The 7 Stages of Blocking

February 27th is quickly approaching, and you’re either looking forward to solidifying your perfect BFF blocking group with the fateful click or panicking a lot. All we know is a lot can go down in the next two weeks. Just think of how things have already changed from last semester to now. You thought that blocking was gonna be a breeze, but have learned your closest peers are unfortunately not past high school drama. As you scrutinize your past and current friendships and look forward to the next three years, you likely have or will experience the Seven Stages of blocking grief:

Freshman Week - Everything is Perfect!
You meet your first handful of friends. Maybe you knew some of them from Visitas or high school. You feel complete with them. You can hang out with them at all hours of the day, without getting permission or a ride from mom, and you finally have the friend group that you’ve dreamt about since senior spring.

Harvard/Yale Weekend - True Friends Hold Back Your Hair
You’re alive, somehow. But not without the help of your friends who kept you from practically dying on more than once occasion. You don’t feel too guilty, as you figure you’ll be tucking those same friends into bed sometime in the next three years. When y’all are roomies! For now, all you do is thank them and keep a mental note of which one brought you glass after glass of water—you’ll want them as your direct roommate.

Winter Break - Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
You didn’t think that you could miss people this much. You’re five days into break and you’ve Facetimed your core group of friends every single day. Your mom is actually quite confused by your ability to use a phone, given all of the calls you ignored from her first semester. At some point around New Year’s, you have your first real conversation about blocking. You may have even begun a blocking group Snapchat group. You and your friends are so excited to be 2gether 4ever (3 years). Nothing can tear you apart.

First Week of Spring Semester - Second Guessing Your Choices
You’re back on campus and overjoyed to reunite with your besties. But then the first week in, you’re realizing people have changed. Your friends reassure you that it’s all a New Year’s resolution phase. But you didn’t realize their resolutions involved stealing your snacks or leaving a pile of dirty dishes in your common room.

Mid-February - Shit Hits the Fan
People are starting to get serious about blocking. You’ve all received emails from your proctors and the Freshman Dean about housing, and this time you can’t just absentmindedly send them to spam. People who you didn’t think liked (or even knew?) you start asking if you have any room left in your blocking group. You’ve gotten a few carefully-worded texts from your core group asking if “that really nice kid from their entryway” can join. You thought you were gonna have a squad. Now you aren’t even Facebook friends with half of your supposed group.

February 27th - Hoping for the Best
You turned in your application last night with your blocking group. As you all sat around in someone’s common room, filling out the form together, you realized that you legitimately didn’t know the last name of your friend’s friend from section who could be your roommate. But, at this point, you’re just happy that you no longer have to avoid people in the Yard to keep them from harassing you about the size of your blocking group.

Housing Day - A Day to Remember (or if you’re quadded, Drink to Forget)
There’s a 9/12 chance that this will be one of the best days of your college career. You’ve got your house and there’s no turning back now! Well, unless you’re totally miserable and decide to transfer. Otherwise, enjoy the day’s revelry and house pride. You made it through blocking! Now there’s only that teensy detail of figuring out who’s rooming with who…