Have you ever found yourself on a long car ride, awkward date, excruciating family gathering, or dull hangout with your friends? Perhaps a better question is – who hasn’t? Life is sprinkled moments like these; fortunately, a savvy collegiette knows how to cope. Here are HC Bucknell’s best tips for livening up those snooze-fests we all end up in from time to time:
Hanging out with acquaintances
“I like to break out a game like “Head’s Up” to get people talking and involved!” –Lindsay Herling
“Trying to discuss recent music is always a great ice-breaker! I’ve grown closer to lots of people through discussing music we both like.” -Allison Rhyu
“I always think the more people you have, the better! Invite lots of your friends and their friends, and you’re in for a good time :)” -Kate Cammarano
Hanging out with good friends
“If I’m with my friends from home, I’ll suggest getting ice cream – I work at an ice cream store, so it’s free!” -Paige Regan
“Party apps can be a girl’s best friend. Heads Up! is one of my go-to iPhone apps to save the mood when a group hangout is headed for awkward silence.” -Brenna Connolly
“I’ll open the iPhone app Picolo! It’s technically a drinking game, but you can use it for some sober fun too. You just put everyone’s name into the app, and press play! It has all sorts of silly tasks to complete and always makes everyone crack up.” -Lexi Katz
“I have a “songs to scream-sing” playlist full of classics everyone knows the words to, so I’ll put it on full blast to liven things up!” -Julia Knox
“Justin Bieber usually brings the hype. Also Cheez-Its.” -Olivia Loggia
“It’s always fun to watch reality TV shows (like The Bachelor!) or just listen to music and catch up!” -Kolby Erskine
“I like to do “Roses and Thorns”: you say two things you loved about the day and one thing you didn’t like. Put one rose at the beginning and one at the end to keep it positive. This game really lightens up the mood if there’s a negative conversation.” -Stephanie Pipas
A free Friday afternoon
“Friday afternoons are always an interesting time for my friends and me. Everyone is exhausted from a full week of classes, work, and exams, yet we’re all anxiously anticipating the weekend. After we’ve all taken our much deserved Friday naps, I love to bring out my speaker and play a bunch of throwbacks in one of our rooms. I love to play music from different decades, or sometimes I play some classic Disney hits. We all just jam out, sing and dance. It’s a really fun way to get ready for the weekend!” -Isobel Lloyd
Walking to class
“I always listen to hot jams on my headphones to get myself pumped for class!” -Grace Filer
A date
“I fall back on one of my cheesy jokes!” -Amy Collins
And pretty much any situation ever…
“Did you see that episode of The Office where Dwight…” -Grace Ingebretsen