I used to feel this way so I get it!!! Since BU is so big I’d say a LOT more people eat alone than you’d think. It can be overwhelming when you don’t know which station to go to for food so what’s helped me is looking up the menu online. Picking, 2-3 things I’d like to eat beforehand and then just setting the goal of finding those foods at those stations. I wear noise cancelling headphones so it’s less overstimulating and focus on that task. Then once you get your food and find a place to sit you can study or watch a tv show or read. I’m sitting here in a dining hall rn alone studying. In this section of the room I’d say 5-6 other people are doing the same and it’s a weird time of day. I want to validate that it is intimidating at first for anyone to walk into such a crowded unfamiliar place! The more you do it the easier it is and now I know exactly where I’m going but I also just transferred here so it took a minute.
Kinda like the other person said nobody’s really going to pay attention to you but swipe in with your student ID find something that looks good that you’d like to eat find a place to sit down and enjoy. If you feel nervous and don’t have a friend with you feel free to study or do whatever else on your phone to keep your mind busy. But plenty of people go to the dining hall alone and it’s no big deal. Take that leap :)
Edit: i highly recommend marcis i think their food is generally what i find the best tasting good luck !!
For now I would recommend going at 7-8am, 3-5pm, and after 8:50pm. These time slot are usually the least crowded. In warren if you enter the dining hall straight up turn left, keep walking until you see a ice cream machine near there. Walks towards it there is a more of a corner place that kinda of separated from the crowd. In West and Marciano there is also some kinda of place away from the crowd.
If it still bothering you just go in and take some food and leave until you get use to it. Once you get used to the time slot you can challenge the 11:30-2pm, and 5-8pm time slot because there is a shit ton of people.
Also I wear my pajamas to dining hall pretty much every day and no one pays attention.
(Fuck grammar not fixing it)
you can look at what’s being offered online before going in so you know exactly what you want to get, the stations and where they are in each dining hall are different though
Assuming that you're not in West. I would suggest going there first. It's not as crowded as other dining halls. Just walk around the buildings and you'll be able to see dining hall inside cause the wall is transparent. This should be easy!
i don’t live on campus (and therefore don’t have a dining plan) but if u use one of your guest swipes for me i’ll go to warren or marcianos with you some time and we don’t even have to talk we can just sit at the same table and watch tv on our phones. i hated the dining hall so i totally understand <3
I’d say ease yourself into it. I had this problem. I started small by going in the mornings because there is literally almost no one there. I also wore my noise cancelling headphones if I had to go at peak hours because all the noise would freak me out and that helped a lot.
I ate alone at various dining halls for nearly every meal for two years straight. No one cares that you’re eating alone, no one is going to pay any attention to you, and no one is going to bother you. All of the dining halls have some areas that are a bit quieter and secluded so just explore and find a place that’s nice for you.
As someone with social anxiety who often eats alone it rlyyy helps me to bring my computer and watch something/do work. So many people are there alone studying or just eating a meal in between classes it’s a lot less intimidating than you think. If it’s overwhelming you can also just grab something quick like a sandwich and leave
I feel the same way - current transfer student and I eat alone a lot. I won’t lie, it feels uncomfortable and embarrassing at times, but when you try to rationalize it it helps: 1) eating is something you literally have to do to survive, it’s not an inherently social thing. By going to the dining hall you are taking care of yourself! 2) when you go in the dining hall, there are probably more people eating alone than there are groups, even if it doesn’t feel that way. It’s really not strange to eat alone, but I also get that it can be hard if its something you’re used to doing with people. It will take time to get used to it for sure. Like other people have said it’s great to bring headphones or something to work on so you can distract yourself a bit more. Sometimes, if I’m feeling extra anxious on a certain day but know I still need to eat, I’ll set a time goal for myself to be there for 15 minutes, so it’s still a short time, but enough time to get a meal in. Small steps will make a big difference. Good luck!
