How Dancing with the Stars Can Help Your Dorm Bond

Now, I don’t know about y’all, but since coming into college, I’m always on the lookout for any and all ways to make genuine friendships with people who are going to be there for me in the long run. 

Going out isn’t my cup of tea and, quite frankly, it’s just not my scene. It feels like the societal pressure of bonding in a bar makes many people feel obligated to go out. But not enough people acknowledge the fact that sometimes a comfortable night in and catching up with friends can be a lot more enjoyable. 

Earlier this year, one of my close friends from high school who lived in Jennings Hall invited me over to meet some of the people she had befriended from her dorm. Jennings is typically known for being a social dorm and when I showed up, everyone walking down the hall with smiles plastered on their faces and asking how each other’s days were going, proved that to be the truth and more. 

What I didn’t know that day in Jennings was that showing up was going to lead me to some of my strongest friendships at UF. 

A girl on the same floor as my friend in Jennings had started to give open invitations to everyone to watch Dancing with the Stars with her on Tuesday nights. She would leave her door unlocked, hang up a white sheet, set up her projector and have snacks set out as people would pour into her room throughout the night. Every Tuesday was filled with debates on the scores and intense discourse on whose time was coming to an end. 

The Jennings Hall DWTS spectacle became a staple of my week. I knew I was going to have fun, laugh and meet other people with goals and ideas like mine. We would continue this tradition as other shows premiered throughout the school year like, The Bachelor and Love Island. 

Most students enter college and are overwhelmed with a sense of loneliness – whether they like to admit it or not – especially those who don’t have other friends that decided to go to UF. They have left everything and everyone they’ve known and are starting a whole new phase in their lives, so it can be extremely difficult adjusting from well-watered, lifelong friendships to brand new ones that consist mostly of small talk and getting to know one another. But effort makes all the difference. Hosting those DWTS nights, making everyone feel included with open invitation events, that’s how friendships sprout. 

These group experiences, like DWTS watch parties, can become a valuable bonding experience for dormmates that gives everyone something to look forward to and a time to get together, which can be difficult as the semester starts to pick up.

Discussing hot takes, having voting wars and vouching for your favorite contestant can be so much fun. The show gives you a new topic of conversation in the dining hall, between classes, or around your dorm, growing your bond beyond the TV screen. With the new DWTS season airing, try making your own DWTS pyramid, ranking each contestant with your friends and predicting who will take home the Mirrorball Trophy. As far as your scoreboards are concerned, trust me when I say you’re about to give the DWTS watch parties a perfect 10.

• bonding
• dorm
• DWTS
• friendship
• loneliness
• night in
• watch party