I, and many other college students, look forward to the weekend for many reasons, the biggest being that there is no class. My weekends at school usually consist of hanging out with friends, spending multiple hours in a dining hall, and going out, with something random thrown in every once in a while. I love a good night out with my friends, and I normally have a lot of fun, but every once in a while it can get old, I’m too tired, or just need a break. Sometimes it feels like there is a stigma around staying in, and that you are “missing out,” or not getting the “true college experience” if you don’t go out. It’s human nature to feel a little FOMO sometimes, but staying in can be just as fun if not more fun than going out.
This semester my friends and I have made it a goal to stay in more frequently and find fun and different activities to try. If you’re like us, and looking for some ideas for your next night in, here are five things to do with your friends on the weekend, or weeknight that don’t involve going out!
- Paint Glasses/arts and crafts night
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Something that my friends and I tried recently was painting wine glasses. We ran to the store, picked up $5 wine glasses and $12 worth of paint and we had ourselves a night. We sat in the basement of our dorm building, played chill music, and just enjoyed each other’s company. It was really fun and took up most of our night. It was super cool to see what everybody came up with and how different all of our glasses looked. Overall, it was easy and not very expensive at all, so I recommend it!
- Baking/dip night
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I have done dip nights a handful of times over the past couple of years, and it has been a hit every time. The way it works is that everybody will make a dip, and then bring chips, cookies, fruit, or whatever pairs well with their dip. When we all come together we will have at least 5 or 6 different dips to sample throughout the night. This is something that could be very low maintenance, or you could go all out. Either way, it is super fun and tasty. If dip isn’t your thing, you could do a baking night where you can make a cake, cookies, brownies, etc. My friends and I would have cookie-decorating nights, or cake baking competitions — like we were in our own version of Cake Wars — but on a much smaller scale.
- Game night
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I know board/card games aren’t for everybody — trust me, nothing is more painful than trying to listen to somebody explain the rules to a game and just not getting it. There are so many games out there that are so funny, and will leave my friends and I in hysterics from laughing so hard. Some of our favorites are What Do You Meme, B.S., Cards Against Humanity, and Spoons. We also have tried inventing our own versions of popular games too. A few months ago we played Headbandz, but with people in our friend group, that one was a lot of fun. Game night is another one that can be taken to extremes, or super lowkey.
- Powerpoint night
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My friends and I have been trying to do a Powerpoint night for what seems like forever. We have seen the trend all over social media, and it looks like it would be really funny. There are a couple of ways I’ve seen people go about it. Some take the angle of basically playing “Who’s Most Likely To” and putting it in PowerPoint form. Others have made semester, relationship, or just life recap PowerPoints and presented them to their friends. It seems like a cool twist to catching up and I like the creative element that it entails.
- Movie Night
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This is another easy thing to do for your next night in. My friends and I have started to curate a list of movies we haven’t seen that we want to, and another list of classic movies we are ashamed of having not seen and need to watch. A movie marathon is a great way to just chill, and who doesn’t like movies?
There are endless options and activities to do with your friends, or by yourself on your next night in. These are just some of the things I’ve done and enjoyed, I hope you give some of these activities a try, and that you like them just as much as I did!
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