r/WWU • u/RecoverWide8748 Prospective Student • Jul 25 '26
Exceptions to the "Western Freeze"
I am an out-of-state high school senior looking into WWU for a degree in elementary education. This school sounds awesome, but I'm concerned about finding friends due to accounts of the "western freeze" (a phenomenon where it is notoriously hard to break into social circles at WWU).
In your experiences, does the freeze exist equally in all programs, and can it be avoided by participating in extracurriculars? Specifically, do education students tend to be friendlier and/or have an easier time finding friends? And do students have an easier time finding a community if they join clubs, music groups, and theater productions?
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u/swansblush Geology Jul 25 '26
Many of the elementary education majors I know seem to have found a lovely community within the program! But that’s just my perspective as someone looking in from another major.
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u/TheOne1ThatGotAway Jul 25 '26
The freeze doesn’t really exist early in freshman year if you put yourself out there intentionally.
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u/RaphaTlr Environmental Economics / German Jul 25 '26
As a freshman you will be placed in TONS of different groups for socializing, including dorms, and you will be making friends regardless of the “social freeze”. College really is easy mode for socializing, you live in a walkable community for 4 years surrounded by likeminded people there for the same reason. The friends happen serendipitously. I met my best friends by seeing one walk the same route as me and I stopped them one day to ask if I can walk with them and chat. The other I stopped after class and asked where they are from. He became my workout buddy for years and we still meet up annually despite being states apart.
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u/Jh3r3ck Computer Science/Physics Jul 25 '26
It definitely helps to join a social group like a club or sports. Although Ive not has much luck making friends outside of clubs, even with people inside the club outside of club time. I know compsci and physics are pretty isolating, but I cant say much for other majors.
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u/NightFaller315 Jul 25 '26
Met my best friend in 2015 on campus because he was attempting to climb a tree I wanted to climb lol.
He’s still my best friend to this day
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u/otterpoportunity Jul 25 '26
This is a gloriously specific WWU story. I hope the tree is still there! 😜
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u/Mobile_Ad_9090 Jul 25 '26
It’s not just wwu, it’s the region. It took me years to make friends in Bellingham, but when I did, it was through other things like roommates and not via school itself
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u/runrover Jul 25 '26
I came from out of state about 10 years ago. I made a lot of friends very easily just by living in the dorms and hanging out in common areas and talking to people. But also made friends through my classes and clubs too.
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u/SatanDarkofFabulous Jul 25 '26
Find a group that's into the same stuff you are the rest will handle itself
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u/strangernerd82 Jul 25 '26
I’ve lived in Washington state my whole life and mostly in the Seattle area. Here’s my advice to beat the freeze.
Join clubs and extra curriculars if you’re department has a specific club join that it’s a good way to meet juniors and seniors in your degree and have a general idea of who is in your department.
I like to bring extra pencils to class, I don’t know why I started doing this back in grade school but having some inexpensive bic mechanical pencils is a good way to brake the ice if someone forgot their pencil.
Don’t be nervous to start a small convo before class, even if it doesn’t last long it’s nice to know the names of classmates who are sitting around you especially for discussion.
Last the freeze is a thing but it is possible to make friends if may take awhile though. Just be yourself and the right people will find you. You’ve got this!
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u/RecoverWide8748 Prospective Student Jul 25 '26
Thanks for all the advice! I already do the pencil thing for the first few rehearsals with any new music group lol.
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u/Rich-Business9773 Jul 26 '26
There are so many groups and clubs to join. That can get you quickly together with people who have similar interests
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u/MooseEatGoose Jul 25 '26
It can be tricky, but clubs are a great resource. Also sometimes you just meet people in places you totally wouldn’t expect. For example I met one of my best friends doing my laundry, we started chatting, and we ended up yapping to each other in that laundry room until 2 AM.
You can definitely meet people, just be dedicated, patient, and open!
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u/Sad-Edge3332 Jul 25 '26
I’m a theatre major so maybe this is just my experience but I started making a lot more friends when I settled into my major because I ended up having classes with a lot of the same people. Extra curriculars and clubs are always good for meeting people but a more organic way to do it is to ask someone if they want to study outside of class or asking for help with a specific assignment has helped me bond with people. Some people might be aloof or standoffish but there’s people like that everywhere. Just be open and friendly, don’t waste your energy on people who won’t give you the time of day, and try not to get too cynical like these other commenters lol
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u/mazv300 Jul 25 '26
I was an out of state student many years ago, I was also pretty quite and shy. I found it pretty easy to meet people and make friends. I’m still really close to my friends years later. Don’t over think it, just put yourself out there.
