So it’s August before your freshman year of college and you’re wondering: “How am I going to make friends?” To be honest, everyone here is in the same boat of knowing practically no one once they arrive on campus (unless you are from Delbarton, because half of Georgetown males graduated from there) so there is no need to be nervous. However, to alleviate your worries, here are five sure fire questions to get the conversation started.
1) Where are you from?
Not surprisingly, this is an excellent follow up question to “What’s your name?” For many, this is their first time living in a place where everyone did not grow up in the same town, so this is a great conversation starter. Pro tip: Try not to roll your eyes when someone says they are from Jersey (there is a reason 95% of the school is from there #jerseypride!!!!).
2) Is your name Sam/Sarah?
Similar to Jersey, it seems like everyone here is either named Sam or Sarah. If you see someone who looks like a potential new BFF, confidently stride over to them and ask “Is your name Sam?” (if he is a boy) or “Sarah?” (if she is a girl). The odds are in your favor that they will say, “Yes! How did you know?” Even if the answer is no, at least you are talking!
3) Did you go to Delbarton?
This is a grade A question to ask a boy. No one loves Delbarton as much as a Delbarton kid and no one loves to rip on Delbarton as much as a student from literally any other school. If they are from Delbarton, congrats! You have now entered a one way convo about how awesome Delbarton is. If not, you can now bond with someone over how the vast majority of Georgetown men are graduates of Delbarton.
4) Which family member went here?
Georgetown is BIG on legacy. Not that there is anything wrong with that – why not keep Hoya blood in the family? I would venture to say 80% of the kids I met my first week of freshman year mentioned a family member graduating from here within the first few minutes of conversation. Needless to say, this is a safe question to ask and you should look forward to being regaled with stories someone’s uncle shared about Georgetown in the ’80s.
5) What clubs do you want to join?
You have probably heard that Georgetown is big on involvement in student organizations. (I know it was mentioned on both of my tours and at least 25 times during GAAP weekend.) Eager freshmen will be able to list off at least 13 clubs they want to join while the rest of us will probably go with the tried and true “The Corp.” Try and master the phrase: “Oh, you are interested in joining The Corp too?” before stepping foot on campus for your freshman fall semester.
So there ya have it! Five questions a step above small talk that will not fail you when you try to get a conversation going with the 300th person you have met that day! As you can tell, my #Jerseypride might be coming out a little bit.
Images: giphy.com
