Newbie Assignment: 2025

[Lucky hunt]

Hello everyone,

My name is Lukey. I’m a student at a college in NC. If my posts seem consistent, it’s probably because I’m doing schoolwork. I also plan to stay dedicated to posting.

I’ve already completed Days 1 through 3. If anyone has any feedback, please let me know—don’t be afraid to say something. I really appreciate feedback, and I’m trying to learn everything I can.

Tell me if you like the way I wrote this or not. I have a lot more I could write, but I didn’t want to overload you. This is just the cleaner, shorter version to make it easier to read. Thank you.

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Day 1: Observation​

I live in Campus City. The places I found were:

• Walking around campus
  
  
• Community college down the road
  
  
• The student library
  
  
• The dorm area
  
  
• The downtown mall plaza
  
  
• Downtown itself
  

The only problem with downtown is that it doesn’t have many people unless it’s night time. I also noticed that walking back toward the housing area right next to campus, there’s usually a steady flow of people. It’s a small community grid of houses where students rent and live, and a lot of people cross the street there.

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Day 2: Posture​

I usually have pretty good posture. I keep my head up and my back straight, and I’ve practiced walking with my arms swinging naturally (instead of stiff shoulders, which can look too aggressive).

My main issue is that I walk a little too fast—almost like a speed racer. Sometimes, if I feel like people are watching me, I start overthinking my walk. Then it feels like I’m walking funny, even though I probably look fine (LOL).

Observing others around campus:

• Most people walk with their heads down and AirPods in.
  
  
• Since it’s summer, a lot of girls wear sunglasses, but usually still look down.
  
  
• Girls walking in groups often keep their heads turned inward toward their friends.
  
  
• Guys on campus either stick their chests out or look down at their phones, scrolling TikTok while walking.
  

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Day 3: Eye Contact​

Making eye contact today didn’t feel awkward, but it did feel a little uncomfortable—like I was staring too hard. A few examples:

• I made eye contact with an older lady while walking back to class. She smiled at me, and I smiled back. That one felt good.
  
  
• I saw an Indian girl who looked at me. I looked back and smiled. She kept holding eye contact—almost like she was studying my whole face.
  
  
• I passed a bigger girl who kept looking in my direction. I looked at her, then toward her friend to give myself a break and ease the tension. I didn’t want to look down or away as we crossed paths.
  
  
• On my way back to the dorms, I saw another girl. We made eye contact, and she smiled. She even tried to say “hi,” but I had my earphones in and didn’t respond. I felt bad afterward—I should’ve said hi back.
  

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PS – Days 4 & 5 Thoughts​

I usually say hi to people while walking by them or if we’re passing each other in between classes. If they look at me, I say “hey” or “what’s up,” you know.

My only problem is this: do you want me to just walk up to somebody sitting at a table, or standing in a group, and say hey to them? Because I can do that, but I kinda think it would be weird if I just walked up and interrupted someone else’s conversation.

I would really like to compound Day 4 and Day 5 if that’s OK. But my problem with four and five is this: after I say hi or ask, “how’s your day,” how do I excuse myself? Do I just walk away? Because if I just walk away, it kind of feels like the conversation just dropped. Wouldn’t that make the girl feel weird, and maybe even give me a “weirdo” reputation on campus?

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Final Note​

Also, I’m clear at the beginning stages (like walking up to someone and saying “Hi”), but I get lost on what to do after that. That’s the part I’d like to get better at. Thank you.

 

[politepilot]

You might want to do social experiments like this not on your own campus so you can be a weirdo without repercussions in social circle

 

[Chase]

Lukey,

Welcome, man!

Nice going with the first few days.

If nothing else, keep doing the eye contact, smile at any girls who return it, and challenge yourself to say "Hi!" to girls who smile back (like that last Day 3 girl).

My only problem is this: do you want me to just walk up to somebody sitting at a table, or standing in a group, and say hey to them? Because I can do that, but I kinda think it would be weird if I just walked up and interrupted someone else’s conversation.

