Good Places to Meet People at Penn!

Now that it's winter, it's time to start thinking about the necessity of having someone to cuddle with through the long, freezing nights ahead. For those of you who've complained recently about "how hard it is to meet people" at Penn (a university with 10,000 eligible undergraduates, located in a city with tens thousands of individuals under the age of 30), we've compiled a list of the five best places to meet people on Penn's campus. Don't be shy, Quakers. Strike up a conversation! 

1) A Highrise Elevator

These overcrowded elevators already take hundreds of times longer to ascend/descend than you think they should, so there's plenty of time to chat if someone special catches your eye. Additionally, your stay in the elevator is finite, so no need to worry about having to carry on an endless conversation with your other half. And if all goes well, there's always that handy "elevator stop" button. 

2) The Pottruck Sauna

Once you get past the discomfort inherent to a co-ed sauna, this ~steamy~ spot is actually a great place to strike up some heated conversation! There's no turn-on quite like getting to see a potential mate dripping with sweat beneath the bright fluorescence of the Sheerr Pool lights. Bonus: many people in there are already not wearing many clothes, so you can get a good sense of what you're getting yourself into early on.

3) The Bathrooms In Stiteler

Because you inexplicably need to swipe into these bathrooms, and it takes a fair amount of time to fumble around in your bag for a PennCard, the frustrating bottleneck that forms when trying to access Stiteler restrooms is the perfect time to strike up some flirty conversation. And if you get lucky, there's that weird circular couch thing once you do get through the door that might be conducive to some exciting new positions. 

4) Cosi

There's no stronger bond than the one forged while trying to figure out how to queue up at Cosi during the lunch rush. Plus, once you do put your heads together and figure out how to get some food, there's the perfect opportunity to share a meal together! Is there any romance sweeter than the one that opens with: "Excuse me, have you paid already or are you just waiting?" 

5) The Bookstore Right Before Winter Break

Although the process of trying to figure out what gift your mom might like best from the Penn Bookstore might not seem like the best place to start a torrid affair -- it actually is! There's a certain intimacy associated with asking a handsome stranger to help you decide between two bestselling paperback novels that she's probably already read. Additionally, you two can bond over the fact that neither of you budgeted well enough over the course of the semester to avoid giving a gift that you had to bursar.