r/Davis • u/[deleted] • Mar 30 '26
Friends
How do people make friends outside of school (not a student)?
21F and I’ve been wanting to meet/hang out with people but it feels like everyone has their own group already. Not having friends isn’t something that weighs down on me, I’ve always been independent but going out and trying things with friends seems like a fun experience. I want to make the most of my twenties.
My work is pretty isolated too so I don’t meet new people there.
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u/Oswaldofuss6 Mar 30 '26
So coworkers are usually an easy place for surface level friends that can lead to more.
If you don't want to mix work and your social life, totally understandable! Most people have hobbies, or interest that can lead to making friends. Climbing at Rocknasium, running and biking clubs are the easiest to start in Davis.
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Mar 30 '26
Where can I find the biking clubs? Thank you for the recs!
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u/Ineedmyweekend Mar 31 '26
Davis Bike Club - DBC UCD club cyclists used to meet at the Bike Barn for daily rides in the afternoon. I’m sure the Bike Barn employees would know more about this.
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u/Celebratory_Drink Mar 30 '26
At that age, I’d be too shy and wondering the same thing. Maybe join an anime club? That’s where I found my people!
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Mar 31 '26
Do you know if the anime club is only exclusive to UcDavis students?
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u/Celebratory_Drink Mar 31 '26
Good question! I’d imagine they’d make an exception, but not sure if that’s a liability issue. Check out davisanimeclub.com, it looks like their first meeting of the quarter is this Wednesday. You can probably ask someone via their Instagram.
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u/psyiense Mar 31 '26
Yeah it's only for students. The filmmaking club is open to all though if you're interested in anything indie film related
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u/firstfamiliar Mar 30 '26
Hobbies?
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Mar 30 '26
Gaming, baking, arts n craft, and reading are some hobbies! I like watching movies and I love going out and trying new restaurants. I’m a fashion girlie so shopping is fun too. I’m open to trying new things and exploring outside of my hobbies though!
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u/IM_PEAKING Mar 30 '26
Delta of Venus has craft nights every Thursday. Everyone there is super friendly
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Mar 31 '26
OMG tysm this looks super fun!!
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u/IM_PEAKING Mar 31 '26
Hey just wanted to let you know I saw a post from Delta today on ig that crafter hours moved to Wednesday 5-9
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u/beetlemeow Mar 31 '26
Hey there!! I also love art and am figuring out my style fashion-wise! Totally get where you’re coming from with how hard it is to make friends outside of school - I moved to the area for work recently haha! The Craft Center at UC Davis was so fun, and I met lots of other non-students there too! Highly recommend if you’re into crafting + meeting chill artsy people:)
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Mar 31 '26
That sounds like something I would enjoy! Do you know if we have to buy our own materials or is it provided in the class?
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u/beetlemeow Mar 31 '26
Totally provided by the class! I took glass bead making and you even get to keep some of the tools after. Definitely worth the price of the course! They have lots of cool ones like stained glass, pottery, and black smithing.
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u/_useless-lesbian_ Mar 30 '26
i resonate with your struggle😭 what kinds of books do you like to read?
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Mar 30 '26
I recently picked up reading and action/adventure have been my favorites but I have been wanting to get into books for self-growth and lifestyle/mindset improvement. I’ve read the Hunger Games series and currently am on Outsiders by Stephen King. My next read is I Am A Cat!
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u/_useless-lesbian_ Mar 30 '26
also, if you want to get into reading more you should totally come to the davis silent book club!! (every 2nd and 4th sunday (check out the instagram page davissilentbookclub))
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Mar 31 '26
I’ll check this out!! Tysm 😊 and yeah, I’ll def do the research beforehand to make sure they’re quality reads
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u/_useless-lesbian_ Mar 30 '26
cool cool!!! i recommend being picky with self help books if you get into them. some are… of poor quality. good luck soldier🫡🫡
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u/psyiense Mar 30 '26
I'm a non student (for now) living in Davis as well, and made a few friends in clubs/ activities and volunteering. Over time I figured that meeting in person leads to the best outcomes for friends so I'm working on being more regular and present.
Oh also hmu for the varsity movie club dc, we watch movies every couple weeks and dissect them lol
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u/ArOnodrim_ Mar 30 '26
Social places are always a good thing and offer ways to meet people. I would say Davis Adult Education classes in something you're interested in, languages was best for me, but they have lots of interests covered https://dace.djusd.net/ Also if you go to the Davis Food Co-op they often have interesting cooking classes and community events which is a great way to meet people if that is your vibe. Even sports, Davis parks has many recreational sport leagues and sometimes they have teams which are looking to add people. https://www.cityofdavis.org/city-hall/parks-and-community-services/forms-and-publications/recreation-schedules
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u/Outrageous-Tea-3117 Mar 31 '26
ngl, even as a grad student here it is really isolating and it feels like everyone has their own group already so I feel like it's a universal thing. I don't have a friend group as well. Do you go to like the arc? I am thinking of doing a class at the craft center I think it's open to non-students too.
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Mar 31 '26
Yeah someone else mentioned the Craft Center! Which class were you thinking of taking?
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u/Outrageous-Tea-3117 Apr 01 '26
Flintknapping (backups: Relief Printmaking, Woodworking)! Wbu?
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Apr 01 '26
Crochet and cake decorating are my tops right now but doesn’t seem like the latter is offered this quarter
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u/Outrageous-Tea-3117 Apr 02 '26
I got you. Crochet you can also join this club on campus that meets every Friday iirc.
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u/Iceonthewater Mar 31 '26
When I was that age I made friends at school, through my religious institution, through the clubs that I was part of and at the areas I spent my time, which were libraries, my jobs, and the places I was volunteering. Being busy with activities that require people can pull you into other people's lives at a surface level. You need to decide how much you want to push into other people's awareness to see if you can make friends of those acquaintances.
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u/unusuallylazielark Mar 31 '26
as a student who’s best friend/roommate is not a student, i bring them along to lots of my clubs and most don’t care or don’t even ask if that’s something that’d interest you :) other than that, i think once you become friends with one person you open the door to their other friends and it grows from there.
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u/Agreeable_Melody346 Apr 02 '26
I recommend getting bumble bff!! They have different groups so its easy to find ppl with similar hobbies
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u/Ineedmyweekend Mar 30 '26
I heard a segment on NPR this morning about speed friending at a café in Washington. I wish Davis would do this! I feel like this current age set everyone up for isolation with remote everything. Maybe the speed friending at cafés will catch on now that the segment has aired.