The Newbie Assignment is about stretching your comfort zone a bit while building up some positive reference experiences.

So, if you can comfortably open sitting or standing groups and feel like you can get into a decent conversation, that is okay.

If you would end up opening awkwardly, not knowing what to say, then ejecting, with a group of people watching you, then no. Would do more harm than good ("Oh man, I bet they're all talking about how random that was right now! Crap!").

It's fine to just greet random people you see here and there as you go about your day, who are on their own, walking around, standing around, returning eye contact, etc.

(Sounds like you are already doing that, so should be easy enough!)

I would really like to compound Day 4 and Day 5 if that’s OK. But my problem with four and five is this: after I say hi or ask, “how’s your day,” how do I excuse myself? Do I just walk away? Because if I just walk away, it kind of feels like the conversation just dropped. Wouldn’t that make the girl feel weird, and maybe even give me a “weirdo” reputation on campus?

Two ways. Here is the first one:

YOU: Hey, how's it going?
GUY: Good man! How about you?
YOU: It's going great! Stay awesome!
GUY: You too, buddy!

YOU: How's your day?
GIRL: Great! How's yours?
YOU: Never better! See ya!
GIRL: See you!

In this case, you're in and out, just injecting some friendliness and positivity and moving on.

I did this for a while in college after having seen a couple of popular kids doing it in high school and after a few weeks doing it I had people I'd greeted a few times literally start stopping me to engage with me, treating me like we were old friends, wanting to know more about me. Super refreshing (but then I realized I was the one who was being refreshing first -- they were just returning the favor and expanding upon it!).

You really just leave a positive mark on people just showing a little sunshiney interest in them, even if it's just very quick here and there. They start to recognize you and like you.

The other way is to stop and have a quick little conversation if you're up for it.

But the drive-by "ask then eject on a positive note" is the easiest and all you really need to do for this exercise.

Cheers,
Chase

 

[Lucky hunt]

You might want to do social experiments like this not on your own campus so you can be a weirdo without repercussions in social circle

Thank you for the advice. You’re right—I’ll probably try it at the community college down the road. I only take one class there, and this will probably be the last class I take at that school.

 

[Lucky hunt]

Lukey,

Welcome, man!

Nice going with the first few days.

If nothing else, keep doing the eye contact, smile at any girls who return it, and challenge yourself to say "Hi!" to girls who smile back (like that last Day 3 girl).



The Newbie Assignment is about stretching your comfort zone a bit while building up some positive reference experiences.

So, if you can comfortably open sitting or standing groups and feel like you can get into a decent conversation, that is okay.

If you would end up opening awkwardly, not knowing what to say, then ejecting, with a group of people watching you, then no. Would do more harm than good ("Oh man, I bet they're all talking about how random that was right now! Crap!").

It's fine to just greet random people you see here and there as you go about your day, who are on their own, walking around, standing around, returning eye contact, etc.

(Sounds like you are already doing that, so should be easy enough!)



Two ways. Here is the first one:

YOU: Hey, how's it going?
GUY: Good man! How about you?
YOU: It's going great! Stay awesome!
GUY: You too, buddy!

YOU: How's your day?
GIRL: Great! How's yours?
YOU: Never better! See ya!
GIRL: See you!

In this case, you're in and out, just injecting some friendliness and positivity and moving on.

I did this for a while in college after having seen a couple of popular kids doing it in high school and after a few weeks doing it I had people I'd greeted a few times literally start stopping me to engage with me, treating me like we were old friends, wanting to know more about me. Super refreshing (but then I realized I was the one who was being refreshing first -- they were just returning the favor and expanding upon it!).

You really just leave a positive mark on people just showing a little sunshiney interest in them, even if it's just very quick here and there. They start to recognize you and like you.

The other way is to stop and have a quick little conversation if you're up for it.

But the drive-by "ask then eject on a positive note" is the easiest and all you really need to do for this exercise.

Cheers,
Chase

Thank you, Chase, for the advice. I think I’ll be trying the drive-by method. The assignment said to talk to six people—do strangers count too?

