One of the best, and worst, qualities of Wake Forest is that you run into every single person you have ever met at least once a week. If you know, you know.
Sometimes, this is great! Maybe you just finished a bad test, and then all of a sudden, your best friend comes into focus across the quad. You might be a few minutes late to your next class, but it’s totally worth it. This is the best type of unplanned interaction. There’s no internal debate. Of course you’re going to stop and say hi.
Then we have the class friend. You sit next to them in class, maybe have a short conversation before the professor begins to speak, but you wouldn’t consider yourselves friends outside of it. If you’re both by yourselves, the answer is simple. Pop a grin, shoot them a wave, or say hi if you’re feeling chipper. However, if you pass them while you’re with your friends and they’re with theirs, things get more complicated. Do you stop everything and go out of your way to say hi? Do you make eye contact and smile? Or do you both suddenly become extremely interested in whatever is directly in front of you?
Then we have the “I was introduced to you at a party and we talked for a few minutes but haven’t seen each other since” person. In this situation, I typically initiate the interaction with a smile or a subtle wave. If the person reciprocates, great! If not, very awkward. Then you enter an entirely new dilemma: How long do you continue saying hi to them? Should you stop if you don’t have a follow-up interaction? Will they think that’s rude? You’re not friends, but you’re also not strangers. It’s a weird limbo.
Now we’re getting into the more awkward interactions: the person you know of, but don’t actually know. Maybe they’re in your sorority, in your hall, or in one of your classes. You’ve never spoken to them directly, but you both know who the other person is. Then what? Who is supposed to initiate? Is it rude if neither person does? And, most importantly, how many times can you pass each other without acknowledging one another before it becomes too late to start?
Then we have the friend of a friend who you have been in the same place with countless times yet have somehow never formally met. You pass by them after getting your packages. You know you’re going to see them at least once during the upcoming weekend, yet you still have no idea how to go about the interaction. Do you start a conversation? No, that would be weird. Do you stare intently at your packages as they approach? No, that would also be weird. Do you smile? Nope. What if they don’t even look at you in the first place and you’re stuck smiling into blank space?
Overall, no bueno.
Given all of these very realistic, and often more awkward than not, situations, you can see how this aspect of Wake Forest can be both positive and anxiety-producing. No one wants to be rude, but when the line between seeming indifferent and subjecting yourself to being left unopened in person is microscopic, it’s hard to decide how to react.
When someone says hi to you and you were hoping that interaction would take place, it can make your day! On the other hand, when you say hi to someone and don’t get the same energy in return, it sucks.
As a sophomore, I can attest that I have faced the “I know them, but do I say hi?” dilemma more times than I can count. Positive or negative, this is one aspect of Wake Forest that isn’t going away. Each situation is unique, and even if an interaction doesn’t go as planned, just remember: there’s nothing wrong with being kind.