Digital Diaries Episode 6: Navigating the Northwestern social scene

Erica Schmitt, Assistant Audio Editor
November 7, 2022

“I feel like if you just start the conversation, good things will happen,” Medill freshman Zoe Alter said about making friends in college. Listen to episode 6 of Digital Diaries to hear how two students navigate Northwestern’s social scene.

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ERICA SCHMITT: From The Daily Northwestern, I’m Erica Schmitt and this is episode six of Digital Diaries, a weekly podcast following what students are doing and asking two students one question about life at Northwestern.

ERICA SCHMITT: A lot of Northwestern students say it is a “work hard, play hard” environment with the quarter system. But with school work getting more intense by the week, it can sometimes be hard to keep up a social life. On top of classes and clubs, students typically don’t have time left over to catch the “L” down to Chicago for some fun, check out the school’s Division 1 athletics at sporting events, or even grab coffee with a friend.

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ERICA SCHMITT: This week’s question is: What is your experience with the social scene on campus?

ERICA SCHMITT: Weinberg sophomore Sophia Huang said she made friends through many school-related activities like her classes, clubs and Peer Advisor group.

SOPHIA HUANG: It’s a little bit club-based, which makes sense, like you meet a lot of people through clubs. I feel like the social scene is kind of like determined by frats and different clubs like cultural clubs.

ERICA SCHMITT: Huang said in the past, the heavy workload has made it hard to balance school and socializing.

SOPHIA HUANG: This was like the most work I’ve had, I guess. So like being able to balance social friends and also trying to do well in school was pretty hard for me. But I feel like I’m trying and like getting to the point where I’m getting a good balance.

ERICA SCHMITT: Over time, she also learned how to maintain friendships on top of her commitments.

SOPHIA HUANG: For some of my friends, I kind of see them every day or week because, you know, we’re in the same club or we’re in the same classes. For other friends I don’t get to see as often I feel like I kind of keep in touch just by getting dinner every once in a while. I know that sometimes people get busy so it’s nice to be able to sit down and eat and just catch up on each other’s lives.

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ERICA SCHMITT: Since she arrived in September, Medill freshman Zoe Alter has had a positive experience making friends. Alter automatically clicked with someone in her PA group during Wildcat Welcome.

ZOE ALTER: I had met the girl from my PA group — I didn’t know she was in my PA group at the time, but I had met her at Accepted Students Day, so we had became friends then. And then we didn’t really talk until our PA group. But then we saw each other, we were like, “Oh my god, we know each other.”

ZOE ALTER: And that was really helpful because I know a lot of people who didn’t get to make friends on their first day. My roommate knew someone like coming into it, and then I became friends with him, so I pretty much had these two solidified friends like pretty early on, which helped a lot.

ERICA SCHMITT: And from there, the friend group extended, with Alter making even more friends through those two.

ZOE ALTER: I think my experience making friends has been pretty good, because I haven’t really felt like I didn’t have friends at any point. But I also am a person that’s really social, so I’m always trying to make friends. So I think that also affected it.

ERICA SCHMITT: Alter said that, so far, the social scene at Northwestern has been surprising and has surpassed her expectations.

ZOE ALTER: I have a lot more time to hang out with people than I thought. Like I thought I was going to be studying every night and working hard, but I can like go out at night with friends or go to their dorms and see them. I think in terms of the social scene, I was sure I was gonna have a couple days where I was gonna be so lonely and sad and everything. I’ve actually been impressed by what it is. But I’ve also heard everyone I’ve ever met and goes here, was like, “everyone’s so nice.” So I think I was kind of expecting everyone to be nice and for it to work and it has so far.

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ERICA SCHMITT: Do you have any advice for students on campus?

SOPHIA HUANG: I guess one advice I would have for incoming freshman is to just not get lost in your work because I think Northwestern is a very academically rigorous school, and you do get busy very easily and very often, so I think it’s important to try your best to maintain connections. When you first come to school, it can be a little hard to like transition. It’s good to stick with it and try reaching out to different people that you meet.

ERICA SCHMITT: Alter recommends taking a risk and talking to new people.

ZOE ALTER: The thing I’ve always done is just find people who have common interests. So people who like you notice in your class — who are talking about the same things you’re talking about or you just like the way they’re dressing or just anything — simple things like that. I feel like just going up to someone and starting a conversation is really good because it’s not like anyone’s going to come up and be outwardly rude to you. Everyone just wants to talk to someone. And some people are just like too afraid to talk to someone. So I feel like if you just start the conversation, good things will happen. Whereas if you never talk, you just have to rely on people to talk to you, and that’s not as consistent.

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ERICA SCHMITT: From The Daily Northwestern, I’m Erica Schmitt. Thanks for listening to episode five of The Daily’s Digital Diaries. This episode was reported and produced by me. The Audio Editor of The Daily Northwestern is Lawrence Price, the Digital Managing Editor is Angeli Mittal and the Editor-in-Chief is Jacob Fulton. Make sure to subscribe to The Daily Northwestern’s podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or SoundCloud to hear next week’s episode on Monday.

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Twitter: @eschmitt318