 

[Lucky hunt]

Me – Today’s Update


I was busy with schoolwork, and I had lost my wallet, but I was able to get it back. I’m so sorry for the late post.


Last night, I went out walking around downtown. I was planning to approach people or try to talk to them, but I backed out. Everyone seemed to be in groups, and they all looked like they had friends already.


The friends I’ve made at school so far don’t really go out—they usually just drive back and forth from school to their homes. I’m still working on trying to make more friends who go out or at least hang out.


When I got my wallet back today, I decided to walk around and try to meet at least six girls, like my goal said I should. Unfortunately, I only managed to meet two. One of the two girls I saw was with her family, so I said hi to all of them. I felt a little defeated because everywhere I went, it seemed empty—at campus, the mall, and even downtown. Most girls were with their sororities since it’s recruitment week and also a dry week for them. I did try saying “hi” to people, but it wasn’t very successful.

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Encounters Today

• First girl: A light-skinned brown girl. We were both crossing the bridge/walkway. I smiled and said “hi.” While walking, I asked, “How was your day?” She smiled back, said “hi,” and told me her day was good. As we passed each other, she asked me about my day with a smile. We were both turning our bodies slightly while walking past each other. Thinking back, I probably should have stopped, because that was the best interaction of the day. I just turned my head and said, “ it was good,” but we both kept walking without stopping.
• Second girl: I saw her walking, and at first, I thought she was alone. I said “hey,” but then I noticed she was with her grandpa, her dad, and her mom. She said “hey,” and then her whole family said “hey” as they walked past me. Since her family was there, I didn’t say anything else.
• Third girl: I saw her down the street on campus. As I walked toward her, I tried to act like I didn’t see her. But as I got closer, she ended up crossing the street before I could say anything.

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Reflection


It wasn’t the best day, but at least I tried. Tomorrow is a new chance, and I’m going to work on reading some openers tonight.

 

[Chase]

@Lucky hunt,

do strangers count too?

The ability to meet & hit it off with strangers is the primary goal of learning to cold approach -- so absolutely!

Good work with the last outing. Don't beat yourself up too much. Just get out and greet some more people!

As you saw with the first girl and the family group, people are pretty chill about greeting friendly people back

Chase

 

[Lucky hunt]

Journal Entry – Update on Everything​

Yesterday​

I went out yesterday and tried to talk to a girl at the stoplight. I said “hi,” but she just looked at me and kept walking. That didn’t go well and it shook my confidence.

Even after that, I kept trying to make eye contact with people. It didn’t always work, but I didn’t give up. At one point, I said “Hey, how’s your day going?” to another girl, but that also didn’t go well. I think it was because I wasn’t speaking loud or clear enough—I was stuttering a little and holding back. Later, I went to the gym, and afterward I tried again with another girl, but it fell flat too. I ended up going home.

That evening, around seven, I went back out. I walked across campus and saw two guys, so I said, “Hey, how y’all doing?” That interaction was solid and easier than with girls. Later, I ended up sitting with a group of guys outside the library. While we were talking, I realized I could call out to people walking by with things like, “How’s your night going?” Being in a group made it easier—I felt more comfortable.

Some girls actually stopped and had a real conversation with me about her major. She kept some distance, but I asked for her Instagram and she gave it to me. Then, her boyfriend—or maybe just a friend who liked her—came out. One of the guys in the group noticed he looked kind of mad about it, but I still counted it as a win.

Not everyone responded. Some ignored me, some kept their distance, and some turned back to talk. A few girls walked past, turned around, and then spoke to us from a distance. I was usually the one starting the conversations, with the others joining in after. That made me feel more comfortable, and overall it was a good night.

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Today with Kate​

This morning I was at the café on campus with one of my classmates. He went to get a smoothie while I started eating. That’s when I saw a girl walking by to the ordering machine. She turned around, and we both smiled at each other.

I went over to my friend first and said, “Hey, check my teeth. Make sure I don’t have anything in them.” He asked why, and I just said, “Don’t worry about it.” Then I moved toward her.

