1. You could make a lasting friendship
If everything goes as planned, the friend you meet with will have similar interests to you and you two will hit it off immediately. Who knows? Maybe the person we set you up with will become one of your best friends and you will stay in touch throughout the semester and potentially meet up in person. Starting a conversation is one of the hardest parts of making a new friend, and The Cavalier Daily makes it easy by connecting the two of you.
2. It’s a way to safely socialize with new people
During COVID-19, it is frowned upon to even go up to a stranger and just pet their dog. Personal space has become something everyone is much more aware of, and it is hard to meet new people and talk to them from 6 feet away. But Friend Connection allows two people to connect over common interests and safely socialize via Zoom. Plus, if everything goes well, you can always plan guidelines and restrictions for a potential in-person meeting.
3. You can use Zoom for something other than class
Zoom is a platform that everyone is familiar with at the University as a lot of synchronous online classes are held on the platform. Using Zoom for something other than class — which will arguably be a lot more fun — will allow for a positive Zoom experience and let you refresh. Plus having a conversation to get to know someone new will be much more fun than getting cold-called in your 3 p.m. lecture. This is also an opportunity to bring out that funny Zoom background or effect that you haven’t been able to use in class.
4. You can connect with someone you wouldn’t have otherwise met
Similar to being unable to go up to a stranger, there simply is not the opportunity to strike up conversations with passersby like there has been in past semesters. There are no large social gatherings where you can meet people you don’t know and there are no in-person classes to let you meet people with similar interests. Even the sidewalks around Grounds are mostly empty. Friend Connection allows you to connect with someone that, because of the extraordinary circumstances this year, you will probably have never come across.
5. It gives you an opportunity to talk about everything going on with a new person
Everyone is having a different experience with how they are affected by COVID-19. Friend Connection allows you to meet a new person and compare experiences with them. The friends you have and roommates you live with have likely all shared their experiences, and you have been able to see how living during a pandemic has affected them already. Meeting a new person allows you to see a new perspective and can help you understand a little bit better what everyone is going through.
6. The time to connect is coordinated for you
One of the hardest things when it comes to meeting new people or hanging out with friends is matching schedules. With everyone’s classes and extracurricular activities being held at different times, it can be so difficult to plan get-togethers, and often, timing can be the downfall of a meeting or a phone call. Everything this year feels much more fast-paced than in previous years, and it hardly allows time for people to catch their breath — much less place a phone call. Luckily, The Cavalier Daily will be setting up the meeting time for you and your new friend — it won’t conflict with your classes and should be whenever it works best for you.
7. It will allow a good conversation
Even if you and your match do not end up staying in touch, it will still allow you to engage in conversation with a new person. This can just be a break from the stress of the pandemic and online classes. You can talk about anything — from the weather to your classes to the cute dog you saw yesterday. Talking about the pandemic and stress of classes can become monotonous, especially if it seems like that’s all you get to talk about these days. This offers a new person to tell funny stories and talk about life before the pandemic, so you’re not stuck talking about hand sanitizer and credit/no credit grading.
8. It can become a regular thing
Should you and your match hit it off, maybe Zooming with them can become a weekly occurrence. Keeping up with each other and checking in on one another is very beneficial in today’s times. It would be an amazing opportunity to be able to talk to a person regularly to escape. Maybe you’ll even fill out a Friend Connection form more than once and meet new people on a regular basis.
9. You can be featured in The Cavalier Daily
After your hang out is over, you can report your overall experience with Friend Connection back to The Cavalier Daily. Then we will publish your rating and tales of your experience, and you will officially be featured in your own article. Plus, if you have a great experience and a high rating, there’s a bonus — you will have people lining up to be your friend.
10. You will be part of a new program
The unique circumstances of this semester have inspired The Cavalier Daily to create this program via its Love Connection platform. This will be the first implementation of this new program and with your participation, it can become a flourishing program. COVID-19 has made it incredibly difficult to make new friends, and The Cavalier Daily is doing what it can to help. Friend Connection has the potential to be an important way to meet people across Grounds, especially for first years who are still adjusting to Grounds.
Want to be featured in The Cavalier Daily? In this time of disconnection, The Cavalier Daily has decided to expand its Love Connection service to offer a Friend Connection platform, too — the perfect opportunity to meet new faces and form long-lasting friendships. All you need to do is fill out our short form if you’re interested in participating. Next, we’ll follow up with the meeting arrangements and interview you about your experience afterwards.
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