This past week has been super busy, and yet I’ve been as social as ever. Socializing in college stresses me out and makes my calendar extra overwhelming…but, it also makes me extra happy. I love being able to see friends and spend time with people while I still have the chance. (I’m not dying…just graduating….both are kind of similar)
The older you get, the more you need to legitimately make time for people and make actual plans. There is less casually bumping into friends or making plans five minutes before they happen. While that’s kind of stressful, it can be pretty nice to know how your social calendar is shaping up for the next two weeks. Here are some ways to make time and make plans for socializing in college.
1. Open Your Schedule Beyond Weekends
Weekends are usually the busiest. For some reason, a lot of people only socialize on the weekends. But, if you’ve got a day off or a night where everyone’s actually free during the week, don’t be afraid to propose a plan. It can be as easy as a night-in with some wine and movies.
2. Embrace Quick/Multi-tasking hangouts
If there’s something you need to get done or really want to do, see if someone would be down to join you. Grabbing coffees and buying groceries is a nice way to spend time with friends. And, if you both need to do laundry, why not do it together? Multi-tasking hangouts are a nice way to feel productive while being able to socialize a bit.
3. Make Facebook Event Pages for Big Gatherings
This is the move for any parties or even hangouts with more than five people. A group chat can be tough to coordinate and corral, but setting a Facebook Event will allow everyone to communicate and share if they’ll be attending or not. Plus, for forgetful friends, it reminds people of the event a few times before it actually happens.
4. Get Your Work Done While Others Are Busy
While my friends are in class, I try to do my work. When I’m awake before everyone else, I try to do work. Being able to fit in work during times there wouldn’t be any socializing means you’ll be stress-free and available to hang out next time. This will help you avoid any plan cancellations attributed to having too much homework or a huge paper due.
5. Eat Meals with Other People
This is definitely an underrated form of socializing in college. Since you always have to make some time to eat, invite some friends! It doesn’t need to be formal or long, but a meal with someone is a great way to accomplish something you should be doing while also getting to catch up.
6. Share Your Calendars
If you live together, a communal calendar is always a solid idea. You can see when your friends aren’t available and when there might be an upcoming event where you can hang out and support each other, like a sports match or a concert.
7. Make Weekly or Monthly Plans
Once you realize you and your friend(s) are always free at the same time each week, you can set up a weekly catch up or coffee date. It’s a nice way to maintain consistency without having to worry about making time for social plans. This also works for each month if you know you’ll both be really busy.
8. Reach out
Stop waiting for other people to make plans! Send out a text. Go beyond the “We should hang out!” and pick a time and place, instead.
How do you make time for socializing in college?
