With deeper commitment, greater depth of sharing, and trials and tests, friendships may rise to new levels that involve less risk and greater rewards. Graduate students provide safe havens for each other, especially when one of them feels overwhelmed by his or her work. Some departments recognize the hesitation among their graduate students to make relationships a priority, and try to schedule socials for them. The University of Washington - Seattle fisheries grad students, for example, scheduled a regular Friday afternoon happy hour. The mathematics group at University of Texas - Austin hosted a tea and cake hour as a weekly break for students.
Some students start book clubs, gourmet dinner clubs, and socials with faculty.
These organized activities allow for short regular breaks and a chance to exchange concerns. Sometimes the students who need the emotional and social release don't feel that they have the time to attend such events. Some people are afraid of revealing their weaknesses, or of giving other students an advantage by assisting them. Struggling students may feel that they are the only ones going through such difficulties. Many are shocked to learn that a majority of graduate students feel inadequate at times, unable to do their work, or unable to get along with a professor- to the point where they have seriously considered quitting.