I am a guilty party. I confess to begging friends to come and sit with me for a meal, even if they have already eaten. I confess to covering my freshly-purchased Sodexo delicacies with saran wrap to bring back to my room, merely to avoid sitting by myself in the dining hall.
If there is one social paradox that every student faces in his or her time at college, it is the daunting prospect of eating alone. No one wants to be labeled as a loner, and everyone has heard of the stigma attached to being seen eating alone. Seeing someone at a table for one automatically ignites curiosity amongst everyone else and admit it, you’ve often wondered why.
Does this person not have any friends? Could he not persuade a single person to eat with him? Is she socially awkward?
But walk into any given dining hall at any given time and you’ll see tons of people eating alone. Their circumstances don’t look tragic, so why are they doing it? Is eating alone not as horribly frightening as it appears to be?
When Sarah Kapitko, a sophomore majoring in chemistry, sees people sitting by themselves, she feels a pang of empathy.
‘It makes me feel bad,’ said Kapitko while eating in Dickinson Dining Hall, surrounded by a group of friends. ‘I remember coming here and not knowing anyone and feeling alone. It’s a big school.’
But upon thinking about it further, Kapitko decided eating alone was not just for new students. She too can be spotted solo from time to time.
‘If I’m grabbing a quick meal between classes, then I’ll probably be by myself,’ she said.
Katy Barone, an undeclared freshman, says sometimes there is no other option.
‘When everyone else is at class or I’m going to class and I need something quick, I’ll go by myself,’ Barone said.
Jonathan Procyk, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering, agrees. Leaving the dining hall with a bagel, Procyk says he often doesn’t have time to sit and enjoy a meal with friends.
‘I’m just in a rush,’ he explained, about to meet with his math tutor. ‘If I had the time, I would eat with someone, but I figure most people are in the same boat as I am.’
But maybe having no time to chat could be a positive thing. Kapitko, for one, has come to realize that she cherishes her alone time.
‘I get a lot of work done,’ she said. ‘If I have down time, I’ll grab a cup of coffee or something, sit down and study. If I’m hungry and I have work to do, it’s like killing two birds with one stone.’
There are students who also believe alone time is a much-needed time for introspection.
‘I like eating breakfast alone because you can wake up by yourself and not have to talk to anybody,’ said Allie Carmichael, a sophomore majoring in English. ‘Dinner is more social. You make plans to eat with people.’
But some, like John Evans, a senior majoring in history, feel alone time could be positive for any meal of the day. Sitting alone in the College-in-the-Woods Dining Hall, Evans says he will eat by himself whenever he feels the need to take some time out from the daily grind, whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner.
‘Sometimes, I’ll have dinner with my suitemates, but sometimes I’ll eat alone,’ Evans said. ‘I guess one thing I take away from eating alone is getting away from other people. Not that I’m constantly trying to avoid people, but sometimes I just need a break.’
Could it be that dining alone isn’t complete social suicide? Contrary to popular belief, the practice is a relatively common ‘ and certainly normal ‘ one. Maybe it’s not as weird as it seems. Plus, it might give your GPA a boost.