Guide to Socialising

You have finally entered college. Congratulations (?)! So if you follow every 90’s Bollywood movie, one person you meet here will change your entire life. Read more to find the right steps to twist fate and manufacture the perfect romantic moments.

Okay, let’s first talk about the mistake you made already. You’re at an engineering college – objectively the second to the worst choice you could have possibly made (the first was taking mechanical in an engineering college which you have avoided). Now if you’re in a branch batch like CHD 2020, with no people from the opposite gender, you really are in a soup.

Not to worry though, I am here to the rescue. A very extensive, well-researched, the most complete background to dating that you can get is right here at your fingertips. 

As you will come across in different kinds of course material, to solve a problem, we must identify it. The crux of the problem is the gender ratio – at its best IIIT has seen a gender ratio of 4:1 and at its worst 12:0 (yes, I am still salty about this). Other problems include the dreaded friend-zone, bro-zone, and the possible yet unlikely parent-zone (maybe unresolved daddy issues exist?). The ‘Facchi Pataao’ movement that reaches its clamorous zenith during induction, only intensifies the problem.

Now that I have got your attention and I have hopefully written enough to pique your interest such that I’m not going to lose it, I should tell you that I have no clue about dating. I’ve been into a lot of fantasy nowadays, like unicorns, goblins, or getting a girlfriend. You have been scammed – IIIT edition. An honest confession here, this article is about making friends.

If you have continued reading, you, like the majority of freshers, have spent the last last two years understanding differential calculus and not people. So now like every Netflix show has indicated, you’re going to have to find a seat at the cool lunch table without being too obvious about it and of course, you don’t want to be the one weirdo eating in front of a mirror to give you the illusion of company. So what do you do? You start socialising!

Sure, the Apex council will organise cluster meets where you’ll be expected to mingle and make friends but there’s just something missing. Maybe the vibe doesn’t match, maybe they’re reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, or maybe you’ve just solved H.C Verma in your lunch breaks and forgotten what it means to have friends. Fear not because this article has all the solutions to the questions you have…. except the ones related to dating, even we haven’t figured it out yet.

This article is pretty much a list of Dos and Don’ts, hacks to survive college. If you are here trying to find the placement statistics of the college or trying to write a research paper, maybe this isn’t the right place to search. Let’s not dawdle and jump straight into the list.

Dos:

Join clubs! IIIT has a club for every interest and you might just find your soulmate (lol, I meant BFF) in these clubs. Whether it be nerding out over the most interesting theories about world politics or serenading your crush with the right romantic song (tried it, did not work), clubs in IIIT help you find your true, inner-self. Once you find that, making friends is a cakewalk.

Talk to seniors. Yes, we might seem intimidating with the vampire teeth, pitchfork, horns, pointy tails, and everything but we most probably won’t be like that once you get to know us. You’ve got a friend in us (if you did not get the reference, stop reading and go watch cartoons). We are here to help, to give you the best college experience, and in short, be your guide so that we don’t have to give the same advice to your juniors. Feel free to ask about our favourite TV shows and movies, we were freshers at one point too. Do remember though that if you ask us placement stats and stuff like what field of research is the best field of research (things we ourselves are confused about), WE will run away from YOU.

Talk more in batch groups. Whether it be sticker spam or contributing to the happy birthday messages to a random dude you don’t even know, talking more in batch groups can never hurt. Chances are, the more you talk, the more you will invite other people to talk and the more you will get to know one another. The advantage of having around 300 people in a batch is that you can pretty much get to know everybody and form your close circle of friends based on your liking. All you need to do is find that one common link and you can forge friendships that last forever.

Now that you more or less have an idea of what to do, maybe glance at the list of Don’ts to be fully equipped.

Don’ts:

Shy away from activities. College is the ideal place to try out new activities so give it a whirl. Just remember that you are trying out new stuff and that mental barricade of people judging you if you fail shatters. Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, club/college activities are perfect for you to find your passions.

Show off. Instead, try to help others. I know I sound like a 40-year-old uncle when I say this, but kindness does go a long way when it comes to making friends. Showing off unnecessarily will simply lead people to ignore you and let’s be real, you’ll need your friends when you’re doing your assignments.

Stop having fun. I know I’m starting to sound clichéd, but in this regard every TV show or movie is right – college is where you live life to the fullest. Friends just give you that additional boost when it’s needed.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is canon. You deserve to be socially castrated if you think that garbage should be accepted.

Yup, that’s about it. A few simple tips and tricks that you can follow to make friends and just remember, You’ll Never Walk Alone.

P.S. By the way, if you have figured out the hacks to dating, please do reach out to the author.

Editor: Abhinav S Menon