2008 Woodie Awards
How Should You Approach New People on Campus?
Ariane RasmussenStaff Reporter
Issue date: 9/15/05 Section: Perspectives
"Who are you?" are three little words powerful enough to intimidate or befriend someone that swim in the minds of most college students but never leave their lips as they are integrated into college life.
While transitions can be natural for some people, they can be extremely challenging for others who don't exactly know how to go from being in a "community of strangers" to a "community of friends and acquaintances."
Many factors affect a person's willingness to approach others. "The way someone carries themselves makes it easier for me to approach them. If you walk around like you are God then I'm not going to pay you any attention," said Randie Quaglia (junior, Manchester). Teachers can help the "fitting in and meeting people" process by encouraging group assignments in the classrooms.
Teresa Fennell, a freshman from Pawling, NY said, "Classes and group activities definitely contribute to making you feel more comfortable about approaching someone because you have some commonalities, something that you are both on, making it easier for you to start a conversation."
Tyler Arciaga, a graduate student from San Diego, CA said, "Being in sports, clubs, or in classes with someone" makes it less intimidating for you to approach others because there is a "common bond."
Chris Marchese, a senior from Middletown emphasizes Arciaga's view explaining that having "mutual friends" helps break down the barriers of approaching others. Some students also feel that their comfort level of approaching others is much higher when they share a dorm building or hallway.
Fennell said, "If a person is in a certain area like my hallway, I would be more likely to go up to him/her because it's a smaller and more intimate setting. I don't approach people in the street because I think that's creepy, but I would definitely also talk to somebody in a classroom. A smaller setting is more conducive to meeting people."
Marchese thinks it is simply easier to approach people in dorms "because you see them often."
While transitions can be natural for some people, they can be extremely challenging for others who don't exactly know how to go from being in a "community of strangers" to a "community of friends and acquaintances."
Many factors affect a person's willingness to approach others. "The way someone carries themselves makes it easier for me to approach them. If you walk around like you are God then I'm not going to pay you any attention," said Randie Quaglia (junior, Manchester). Teachers can help the "fitting in and meeting people" process by encouraging group assignments in the classrooms.
Teresa Fennell, a freshman from Pawling, NY said, "Classes and group activities definitely contribute to making you feel more comfortable about approaching someone because you have some commonalities, something that you are both on, making it easier for you to start a conversation."
Tyler Arciaga, a graduate student from San Diego, CA said, "Being in sports, clubs, or in classes with someone" makes it less intimidating for you to approach others because there is a "common bond."
Chris Marchese, a senior from Middletown emphasizes Arciaga's view explaining that having "mutual friends" helps break down the barriers of approaching others. Some students also feel that their comfort level of approaching others is much higher when they share a dorm building or hallway.
Fennell said, "If a person is in a certain area like my hallway, I would be more likely to go up to him/her because it's a smaller and more intimate setting. I don't approach people in the street because I think that's creepy, but I would definitely also talk to somebody in a classroom. A smaller setting is more conducive to meeting people."
Marchese thinks it is simply easier to approach people in dorms "because you see them often."