Elizabeth Stevens - Lilly Friend Project

Preliminary Questions

Do you live within a thirty-minute radius/are you comfortable commuting to Murray Hill or elsewhere in Manhattan to hang out with me?

[REDACTED]

Are you crazy?

Yes No

Can you supply a personal website or social media profile?

[REDACTED]

Once I review your application, I will reach out to have a more formal, sit-down interview to be my friend in Manhattan. This interview will be videotaped and I will be posting the footage on social media. Are you able to report to Manhattan and spend at least an hour for the interview?

Yes No

Open Questions

Why are you filling out this questionnaire?

I think this idea is cool and I also want more friends.

How many "close friends" (by close friends I mean people that you see more than twice a month if they live in the tri-state area or if they are a long-distance friend that you speak with at least twice a month) do you have?

About 2 or three.

Do you listen to Billie Eilish? If so, why?

I used to but I don't anymore

It's Saturday morning! What time are you up and what do you want to do with the day?

Depends on how the week went but I normally wake up between 8-10 to get food and either relax watching a few shows, playing games, or going out to chill with roommates (also practice my instrument).

Have you ever had an existential crisis? How did it come about and what was your ultimate takeaway from it?

Nothing big but the crisis that comes up frequently is if doing what I'm in college for is worth it and it's continuously yes.

You are at a party and a topic comes up that you could go on and on and on about that nobody else knows anything about. What is the topic and would you talk about it or not talk about it?

This topic has came up multiple times about what is the best type of juice and I would definitely talk about it.

What do you think about feminism? How did you come to that conclusion?

It's necessary in our current day in age as there's a lot of injustice still in our system and we can't call ourselves a proper democracy without inclusion of all peoples.

If there was an alternate reality in which you had a debilitating, life-altering addiction, what would you be addicted to?

Probably bubble tea. If you mean drugs then I have no idea.

What are your dreams?

To be able to sustain myself and others through being a freelance musician and eventually winning a job in a professional orchestra much later in life.

Do you believe in ethical consumerism or is it a drop in a giant well that has already been dug by multinational corporations so it doesn't matter?

Ethical consumerism can only be achieved with well thought out restrictions as to prevent any one group of people from accumulating all the wealth and using that wealth to inhibit other businesses from making more wealth. There also must be more kindhearted people for this to happen who aren't so greedy they put others down for their benefit.

Multiple-Choice Questions

What qualities are most important to you in a friend

Loyalty Honesty Humor Inspiration A and B C and D

What is the worst thing on this list

Processed sugar Stubbing your toe Throwing up Your mom(or another parental type figure) telling an old embarrassing story in front of new people Realizing you were scammed out of $30

Work is:

A means to an ends A way I bring my passions to life Something I do to better society A total bummer A myth that allows rich people to steal from poor people

Which poet's writing do you most connect with?

Sylvia Plath Rumi Rupi Kaur Rainer Maria Rilke Pablo Neruda

Do you feel like you've lived one life or lots of lives?

Lots of lives Once life I don't think about it like that I don't feel like I am living I am too busy living to think about it

How do you feel about answering all these questions:

Annoyed Intrigued Resentful Inspiration Excited to meet in person Neutral

Aristotle once said; "my friends, there are no friends." How do you feel about that:

Agree Disagree Neutral That's so cold and unfeeling! Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form. Form is not other than emptiness

Essay Question

Please describe a friend breakup you have gone through. If you haven't gone through a friend breakup, please explain why you think you have never gone through a friend breakup. Outline a major friendship in your life and explain why it is successful.

I believe I am currently going through a "friend breakup" right now. I wouldn't describe it as a "breakup" but more-so losing a friend. I'm not sure how much detail I can put in this as this situation has taken a heavy toll on my personal self and is much different from losing contact with some friends or losing a friend due to an assumption made by the other party, both of which has happened to me in the past. This is much different in the sense that this "friend" couldn't follow through with a decision that means a lot to me morally. It's very conflicting on how I should proceed as I know this person has a good heart and we have shared many close moments together but he either doesn't care or is too reluctant to do anything for fear of losing some people he considers "friends" (friends being in quotes because he doesn't truly like these people or is lying to me and others about his true feelings towards them). There is so much to talk and question in this situation that most likely would go well above 1000 words and as it's currently ongoing it's been on my mind for months. Something that has going for years however, are the many major friendships I've had lasting since 6th grade. There's one group of people that come to mind that's so successful simply because of how close we've became through being in school together. One friend in particular I don't always get the chance to speak to frequently due to school and other commitments but once we get the chance to talk it's as if no time has past and nothing has changed. We go back to joking around and talking about things that happened in life. A big thing that comes to mind are friends who you can joke around but can't share deep feelings with. This person (and many others in this group) don't fit this description as they're open to talking about anything and will always find a way to make a situation better. Another friend who I currently dorm with also has became very close to me, as they can recognize the importance/balance of being able to joke and have fun while also being able to talk about things that have been on ones mind for sometime. A great friendship should have a good balance of both but ultimately shouldn't feel unnatural or forced. Of course there are times when people hang out and don't talk about something bothering them and that's fine. I do believe sometimes you must push yourself to talk about things that make you struggle but that push should never be too forced as it defeats the purpose. I personally do not mind being forced by a good friend to talk about something uncomfortable or problematic in my life and am also comfortable if another person isn't as open (admittedly this would make me less open with them as well but I wouldn't close off completely and it would only be just slightly). I probably rambled a bit about random crap but successful friendships I've had usually involve trust, communication to get past misunderstandings or wrongdoings and just being friendly and fun with each other.