Questions for College Students

The start of college is full of new people, and most of them quietly believe everyone else has already found their place. These cards get you past the first polite questions, so you can talk about why you're here, what's hard and what you're hoping for. They work just as well for the student fresh out of high school as for someone starting with ten years of work behind them.

Good for: Orientation weeks, dorm floors, study groups and college friends, whatever your age or background.

Play 70 cards

Tips for playing

Use the light cards during orientation, and save the deep ones for friends who know each other a little.
Let several people answer the same card about belonging: it helps to hear you're not the only one.
If something starts to feel like too much, talk to your academic advisor, the campus counseling center or your doctor.

Depth: lightLight questions

Easy to start with. Good for warming up.

What did you think college would be like before you started, and what is it really like?
What topic could you keep talking about even when nobody asked?
Who was the first person you got talking to here, and what did you talk about?
Why did you choose this school, and your major?
What did you notice first when you walked in on day one?
What have you found out about this town that you wish you'd known from the start?
What do you make for dinner when the fridge is almost empty?
Where do you like to sit when you study, and why there?
What's the weirdest thing you've learned in class so far?
Which lecture or class do you still remember, and why?
What do you usually do on a Sunday when nothing is due?
What went completely differently than planned in your first week?
Which app, thing or habit makes your day-to-day as a student easier?
What did you bring from your old life that you're glad to have here?
If our major had a mascot, what would it be, and why?
What would you do with a whole day off, guilt-free?
Which song do you already connect with the start of college?
What's the best thing you've learned to cook this past year?
What's your best trick for getting out of bed on a dark morning?
What were you doing right before you started here?
What has surprised you about the other people in your classes?
Which hobby are you hoping to make room for alongside your classes?
Where in town do you go when you need some air?
What would you tell an old friend about your first month here?
Which piece of jargon from your field have you started using way too often?
What's the funniest thing that's happened at orientation so far?
What do you miss about the place you lived before?
Which professor has made an impression on you, and how?
If you started a student club, what would it be about?
What does a perfect Friday afternoon on campus look like to you?
What's the best advice you've gotten from an orientation leader or an older student?
Which book, podcast or video got you interested in your field?

Depth: mediumA bit more personal

For when the conversation is flowing.

What's the hardest part of your new everyday life that nobody warned you about?
When did you last feel like you didn't quite belong, and what helped?
If you could give yourself one piece of advice on your first day, what would it be?
What would you study if grades and job prospects didn't exist?
What makes a study group a good one to be in?
What do you need from the others when you're working on a project together?
What do you do when you're stuck on an assignment and can't move forward?
When were you last really proud of something you did for school?
What do you think a lot of new students are thinking but not saying out loud?
How do you feel about speaking up in a big lecture?
What has surprised you about having to manage your own time?
What do you do to make a bad day a little better?
Which expectation of yourself have you had to dial down, and was it a relief?
What was hard about starting here that you can only laugh about now?
What has made you feel more at home here now than at the start?
How do you figure out who you'd like to get to know better?
What should a study group agree on the very first time it meets?
What do you do when exam pressure hits that actually helps?
What has a classmate taught you without knowing it?
How has college changed the way you see the world?
When did you last say yes to something here that you'd normally say no to?
What do you wish professors knew about being a new student?
What can you learn from classmates who are at a completely different stage of life than you?
How do you keep in touch with the friends you had before you started here?
What gets you out the door when you'd rather stay home but know you'll be glad you went?
What small thing could we do so new people in our classes feel welcome sooner?
How do you know when to take a break, even though there's always more to read?
What would you like to get better at that has nothing to do with your coursework?

Depth: deepDeep questions

Take your time. These are the ones people remember.

Who do you hope to be when you finish here, beyond someone with a diploma?
What have you discovered about yourself since leaving your old surroundings?
What have you become more sure of since you started, and what are you less sure of now?
When have you doubted your choice of major, and what made you stay?
What does it take before a new place feels like yours too?
Which side of yourself has been hard to show here, and what would it take?
What do you want to be able to look back on from your college years ten years from now?
What has a hard stretch in college taught you about what you need?
Which values do you want to take with you into working life, wherever you end up?
What would you say to a classmate who feels alone and thinks they're the only one?

70 cards in this deck.