Living on campus with your friends always seems like a great time, until you’re all staring at each other with no idea what to do. As someone who’s love language is quality time, I’m an expert at finding things to do with friends on campus that are fun and won’t break the bank.
- Arts and crafts
A favorite pass-time of mine has always been hosting a craft night. It doesn’t matter if any of you are good at it; in fact it’s even more fun to laugh at your warped creations. Places like Five Below and Walmart are great for getting canvases, paint, brushes, pens, sketchbooks and other craft kits for cheap.
- Skateboarding or roller skating on top of the parking garage
If you’re more into skating, the top floor of the residence hall parking garage is almost always empty, and there’s plenty of walls to hang onto if you’re afraid of falling down. While you should always be careful no matter where you’re skating, it’s usually less crowded than NSU’s other parking lots.
- Get Starbucks or food together
This one may seem obvious, but I tend to forget about it a lot. Whether you’re getting food and coffee from the on-campus Starbucks or the dining hall, or bringing food from your dorm, it’s nice to have a change of scenery and be able to sit down together over a meal or coffee.
- Take a walk around campus
NSU may not have a campus as big as some other schools do, but it still has its fair share of “secret” locations. If you and your friends have never taken the time to walk around campus, I would highly recommend it. You may find a nice study spot or picnic spot that you never knew existed before. It’s also always a good idea to get some exercise and fresh air, which can be hard to do between juggling classes and work.
- Go to the library
If you and your friends are interested in reading, you could pick out a book and sit down to read together. You could also find books for each other, swap them and then sit down to read them. If extensive reading isn’t really your idea of a good time, you can always wander into the kids section and pick up a few “iSpy” or “Where’s Waldo?” books to sit down and work your way through. Just make sure to keep the noise down and be respectful of anyone in there who’s working.
- Have a picnic
If your friend group finds themselves bored on one of the five days per year that South Florida weather allows for outdoor activities, then you could always pack up some food and a blanket and head somewhere on campus to sit down and have a picnic. If sitting in the grass outside in the sun sounds like a nightmare, an alternative could always be to sit at one of the covered benches or pagodas on campus.
- Spend time duck watching
One of the best things about NSU’s campus is the ducks. Regardless of where you are on campus, you can always count on a family of Muscovy ducks to be nearby. This activity can be done inside or outside, just make sure you have a window to look through if you are inside. It may seem boring, but sometimes all you need are a few funky-faced ducks wandering around to clear your mind and improve your day.
