<p>Hi, I'm Breana. This might sound kind of stupid but it's been something that's really bugging me. </p>
<p>I go to a very small school in South FL (close to Miami) and have <100 kids in my grade that I've been with since 1st grade. One of my biggest goals for college was to get away from these people and start completely new, to be more myself than I was able to be in high school. About 25 of the people from my school, including a lot of my closest friends, are going to UM. I was wondering - do you think it will be difficult to make that new start with so many people I know/so many of my best friends going to the same school as me? We're interested in different things (I would probably be more into sports, etc. than most of my best friends) but I really don't want to be around the same people and be the same person I was in high school. I know UM is a BIG school compared to my high school, but it's just been worrying me. Thanks! </p>
<p>This is definitely a valid point. What I immediately think of is the the []_[] is a fairly big place. Your H.S. friends may (or may not) want to maintain their friendship. All of you will definitely meet new people (unless you fall into the trap of settling for each other). You may discover that you really aren’t such good friends with your H.S. friends, and those friendships may not survive in a larger environment. I did not want to attend a small NESCAC school (MIDD, Wesleyan, Bates) because I felt that because of the small size of each class I would be forced into friendships. I want to choose my friends, rather than be placed into a small group. OTOH, here is a specific example: Many Park City H.S. graduates now attend the U. of Utah which is 30 miles away. Most, if not all, of the Park City kids at the U. are friends, but they are having a difficult time making new friends. …I hear that they sort of have a clicky reputation on campus. It is one of the reasons that I would not attend the U. To me, college is about growing and making new friends…developing new relationships. Also, the kids who graduated from PCHS last year and are attending the U. are frequently coming home and hanging out with my class. I would want more out of college.</p>
<p>More than 15 kids from my son class when to UM and he does not see any in a regular basis. Classes are different times, different buildings. People have different friends. This is not HS. People have busy schedules and are form different friendships depending on who they meet during their first few days/ weeks in college.</p>