Moving into a dorm is an exciting and adventurous rollercoaster of an experience, and as a freshman, it’s inevitable that you’re going to meet new people. A few of them will immediately stand out as best friend-material, but there’s always going to be that omnipresent person in your hall that you cannot stand. They’re most likely completely harmless, but more often than not, he or she is going to show up at bad times and try to push into your plans. Here’s a guilt-free avoidance plan that’ll keep them off your case.

The “just woke up” trick
Let’s say Annoying Guy comes knocking at your door at some random time of the day. If he continuously knocks and you just want to crush that flicker of hope that you’ll agree to hang out, make a loud, irritated groan, take about fifteen seconds, and then finally open the door. Make sure you are slouched against the door and be sure to put on a “half awake” routine: sleepy eyes, limp arms and slow, groggy responses. He will immediately feel bad that he “woke you up,” and since you are apparently not fully awake yet, he won’t keep asking you questions about whether you want to hang out. The sleepier you act, the sooner he’ll leave.

The last-minute homework excuse
If Annoying Guy catches you somewhere in the dorm and asks what you’re up to, no matter where you are actually planning on going, tell him that you are headed straight for your room to finish a huge assignment that’s due in a few hours. He will probably try to set up some sort of homework hangout session, but you can immediately squash this by insisting that you are really stressed out and need to work alone in complete silence. Annoying Guy can’t argue with a major assignment that’s supposedly due in a few hours. This is a pretty standard evasive tactic, but it works nonetheless.

Out of the loop
It’s probably a good idea not to mention your plans around Annoying Guy. Thinking of going out with your roommate for some special “roomie time”? He might take it as an immediate invitation to join in if you talk about it in front of him. If that fails, just let them hang out with you for a bit: the person you’ve tried so hard to avoid may not be all that bad after all.