Navigating Cliques and Social Groups at Network School
How social dynamics work at Network School, how to break into established groups, and how to build meaningful connections across cohorts.
How Groups Form at NS
Social groups at NS form along several natural lines.
Social groups at NS form along several natural lines. Cohort bonds are the strongest — people who arrive the same month share the orientation experience and early vulnerability of being new together. Language groups naturally emerge among Hindi, Mandarin, Spanish, and Portuguese speakers. Skill-based groups form around Solana development, fitness tracking, or content creation. Interest groups coalesce around specific activities like the book club, running group, or crypto trading. There is also a loose hierarchy of veterans (3+ month members) and newcomers (first-month members). Understanding these group dynamics helps you navigate the social landscape intentionally.
Breaking Into Established Groups
If you arrive solo into an established community, it can feel clique-ish at first. The fastest way in is through shared activities. Join the Morning Burn consistently — showing up daily builds familiarity faster than any conversation. Attend hackathons and project showcases where you contribute visibly. Offer specific value — if you are a designer, offer to review someone's UI; if you know marketing, help someone with their launch strategy. Ask genuine questions about what people are building. The NS community generally rewards curiosity and initiative. Most perceived cliques are simply established friendships that are open to new members who show genuine interest.
Cross-Cultural Social Dynamics
With 70+ nationalities represented, cultural communication differences are a daily reality. Some cultures are more direct, others more indirect. Some approach friendship through shared activities, others through conversation. Personal space norms, humor styles, and communication patterns vary widely. The most socially successful NS members develop cultural flexibility — adapting their communication style based on who they are talking to. Ask where people are from and show genuine curiosity about their culture. Avoid assumptions based on nationality. The shared NS experience creates common ground that transcends cultural differences more quickly than almost any other environment.
Building Deep vs Wide Connections
The temptation at NS is to collect shallow connections — exchanging Instagram handles with everyone and having the same surface conversation 50 times. More valuable is building 5 to 10 deep relationships. These form through repeated interaction over time, shared projects or challenges, honest conversations about struggles and goals, and spending unstructured time together. A walk around Forest City, a shared meal at a local kopitiam, or collaborating on a hackathon project creates deeper bonds than 20 minutes of small talk at an event. Prioritize depth over breadth. The people you build genuine relationships with at NS become your global network for years to come.
70+ nationalities represented at NS
Source: ns.com
Monthly cohort turnover refreshes social dynamics
Source: NS structure
“The people you surround yourself with determine who you become. Choose your peer group as carefully as you choose your goals.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Network School clique-y?
Like any community, social groups form naturally. However, NS is less clique-y than most environments because the monthly cohort turnover constantly introduces new people and reshuffles social dynamics. Veterans are generally welcoming to newcomers because they remember being new themselves. The shared experience of living together creates openness that does not exist in traditional social settings.
What if I struggle to connect with people at NS?
This is more common than people admit. If conversation does not come naturally, focus on shared activities rather than forced socializing. Work alongside people in the coworking space, join workout groups, attend structured events with built-in interaction. Many of the deepest NS friendships started between quiet people working near each other, not at loud social events.
How do language barriers affect social dynamics?
English is the common language at NS, and most members speak it well enough for daily interaction. However, people naturally gravitate toward native-language groups for deep conversation. This can feel exclusionary if you do not speak Hindi, Mandarin, or other widely-spoken languages. The solution is to join English-default activities and to appreciate that language groups are a comfort mechanism, not a rejection.
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