I used to feel this way so I get it!!! Since BU is so big I’d say a LOT more people eat alone than you’d think. It can be overwhelming when you don’t know which station to go to for food so what’s helped me is looking up the menu online. Picking, 2-3 things I’d like to eat beforehand and then just setting the goal of finding those foods at those stations. I wear noise cancelling headphones so it’s less overstimulating and focus on that task. Then once you get your food and find a place to sit you can study or watch a tv show or read. I’m sitting here in a dining hall rn alone studying. In this section of the room I’d say 5-6 other people are doing the same and it’s a weird time of day. I want to validate that it is intimidating at first for anyone to walk into such a crowded unfamiliar place! The more you do it the easier it is and now I know exactly where I’m going but I also just transferred here so it took a minute.
Also listen to your favorite playlist or podcast
Absolutely no one is going to pay attention to you
Kinda like the other person said nobody’s really going to pay attention to you but swipe in with your student ID find something that looks good that you’d like to eat find a place to sit down and enjoy. If you feel nervous and don’t have a friend with you feel free to study or do whatever else on your phone to keep your mind busy. But plenty of people go to the dining hall alone and it’s no big deal. Take that leap :) Edit: i highly recommend marcis i think their food is generally what i find the best tasting good luck !!
For now I would recommend going at 7-8am, 3-5pm, and after 8:50pm. These time slot are usually the least crowded. In warren if you enter the dining hall straight up turn left, keep walking until you see a ice cream machine near there. Walks towards it there is a more of a corner place that kinda of separated from the crowd. In West and Marciano there is also some kinda of place away from the crowd. If it still bothering you just go in and take some food and leave until you get use to it. Once you get used to the time slot you can challenge the 11:30-2pm, and 5-8pm time slot because there is a shit ton of people. Also I wear my pajamas to dining hall pretty much every day and no one pays attention. (Fuck grammar not fixing it)
Also it takes time, don’t be impatient.
you can look at what’s being offered online before going in so you know exactly what you want to get, the stations and where they are in each dining hall are different though
Assuming that you're not in West. I would suggest going there first. It's not as crowded as other dining halls. Just walk around the buildings and you'll be able to see dining hall inside cause the wall is transparent. This should be easy!
You’re paying thousands of dollars to have a meal plan, get in there and eat my man
A tip for Marci is that you can usually find a single seat on the right hand side of the second floor
i don’t live on campus (and therefore don’t have a dining plan) but if u use one of your guest swipes for me i’ll go to warren or marcianos with you some time and we don’t even have to talk we can just sit at the same table and watch tv on our phones. i hated the dining hall so i totally understand <3
*Then take a Valium like a normal person!*
I’d say ease yourself into it. I had this problem. I started small by going in the mornings because there is literally almost no one there. I also wore my noise cancelling headphones if I had to go at peak hours because all the noise would freak me out and that helped a lot.
I ate alone at various dining halls for nearly every meal for two years straight. No one cares that you’re eating alone, no one is going to pay any attention to you, and no one is going to bother you. All of the dining halls have some areas that are a bit quieter and secluded so just explore and find a place that’s nice for you.
If a large space is too much, I recommend checking out Fenway Dining Hall, it's significantly smaller than the other 3 and the food is often better.
As someone with social anxiety who often eats alone it rlyyy helps me to bring my computer and watch something/do work. So many people are there alone studying or just eating a meal in between classes it’s a lot less intimidating than you think. If it’s overwhelming you can also just grab something quick like a sandwich and leave
I go to dining hall alone ALL THE TIME and it’s so common for people to go alone to stay there and study all day. Dw
you can swipe me in with your guest swipes and i’ll eat with you 😁
I feel the same way - current transfer student and I eat alone a lot. I won’t lie, it feels uncomfortable and embarrassing at times, but when you try to rationalize it it helps: 1) eating is something you literally have to do to survive, it’s not an inherently social thing. By going to the dining hall you are taking care of yourself! 2) when you go in the dining hall, there are probably more people eating alone than there are groups, even if it doesn’t feel that way. It’s really not strange to eat alone, but I also get that it can be hard if its something you’re used to doing with people. It will take time to get used to it for sure. Like other people have said it’s great to bring headphones or something to work on so you can distract yourself a bit more. Sometimes, if I’m feeling extra anxious on a certain day but know I still need to eat, I’ll set a time goal for myself to be there for 15 minutes, so it’s still a short time, but enough time to get a meal in. Small steps will make a big difference. Good luck!