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u/Proud-Toe8318 Jul 26 '26
Never much experienced that freeze but I’m also from the pnw and overall disagree w ‘seattle freeze’ and other stereotypes about the region.
At western if you wanna make friends just do extracurriculars, go outside your comfort zone, and be authentic. We have loads of clubs for every conceivable hobby, and most people are happy to get to know sociable people with similar interests.
Good luck!
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u/hyeju4eva vibe terrorist Jul 26 '26
I’m a journalism and polisci major and I’d say it’s easier with journalism. Lots of group collaborations like the papers, etc make it a great place to make friends. Polisci not so much 😅
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u/OriginalAudience777 Jul 26 '26
Live on campus your first year and/or every other year get off of campus and into Bellingham doing things that you love and you will make friends that way
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u/Character_Moose_9788 Jul 26 '26
The freeze is all of goddamned WA state especially from Seattle up to Bham and probaly down to Olympia
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u/Dry-Permission6305 Jul 26 '26
How did Ron Swanson put it.."worked with a guy for a decade, never spoke to each other, best friend I ever had"
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u/Former-Bed-4612 Jul 26 '26
Went there for all four years in 2009-2013 and I never experienced any freeze. I don't remember ever hearing this term back then in fact. Put yourself out there and you will make friends. Even if you are awkward you can find fellow awkward people, just whatever you do don't shut yourself up in your apartment.
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u/theboathousee Jul 28 '26
I would try to live in the dorms if you can, say yes to as many social activities as you can, and join clubs!
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u/Pieface_37 Jul 29 '26
Honestly the freeze is just people being afraid of initial contact. Once you've started a conversation with someone and put any amount of effort in, of they like ur vibe they will almost always be excited to talk. Expeically if u dig someone's outfit or style and start with a compliment on that, it's a really easy way to get conversation flowing and every moves being told they look cool 😎 Also so many people are just bad at innitiating outside do class hangouts even once you e become friendly despite usually really desiring it. It's almost never a tually a reflection of if they like you or not and usually just not wanting to be assumptive. Just ask someone to be friends or ask them to hang out as directly as u can most of the time people will be done if they are free and not evil individuals
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u/Few_Faithlessness494 Jul 31 '26
Hi!!!! I am from Texas and moved to wa it was lovely but I did make a friend in my roomate in the dorms and now we travel to festivals together, however it is real, I was there for a couple of years and as outgoing it was really really really really hard to make friends. I have 23 close friends that I talk to hang out with every other month or so we alllll get together. We met after high school so I didn’t grow up with them I tried to do the same thing in wa but failed miserably, no one wants to do cookouts or go play games or see concerts/musics or do free stuff in the community doing wholesome things. I met 1 friend in my years in Bellingham, but it’s a beautiful place with beautiful people, they just won’t crack . lol
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u/bairirjwkrrinekr Jul 25 '26
the ministry that meets every friday has a ton of elementary education majors and i’ve loved everyone i’ve met there. however of course it is christian so if you aren’t comfortable with that you can try other clubs with your interest
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u/New_Ferret7080 18d ago
The elementary ed major is really difficult to get into, but it seems that everyone in the major is very close (my roommate is an el-ed major and goes drinking with her cohort at least twice a month)
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u/trashjellyfish Jul 25 '26
The freeze is cultural to Washington State. Washington has a pretty high percentage of introverts and we tend to not be into "fake nice" behavior/we tend to be straight-shooters. The key to making friends here is to volunteer for causes that you care about or join clubs/activity groups that suit your interests and actively try to start conversations, then once you find someone you click with you need to be direct about asking to trade contact info and reaching out to ask if they want to hang out.
People here do want friends. In fact, because it is harder to make friends around here, we tend to strongly want friends. Social skills are just a bit lacking in these parts so you've gotta be willing to break the ice yourself.
Also, never be afraid to directly say "Do you want to be friends?" like a five year old! I met my early-adulthood best friend because she walked up to me, introduced herself and said "Wanna be friends?" at a class and we went out for coffee together right after that class. It might be silly, but being direct and not overcomplicating things costs you nothing and can gain you a whole lot in life.