<p>So, I go to a small, private, ultra-conservative (I am a democrat) school where like 30% of the graduates don't go to college, 80% to community college, 9% UC's, and 1% to prestigious school. </p>
<p>I want to go to Amherst or up. </p>
<p>I am not an American, so in my freshman year, i could barely say "what time is it". So I didn't really get to socialize deeply. Now as a junior I do have friends and people do say I am an outgoing and smart girl, but I don't really connect with my friends. Like all I care about right now is getting good GPA and good scores in SAT's, well, and a little about Obama and European fashion weeks. And all my friends care about is... Jesus Christ, assassinating Obama, and.. like nothing!!!! </p>
<p>there ARE some smart and motivated kid in my grade, but they are all super white and have their own clique that I am yet to break into.....</p>
<p>So i've been thinking that once I get into Amherst or something like that, then I'd comfortably make friends that I really like. But I sometimes think like "why not here?"</p>
<p>Definitely not. I'm in a similar situation, except that I have always spoken English. It's really frustrating, and what's more terrifying is the idea of getting in somewhere where I won't fit in (all over again).</p>
<p>For the most part, college is a much better social experience than high school. People are less self-conscious, fewer cliques, easier to hang out with people who have similar interests as you... You probably won't be disappointed.</p>
<p>Personally, I was WAY more social in high school. In high school, everyone feels pressured to have as many friends as possible and be as "popular" as possible. In college - especially community college - there's no real incentive to have superficial friends. In other words, you have to make much more of an effort to make in friends in college than in high school. Chances are, you won't have any "group projects" in college to force you to socialize with others.</p>
<p>That said, I sympathize with your situation. Being the only non-white democrat in an ultra-conservative white school must be tough. >_<</p>
<p>Just make sure they don't succeed in assassinating Obama. ;)</p>
<p>and to answer the OPs question: no, it's not only you who's thinking about it. i'm also expecting a better social life, without cliques or the "smallness" of a school where everybody is born and raised in the same city</p>
<p>Oh man I COMPLETELY feel your pain. My school is a giant public, ultra "cultural" school in the Los Angeles suburbs. I say "culture" because depending on what your ethnicity is, you'll have an inner-circle composed almost entirely of people who look like you. Many of the kids here haven't so much as left Southern California, save for the occasional trip to Las Vegas to see their family. Kids here are so blind and uninformed it's disgusting. All they care about is Jesus Christ, getting straight As on everything (they're not really committing it to memory; most of them do terrible on SATs/ACTs and get 1s and 2s on AP tests), and going to the mall.</p>
<p>And me, I'm really into a lot of different things, study the world on a daily basis online, and am all about just being around all sorts of people, no matter what skin color they are. I'm pretty much an athiest by now, and am in love with cities and public transportation. I absolutely HATE the mall. I'm really into individualism and counter-culture, which basically adds up to me being pretty much ****ed off most of the time I'm at school. I have a few good friends, but none very close. More superficial relationships than I'm comfortable with. I also can't wait for college to hopefully meet some people with the same goals and interests as me, and to finally enjoy life. </p>
<p>Oh Amherst? I hear it's a lovely school. That's probably my 3rd choice. I'm applying to Brown ED, and RD Amherst, Carleton, Sarah Lawrence, and like...I don't know, Harvard or Yale just for kicks. I'd rather die than go to an in-state school.</p>
<p>I'm so hopeful that I'll be able to make some better friends when I go to college!
Where I live everyone is so one-dimensional! Most of the kids don't care about their grades, and their dream school is the local university just because the football team recently shot up in the ranks.
No one seems to understand that there is a world outside this dinky city. If I ever make mention of a foreign place or uni I'd like to attend they all give me a confused look and ask me why I don't want to stay here. =/
And whats more frustrating is that this school is in the Newsweek Top 100 Schools, and yet without heasitation I can say that everyone here's an idiot. (makes me question the list~)</p>
<p>Not really. I mean, I'm pretty happy with my social life/status. Maybe I'd like it to be a little better, but I think the reason it isn't better now is because I was super nerdy in 10th grade and kind of turned people away. It's gotten so much better, though, that if college is like my life is now, I'll be completely happy.</p>