Are friends really that necessary in college?

<p>No, you don’t. I made it through 4 years of college without making a single one.</p>

<p>I’m really curious as to how people that didn’t make a single friend in college are going to function in the post-college workforce. In order to get promotions, generally you have to befriend coworkers and bosses (since generally the higher you get in a company, the more they want you as a public face rather than a “factory rat” type of position). If you can’t find friends in college, then I’m just wondering how well you’re going to do in the workforce. Social skills and friendships get you quite far in the world… it’s not all about your degree and intelligence.</p>

<p>Okay. There’s a thread about this already here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/1162172-my-father-out-line.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/1162172-my-father-out-line.html&lt;/a&gt;. I don’t know why this noob is here bumping old threads about not having friends. If you are so called okay with it, why do you feel the need to boast about it? </p>

<p>There’s no need for this thread to be revived when we just finished this discussion last week in DreamingBigs thread. This is ****ing ridiculous.</p>

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<p>Your assuming that those with no friends made an effort to make friends…</p>

<p>I don’t understand how one could make it 4 years without some sort of friends? I’d consider myself fairly introverted, but i’d lose my mind without friends and social interaction. It’s a quintessential part of life and human existence. But, whatever floats your boat.</p>

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<p>Generally, friends just kind of happen through spending time with people…</p>

<p>College isn’t the only place to make friends though…95% of my friendships are from outside out of college. Granted that I’m making friends in college now, I still feel that friends aren’t necessary in college. I feel that FRIENDS in general are necessary, but as long as you have some type of friend whether they be from MS, HS,etc, you’re fine. </p>

<p>And to romani:

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<p>College isn’t the only stage in life where you make friends. Shockingly enough <em>gasps</em> some people have friends prior to coming to college and post-college. Isn’t that a big shocker? <em>rolls eyes</em></p>

<p>I like to think I have good social skills despite having very few friends. I can certainly carry on a conversation without sounding like an ass. They may not ask me to get beers with them but as long as they don’t think of me “as the ******bag in cubicle B9” I think I’m fine.</p>

<p>e: Romani I disagree that they ‘simply happen.’</p>

<p>Then how do friendships happen? Do you sit down and say “hey, I want to befriend this person today!” No… you just spend time with them and they naturally happen.</p>

<p>I completely agree with romanigypsyeyes</p>

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<p>I don’t have any friends in college…just allies (engineering, what do you expect). But on my summer internship I fit in very well. Still talk via email to one of the younger (mid-late 20s) full-timers.</p>

<p>“you just spend time with them and they naturally happen.”</p>

<p>curious as to how much time since it sure as hell hasn’t happened yet</p>

<p>Y’know, my father isn’t the most social person. He doesn’t regularly host parties, usually when he does it’s a joint effort with my stepmom. He doesn’t really go “out with the boys” (although he is 50, but even when he was younger I don’t recall him doing that much). But he’s not socially inept; he can hold conversations very well and has a pretty senior well-paying position at his office. So I really don’t buy the ******** that you’ve gotta act like some Hollywood socialite in order to ‘succeed.’</p>

<p>My $0.02:</p>

<p>Humans <em>are</em> social creatures when compared to tigers or something, but not all humans are equally social when compared to one-another, nor do they need to be. </p>

<p>Also, it would appear as though the female social structure is set up in such a way that women need to be more social and confide in one-another, lest they be chastised for being a basket case. Men tend to be social only insofar as completing objectives.</p>

<p>I, personally, don’t confide in other men. If I ever felt the need to talk about my feelings, it would be with a girl with whom I was not sexually engaged. Anyone who’s taken a HS-level psychology course knows this. Compare: The social structures of Chimpanzees (masculine, polygamous) to Bonobos (feminine, polyandrous).</p>

<p>Machiavelli says: “It is greater to be feared than loved…”</p>

<p>Probably… I mean, otherwise, you’d be all on your own with no one to talk to, confide in, hang out with… I mean, I guess you could just Skype with your family or your high school friends all the time and not go out of your way to make new friends, but it probably wouldn’t be the same as having a physically present group of friends or support group.</p>

<p>I feel sorry for people trying to justify absolute loneliness. I understand that it is hard for some people to make friends, I really do. However, I do not understand people who could have friends, and choose to have none. I just can’t buy the argument that somebody can be better off talking to nobody as opposed to having a friend to shoot the sh** with.</p>

<p>^^ I feel sorry for people that can’t understand an opposing position to their own.</p>

<p>If you feel like you don’t need anybody in this world to talk to and have fun with UAKid, good luck to you in whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.</p>

<p>i love people who cast “absolute loneliness” as some kind of sin or defect that needs to be fixed</p>

<p>If you are talking about my comments Rio, that is not what I meant, nor what I said. I know plently of people who don’t have any friends, most of them are normal guys. You don’t need friends to function and perform in college or the work field for that matter. But if you had a chance to have a friend, or someone wants to be friends with you and you would rather be absolutely alone, then that is something just plain sad. If you are one of those people, have fun with your “life” dude.</p>

<p>Are friends nice to have? Yes. Necessary? No.</p>

<p>Most of the time, I don’t feel like talking or interacting with people at all. I really love going to the movies alone, eating alone gets you super fast service with few complications, and I find shopping with others very annoying. When I feel bad, I cry it out, and then it’s usually over. Sometime it’s fun to be with someone else, but for the most part it isn’t. Not for me. And I like to consider myself fairly successful both academically and socially. Sometimes you just have to accept that people are different, even if people in general are social creatures.</p>