I said, “Hey, I like your outfit.”
She said, “Thank you.”
I gave her my name.
She said, “Kate.”

She told me she was a fashion major. When I asked what she wanted to do, she said she wanted to be a brand ambassador, maybe even go to Paris for Fashion Week. She asked what I did, and I told her I was in computer science—“kind of like hacking.” She laughed and said, “Oh, I better not make you mad.” She also told me she was a senior. I took a little while and told her I was a junior.

I asked for her Instagram, but realized I didn’t have my phone on me. I told her that, and she asked, “How do you leave your phone?” I just said, “I don’t know. Give me your phone, I’ll put my name in.” So I typed my username into her phone and followed myself back.

At first, she seemed like she wanted to keep talking, but I kind of turned back to my friend. He even said, “Yeah, she’s pretty.” I noticed she knew some of the people working behind the bar. On her way out, she said bye to them, then looked at me and said bye again. That made me excited, even though I don’t know if she liked me or was just being chatty.

A side note: on Instagram, I’ve got more followers than her, which felt like a small win for me.

The only awkward part was when she was leaving with her food—she said something about needing to eat, and I froze because I didn’t know what to say.

Another Interaction​

The night before, I had talked to a girl in a pink dress while walking back to my car. It was dark, and I asked why she was dressed up. At first, she seemed nervous, but then she explained it was for sorority week. Once she heard my accent, she opened up more and even put me on to some music.

I was too nervous to ask for her number, but the interaction still felt good.

Reflection​

So much has happened in the last 24 hours that I can’t even remember it all. I was too excited to sleep. Today, I even asked someone “How’s your day going?” with a stronger voice. The girl answered but seemed a little startled—maybe she wasn’t expecting it.

I don’t know if I should move to the next assignment or keep practicing this one.

Now it’s about 8 p.m., and I’m thinking of going out again tonight just to see what happens. Should I message Kate on Instagram, or just leave it alone?

Journal Entry – Evening Update​

Tonight, as I was walking down the school pathway, I met a boy named Elijah. I said “hey,” and we started talking for a minute. I asked him if he had a number so we could link up to talk to girls together. He said he didn’t have a phone number but gave me his Instagram instead.


Later, I tried talking to a few girls.

• Then I tried to talk to this girl and asked, “How’s your night going?” She also said “good,” but with an attitude, and she walked away as she passed me.
• After that, I spoke to another one and said, “Hey, how’s it going?” She answered, “It's going great,” but kept it short.

I’m guessing the timing (since it was nighttime) probably had something to do with

 

[Lucky hunt]

​

Journal Entry – Half Day Approaches​

1. The First Girl​

The first girl was a Black girl I saw outside of class. I was walking with my friend P, and then we met another one of my friends on the walkway outside of class. His name is Patrick, and he said, “Dang, she’s kind of cute.” Patrick joked like someone should go up and talk to her.

I thought P was going to go talk to her because that’s his type, just the way her body was shaped and everything else. But he didn’t — he just kept walking with us as a group toward the library. I said, “Why don’t you go talk to her?” and then Patrick said, “Well, you should go.” Then P slapped me on the back and said, “Go ahead, big dog.”

In my mind I was like, well, today’s a half-day and I’m supposed to go talk to girls, so I went up and approached her.

I walked up kind of quickly, maybe too quickly, but not enough to scare her . I introduced myself, told her my name was Lucky, and she gave me her name (though I forgot it afterward). She told me she was in the medical field and wanted to be an oral surgeon — doing surgery on people’s faces.

She never asked me any questions, so I didn’t know how to keep the conversation going. I just said, “Oh, nice to meet you,” and wrapped it up. My friend asked what happened afterward, and I said she really didn’t keep the conversation going and it wasn’t all that. Then my friend said, “That’s just how Black girls are — you know, they’re really mean and usually don’t like talking.” I was like, “Yeah, yeah, facts, that’s right.”

