Girls Night Out (for the Introverts)

How to fill the leftover time you have after studying without feeling obligated to waste it on Netflix.

Step 1: Throw on some sweatpants (or no pants if you’re that comfortable around your roommate)

Step 2: Obtain friends (or don’t, that’s cool too).

Step 3: Choose something of the following list

Before I give you this, I want you all to know that not everyone goes to sporting events or studies all weekend. That’s the beauty of college. So how did I, the 56% introvert according to every personality survey and Buzzfeed quiz I’ve ever taken, end up finding things to do around campus? Here’s a hint: WEPO resources and friends!

List for Friday/Saturday night to do’s (when there’s no football game, of course!):

1. HUB Late Night

• Yeah, you’ve probably heard of this and maybe have some preconceived notions about it, but give it a shot! My friends and I loved the free crafts, cheap food, new movies (we’re talking La La Land, Finding Dory, Moana, Dr. Strange, you name it), and more free stuff! Your student fees go towards this anyway, so why not give it a shot?

2.   Family (friend) Game Night

• My friends and I loved these nights! From computer games to board games we were all jumping into it. Pro tip: bring your favorite board game with you because it’s a great ice breaker! I made my friends play Cards Against Humanity and CLUE. You can’t go wrong with either!

3.   Netflix/Hulu Night

• If you don’t have either, you’re bound to find someone who has them. A lot of the dorms have lounges with TVs. Bring an HDMI cord and you should be set to plug in a laptop and find something to watch! Start binge watching a show with your new besties and you’ll have plenty to talk about!

4.   Creamery Run

• Let’s be real, who doesn’t want ice cream?? If you’re coming from South or West you’ll work it off as you walk there (not really though, don’t take my workout advice).

5.   Gym Date!!!

• Just kidding! If you feel like a creamery run is not in order, but rather just a run, I know the gyms have later hours! Grab a buddy and head to Rec or the IM Building to get on your daily gym workout. Enjoy that, I’ll continue eating and enjoying my Bittersweet Mint.

6.   Kiwi

• Okay, so maybe you don’t want to feel completely guilty from the creamery but still want to enjoy yourself… if only that was possible… oh wait! What do you know? Downtown on College Avenue is this cute, little froyo shop called “Kiwi.” It’s amazing. Don’t question it. But be ready for the $0.55 an oz because your money will disappear fast if you’re not careful.

7.   Panera Date -- Personal favorite

• My two best friends LOVE our panera dates downtown. It gives us a little walk from West, and we usually walk to Kiwi and back after (this is when we all actually have some funds). It’s right up the street behind the Corner Room and Jersey Mike’s Subs! If you wanna try something amazing do what I do-- get a choose two with a cup of tomato soup and a grilled cheese on a plain bagel. You gotta love the classics!

8.   Play in the Snow -- Winter dependent

• If you haven’t heard, Penn State gets snow. So if you don’t like it, you may want to reevaluate your choices here. Believe it or not, even as grown adults it’s not uncommon to see all of these college kids out playing in the snow. In fact, you’d probably be the weird one if you didn’t want to go out and enjoy the white blanket. Everyone needs a break from studying and night time snow ball fights are a blast. Take it from me. Build a snowman right outside your dorm in view of your window, and you’ll have a cute view for about 3 days (that’s how 2016-17 went at least).

9.   TARGET

-   I could walk around that place for hours and spend my entire life savings there. Target’s shelves are always filled with fun activities! Not only do they have a big selection of movies and games; they also have crafting supplies! Want to decorate your door for Christmas? Target sells cheap wrapping paper!

10.   Stay in and cook! -- Ultimate favorite

• Alright, so I’m going to be sappy for a quick second, but this is how I met my boyfriend: cooking in the McKee Hall kitchen. My friends and I LOVE to cook dinner and bake. One of my good guy friends had a friend coming in from out of town (who I had talked to before but never met in person). Well, you can probably guess how everything went down because he ended up becoming my boyfriend. Now I’m not saying that home cooking is going to get you off of team single, but I’m not saying it couldn’t happen either. Anyways, go on Pinterest, find an easy, cheap recipe to make, and hit up the local Target (hehe) or McLanahan’s for the groceries. Then have a ball! Crank up some tunes to get the party rocking, and share some food with your neighbors (they’ll love you for it)!

11.   2000 Degrees

• If you enjoy painting and decorating, this is the place to be! I personally am artistically inclined, so this is a ball! You walk in, pick a piece of pottery, go through a demo in how to paint it, then have at it! If you’re like my friends and I, we’ll sit there for 3 hours just chatting and having fun! Then after about three days you get your piece back to reveal a new dorm piece!

Hopefully, my top 11 list (who likes 10 anyways?) can give you some ideas on how to occupy your time when there aren’t any sporting events! If you stumble across something else to do, I’d personally love to hear it!

By: Molly Sizemore