#24: Forming Small Circles

Whether at bars, parties, tailgates, classroom buildings or just hanging out in dorms, Notre Dame Students love to form small circles.  These small circles are critical to the Notre Dame social scene not only for their functional practicality, but also because of what their existence tells other people. 

While small circles can be seen almost anywhere, the most common place to see small circles is at bars.  The Backer, Finnegan’s, Fever, and Corby’s are all places where small circles are frequently seen.  Small circles are important at bars because they allow the Students to talk to each of their friends despite the loud songs, and also allow the students to more effectively sing the choruses of said loud songs as opposed to awkwardly standing alone.  Small circles are especially critical for certain songs, such as God Bless the USA and Piano Man, so that Students can put their arms around each other and sway to the music.

Small circles are also important for their ramifications on the Notre Dame social scene.  You can tell a lot about a person by what small circle they are a part of.  While Notre Dame Students are inherently uncool, you discover things about the crowd a person rolls with by looking at the members of their small circles.  Small circles are most readily formed by people who went abroad together, people that play in the marching band together, people who lived in dorms together, and people who served on student government committees together.  A Notre Dame Student will quickly know if they can join a small circle just by the people who are in it.      

Small circles are important to the Notre Dame social scene because they facilitate the notion of the group.  If a Notre Dame Student wants to enter into a long-term relationship with another Notre Dame Student, the obvious first step is to enter into a small circle with them.  The small circle is the first step in any good Notre Dame relationship, or even any Notre Dame friendship, and it should not be forgotten.

[Special Thanks to friends of the site Brad Blomstrom, Andrew Miller, Robert Ladd, and Matt Bono for their help in forming the pictured small circle]