friendships from FYSEP pre-o, but I formed valuable relationships with staff. FYSEP and the NAP also offer fun student bonding activities (such as apple-picking or canoeing), which are opportunities to make new friends!
Sometimes people that you vaguely know will sit down with you in FoCo (the main, buffet-style dining hall, called Class of 1953 Commons on Maps) when they see you eating alone. It can be nice if you want to get to know them better. I tried doing it to a girl who sat next to me in one of our classes, but apparently she was waiting for people, so it ended up being awkward. If you try this method, go about it cautiously.
Club sports and varsity teams are also great ways to meet people, but I can’t speak from experience.
As you meet other students, keep in mind that you don’t need 4,000 friends. The most important thing is that you have one or two friends that you can be genuinely yourself with. Find people who you can enjoy having a conversation with, sitting in a comfortable silence with -- someone you can explore the town with, hit the gym with, or do little errands like getting mail or going to CVS together.
Words of advice for going out: If you’ve only known someone for a short time, you don’t necessarily have to do what they’re doing to fit in. Stay true to yourself. When you go out at night, go with friends. Before you leave, promise to take care of one another, and help one another get home safely.
How to Socially Acclimate if You Aren’t Into Greek Life
We can’t rush until our sophomore year, so you’ll probably have a couple of friends by then (perhaps acquired through the methods described in the previous section) who also aren’t into Greek life. 35% of the student population chooses not to rush, so there are plenty of people like you, for you to become friends with!
My friends who are not Greek-affiliated often end up in Greek spaces anyway because there’s nowhere else to party in this town, but I honestly have more fun hanging out with them in their dorm room than I do while going fratting. Stepping into Greek spaces isn’t necessary to have a good time!
Even if you’re not into Greek life, keep an open mind about it. There are three gender-inclusive houses that definitely don’t align with what people think of when they hear “Greek life.”
Greek life isn’t something that’s shoved in your face as a freshman, and if you want to avoid it, you most definitely can. I probably only spent thirty minutes in Greek spaces during my freshman year (though that might also have something to do with being kicked off campus at the beginning of the pandemic). There are plenty of other social spaces (e.g. clubs, affinity groups, etc.) where you can find your people and enjoy yourself!
As I’ve said before, the most important thing is that you have genuine friends whom you can hang out with regardless of the setting. Many people don’t find their good friends until sophomore year, so if you don’t make besties freshman year, don’t worry! You’ll find your people somehow.
