If you love awkward encounters and long lines, the pit is the place to be! In all honesty, the pit is quite hard to navigate but even harder to thrive in. Here are just some ways you can maximize your experience at the pit.
Whatever you do, please do NOT enter the pit at 6:30 during the weekdays. When second-semester juniors come back from abroad, getting a table will force you to embark on an impossible mission. The lines for the pasta or grilled chicken will take a lifetime, and it’s easier to just use an old gold at Benson. **Prime time to go to the pit: during game days before the game is over**
Avoid sitting near the yogurt section specifically facing the entrance if you want to avoid as much human interaction as possible. I guarantee you will run into multiple people from your calculus class from last semester, or even better, you’ll make extremely uncomfortable eye contact with the one person you have been trying avoid for the past two weeks. This school is big, but it’s not THAT big. However, this is also a great quality because you will never fail to see people you wouldn’t necessarily see if it weren’t for the pit. On good days, it’s a prime location for socialization.
We may not have as many options as other bigger schools, but if you go into the pit with a plan, I promise the pit is not as repetitive as others make it out to be. First, you HAVE to do a loop. Go around to the grill, pasta section, true balance, vegan station, that weird section between the sandwich and bagel stations and check out those soups. If none of those foods displayed get your tastebuds excited, make your own salad and sandwich. You can never go wrong with a panini with melted cheese. NEVER.
While many claim that college is different than high school, just visit the pit and watch who sits where. It’s a scene straight out of mean girls. (if you don’t know what scene I’m talking about, I’m disappointed.) Don’t sit to the left of the drinks because that’s for athletes. Unless you are comfortable sitting next to the entire track team and not knowing one name.
It’s perfectly fine eating alone at the pit! At breakfast times ONLY. Many students opt to catch up on some last minute work or studying in the morning with a cup of coffee. If that’s your plan for dinner, bless your heart. You will without a doubt not get any work done because dinner time is apparently prime socializing time.
**For incoming freshman** Do not try to look cute for the pit. I tried the first month and it’s so time-consuming. After a while you will realize people go to the pit after working out, having a mental breakdown or a nap. It’s a cafeteria, not a runway.