Looking back, I realized I could have tried harder to keep it going or maybe asked for her number. Still, it was a good start because I just needed to break the ice and get at least one approach in.

2. The Girl in Pink​

The next girl was wearing all pink. She was white with blonde hair and looked pretty good. I was with my friend P — just me and him (the same one who checked my teeth for Kate the other day). He said we should approach some girls since we had time off.

That’s when I saw the girl in pink. She walked past us heading back up campus while we were heading down toward the gym. I said, “She’s really pretty,” and he said, “Well dang, you should go approach her since we’re looking for girls anyway.” I said, “Alright,” and he was like, “I’ll come with you. When we’re walking up campus and get close, I’ll break off.” I said, “OK.”

I ended up approaching her from behind. As I came up behind I kind of went side by side so we could talk instead of me stopping her while she was walking which wasn’t the smoothest move. I said I liked her pink dress, then repeated myself, which felt awkward. She said, “Oh, thank you.” To keep the conversation going, I said, “Oh, I’m sorry, did I startle you?” I don’t remember every detail because the interaction kind of made me nervous. I think I even tried to reach my hand out, maybe for a handshake, but I don’t fully remember. P said I tried to shake her hand and she didn't shake my back but I don't remember reaching.

I asked her what she was going to school for and if she was a freshman. She told me yes — she was a business major, focusing on marketing. As we walked, she turned toward the library. Since we were side by side, I kind of turned with her, and we went up the stairs together.

then I asked, “Do you have a number? Let me grab it so we can hang out sometime.” I kind of rushed the conversation and I could feel that, but she told me she had a boyfriend.

I don’t know if that was true or just a polite excuse. Her tone didn’t make me feel like I scared her. While we were walking up the stairs it felt pretty normal, but I might’ve startled her at first. Either way, I did try for the number, so I’ll count that as progress even if she said no.

3. Seeing Kate Again​

Later, me and P were walking back toward the library when class had just let out. The plaza was busy, and we saw a girl P liked who had a friend. I told him I would wingman for him, keep the friend busy while he talked to the girl he liked. I thought I was finally going to see P in action.

Then P pointed out Kate. I didn’t notice her at first because I was focused on the other girls we were about to approach, and I didn’t want to come up from behind like my previous approaches. P told me Kate either smiled or waved (I can’t remember which), but I didn’t see it. So I turned around and decided to double back to approach her.

I rushed up behind her a little too fast, and she even said, “Oh, you startled me.” I apologized and told her I just wanted to say hi. She said, “Oh, so you must have seen me.” The way she said it made me feel like she was framing it as me chasing her, which was weird — but maybe I was just overthinking it.

I asked how she was doing, and she said she was on her way to grab some food. She also mentioned that she’s president of the fashion program and has been busy planning a fashion concert. She talked about putting tickets together and how much work it was.

I felt myself starting to freeze up during the conversation, so I wrapped it up by saying I had to go. She said, “OK, bye.” It wasn’t on a bad note, but when I walked away I wondered if I came across like I was chasing her — especially since I ran up from behind. I probably should’ve approached from the side. Still, I managed to keep the conversation casual and short, which was better than nothing.

4. The Last Girl​

On my way back to my apartment, I saw a girl from my computer science class last semester. I thought her name was Ashley, so I stopped her and asked. She looked kind of tired, like she had just rolled out of bed, but she smiled politely.

She told me she was also in computer science, and I tried to keep the conversation going but fumbled a bit. I repeated back what she said instead of adding something new. It wasn’t a bad interaction, but it didn’t go anywhere either.

Reflection​

Today I got at least three solid approaches in, plus I tried again with Kate. I even went for a number with the girl in pink, though she said she had a boyfriend.

I accomplished the day’s task for my assignment. I’m still questioning the Kate situation, and what I probably need to work on most is holding conversations, flirting, and banter. Approaching is getting easier, but keeping things going is the challenge.

If anybody wants to give me advice, I’d appreciate it. Also, if you have questions about more details of what happened, let me know. No promises I’ll remember everything — my brain kind of goes blank sometimes, lol.