Clicking through his Facebook photos, sophomore Jeff Rogers knew he was facing some difficult choices. The approaching summer means that he must evaluate which friendships he will continue to subscribe to and which he will let lapse over the summer.
“It’s not as straightforward of a choice as it might seem,” said Rogers, “It’s not just looking back on the events of the past year, or who had the best issues. There’s a definite strategy to it.”
Renewing the subscription before the start of summer, he explained, has the benefit of saving a lot of hassle and money later. “You only need like a quick ‘let’s get coffee, be sure to text me over break’ if you do it now. If you wait till the beginning of next year, it becomes several text conversations, a six pack, and a demonstration of your continued coolness.”
On the other hand, an early renewal means that Rogers cannot get his investment back if he no longer wants the friendship. “It’s rough when that happens,” he said, “You’re already committed, so I usually just half-heartedly go pick them up once a month.”
“You can also go monthly with someone,” Rogers added, “You know—not subscribe, only get them when you want them. Essentially you don’t follow up on any interaction, but you have to offer up a weekend trip or your own party every time you want to see them again. That gets expensive quickly.”
Given these options, Rogers is appraising his current friends. “I’ve split them into categories to make it easier,” said Rogers, “Career-related—everyone who’s likely to be useful later on, give you inside information, that sort of thing. Science and literary types—bore me to death sometimes, but I know it’s good for me. Then there are the guilty pleasures—wouldn’t be caught dead with them in public, but… they’re just so good.”
As of press time, Rogers had decided to renew his subscriptions to an entrepreneur and a couple of sorority girls.
