Breaking The Ice After Winter Break

Going back to Harvard after more than a month of vacation can be bittersweet, and at times a little awkward. Needless to say, walking into Annenberg the first day back at school was quite the dilemma: are you close enough with that girl from LPSA section to give her a hug? Or should you just wave and smile? Are you tired from telling everyone you know that your break was great because you did nothing but sleep? If this sounds like you, don’t worry; Flyby is here to help you out.

The “It’s so good to be back” talk

Short and sweet, the “it’s so good to be back” conversation is perfect for when you are in the process of getting your lunch or walking through the plaza during rush hour. Chances are no one actually wants to hear about your break anyway; this is just a surefire and socially acceptable way to look polite without really caring about how anyone spent their Jterm.

The “what are you taking?” talk

This is the perfect discussion to have with that one really smart friend who is probably taking five classes. Find out what classes they are in and see if you can talk your way into being their pset group for the semester. Trust us, you’ll be thankful for this strategic move later in the semester. Alternatively, if you are looking for the easiest semester possible and would rather take a gem in which you learn nothing but also exert no effort, this conversation is a great one to have with jocks.

Excessive use of compliments

What’s better than being flooded by compliments in your cardio kick boxing class?

A somewhat flirtatious compliment, whether you mean it or not, is the best way to break the ice with those people that you see all the time but never actually have anything to say to. An “oh my god, you look so tan” or “wait, did you lose weight?” will always be received with open arms.

The “Yes, I stalked you over break” talk:

Let’s be real: You had a lot of time over break and you spent a lot of it scrolling through Instagram, watching Snapchat stories, and stalking endless pictures on Facebook. Luckily for you, people secretly love when you stalk them, and are more flattered than creeped out when you comment on how much fun it looked like they were having in their pictures from [insert exotic country that they were traveling to]. So this means don’t be afraid to let it slip that you already know about their wild night out in NYC or their expeditions in some far, picturesque, corner of the world. They’ll be happy that you noticed, trust us.

Seeing people you haven’t spoken to in over a month will always be awkward, but use some of these tips to break the ice and hopefully some of that awkwardness will melt right away.