It’s the second week of class and you’ve already sat through the introductory lecture that may have been cut short because none of you have your textbooks. As a result, you have no friends in a class of 1000! What to do!? What do you say to a complete and total stranger who just happens to sit beside you? Here are a few topics that are sure to start a conversation and hopefully break the ice when meeting new people at U of T. (Most of these have been tested – I’ve formed instant bonds with random strangers by talking to them about these things.)

After introducing yourself…

• Try asking which college they’re from! College stereotypes are rather funny to talk about.
• Ask about the course! Some people know more about a prof’s expectations and habits than others and if you happen to sit beside someone who has all sorts of information, everyone around you will be eager to tune into the conversation.
• Ask about the other person’s majors or PoSt choices. There’s a story behind why they chose it, so why not find out?

Things you love to hate…

• Had trouble getting into the class you’re in? Talk about your ROSI woes because chances are, everyone’s had them and would love to tell you their horror story.
• There’s always one library we all love to hate: Robarts. It’s big, a good portion of the staff are often rude and unhelpful and it’s bloody disorganized. The list of complaints go on. Trust me.
• Residence food. If  you live in residence, it’s very likely that the food will suck after frosh week. Comparing the food quality at different colleges is always fun. So is complaining about food because if you meet someone who knows Toronto very well, they can suggest places where you can eat if you’re sick of res food!

Awesome stuff…

• Like blogUT! Ok, maybe not, but hey you can say something like, “Some weird blogger on blogUT said that I should talk to people in my class, so hi! I’m (insert name here).” Hey, it’ll be a memorable introduction…
• Confused about something related to campus or student life? Well, you have nothing to lose if you ask the person beside you. They might have an answer!
• Excited or frustrated that you have to take the course? Express yourself! The person beside you could be just as excited, frustrated or sympathetic towards your plight.

The important thing to remember is that at the beginning of each school year and semester (especially in first year), people are eager to meet other people, so don’t be afraid of talking to them! Besides, who knows who that person sitting beside you will be!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 21st, 2010 at 8:20 pm and is filed under General, On Campus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.