As a small school, Davidson is a hub of people you vaguely know, have met but never see, and people you want to know but don’t.
8. You know who they are, and they know who you are, but you’ve never actually met.
I will stand by the statement that these people are the worst. An introduction would be awkward, because you know of each other, but not ever saying anything is just as bad. I can only wish you the best of luck that you will eventually meet them and strike up a conversation.
7. The person that you were introduced to briefly down the hill.
Do they remember you? Did they enjoy meeting you? Were you one in a number of many others who they met that night? There are so many factors contributing to these acquaintances, which is why they are not always easy to bridge.
6. The people you see every day on your walk to class.
While you may not know their names or anything about them, their faces are certainly familiar since you seem them everywhere around campus. I can’t think of a good, natural way to introduce yourself, so you could either say a potentially cringe-worthy hello next time, or just keep to yourself.
5. That guy/girl you DFMOed with at a court party, but don’t actually know.
No matter what, your next interaction with him/her will be awkward. It is probably best to just pull off the Band-Aid and say hello and try and be as normal as possible, since the only thing worst than not being ignored is being ignored.
4. The Nummit baristas.
So you definitely know them, because you are incredibly indebted to them for providing you with your coffee and food. But whether or not they really know you is up for debate, since as familiar as your face may be, all they know for sure is that you’d like a Main Street smoothie and a quesadilla.
3. Your friend-crush.
You can just tell from afar that this person is super cool, and you can’t help but want to be her friend. Maybe she runs in similar circles to you, or maybe not, but remember that the only way you can get to know her is by trying to get to know her. Maybe shoot off an email or Tweet asking to get coffee?
2. You’re in a larger class with them and have only ever spoken to them about that class.
There’s a pretty easy solution to this one—start easing your conversations into things that aren’t class. You have met, so there’s no reason to not get to know him a little.
1. They lived on your hall freshmen year, but you haven’t stayed close.
Obviously you should still say hello and be friendly, maybe even schedule a coffee or lunch to catch up. Pretty standard and therefore ranked highly.
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