How to get your "group"

Now that that's out of the way, let's figure this shit out.

Last blog we talked about being yourself, and being honest with yourself. If you want to rush, don't watch all the girls in their white dresses on bid day with a sinking feeling in your stomach because you probably just missed your group. If that isn't your scene however, your friends aren't going to come pre-labeled with neatly defining greek letters and we have to try something different.

First, figure out what you're interested in, college is a cool place to explore things that you might not otherwise do, but let's avoid some rookie mistakes.

At the student activities fair, everything looks cool. Every club has sweet pictures, cute members, and some exotic trip during the school year. A max of 2 or 3 activities is best, make sure you have at least one night a week to yourself. If you start out with an activity or two every day of the week, your grades will suffer and you won't have any time to hang out with your cool new friends. You may also end up skipping things... and skipping clubs is a gateway drug to skipping classes... which we'll talk about later...

The key here is to pick one or two things you've done before, or know interest you, and only one that is a bit of a stretch. You can almost always join a club later, but if you start all new things not only will you end up investing in 18 different kinds of equipment and supplies you don't need, you won't meet people you actually want to hang out with... Don't join the french film club if french people and black and white bother you... or if you like plot when you invest 2 hours in a movie.

Not that having A wingman isn't great but if you go into your new activities surrounded by your roommate and every other living breathing freshman on your hall you won't actually MEET anyone. Remember in high school when you got to take classes with other grades? Remember how cool that was!? This is that on steroids... don't pass up the opportunity to meet cool people, the more diverse your group the more fun you'll have... promise! Go solo or close to solo... everyone will be nervous and if you lead, they'll follow.

So now you've met some people. Maybe even gotten some phone numbers. Here is where the mass text becomes your friend. "How about some pizza?" sent to 20 people at 11pm is a recipe for awesome. Now take the 20 friends and over the course of your first semester or two you'll figure out the 5 or 6 people you like most and there is your group.

Great places to get the group together:

Dining Halls-who doesn't love food? At UGA we get unlimited entry and unlimited food so dining halls area pretty driving force.

The Quad- every college has at least one, and everyone loves to be outside in good weather. Play frisbee, or a board game, or have a dance party. Who cares? Others will watch, maybe even join in!

The nicest dorm in the group- Be it defined by biggest television, best gaming consoles or most seating, there's always that one room that's cooler than the rest. If that's your dorm, invite people over! A movie is a classic. I will warn you off playing drinking games with energy drinks. We thought "legal way to play drinking games" as it turned out we ended up wired and ill.

Other things that never go out of style:

lighthearted sports like basketball and ultimate.

guitar. someone in your group will play it, your job is to either be that guy or enjoy

baking. delicious and there's the opportunity for an icing fight.

movies. also prime time for cuddling if anyone in your group is into that.

swimming. Every college has a place, be it a river lake or pool.

drinking. which if you're reading this blog is not legal so I won't condone it.

thrifting. the cooler hipster gets, the more this becomes a contact sport.

What's hipster you ask? Don't worry next week we'll be going over how to avoid dressing like a freshman.