<p>I think, as long as you know you can succeed academically, you should definitely go, granted that you and your family can afford it.</p>
<p>Often it is college itself that matures you greatly. Hell, it will do a lot more good than hanging around the house all the time. It’ll force you out of your shell, if you put forth the effort.</p>
<p>I say go for it, hit the books as your first focus, and put yourself out there socially as much as possible. Even if you fail with a bang and go down in flames, you will still grow immensely (socially). Hit the books, too, though, lol.</p>
<p>nysmile, the last 2 sentences in your post is what I’ve been thinking about. Maybe going away to college will be a better thing for me.
I just have issues with people looking at me and judging me. I need to work on my confidence and self esteem.</p>
<p>Moving out will force you to deal with your issues. Plus colleges offer confidential counseling. Sounds like you have social anxiety, talking with someone could help.</p>
<p>tiff, yes, I do have a social anxiety. And being a worrywart doesn’t help.
Another issue I have is letting go of traumatic experiences. I had a few traumatic experiences in high school.</p>
<p>I don’t have any friends with anxiety disorders, but do benzo’s help at all? i would think a low dose of klonopin or something of the like would help a bit. Sometimes moving away helps you address issues more, because you need to address them to succeed, whereas at home you already are in a familiar enviornment. If that makes sense. I know my life got a lot better when I moved out, and now have a lot more friends at school and home. I was always socially awkward, and I still get nervous around my good friends. My voice cracks a bit sometimes, too. Luckily I have a lot of friends, and it’s kind of funny to see my awkwardness around my friends sometimes. The biggest thing that helps me is that my friends are my friends even if I’m a bit off beat sometimes. When meeting people, I’ve found just being myself and not trying too hard helps. I’ve been able to meet a lot of people in my classes just sharing my ideas and making jokes about the assignments/class/Prof. </p>
<p>It’s a hard adjustment, but literally just try to not care about what people think. Act confidentely, even if you aren’t, and people will pick up good vibes. Be you, and people will respect you and want to be around you. I found being a little open and pushing myself to be more outgoing has helped. Small talk during class helps a lot. Try to make a joke or witty comment, don’t just ask what their answer is. You need to get out of your comfort zone. I know it’s hard, but it will payoff. Try everyday to push yourself a little bit, make small steps. Go to class a few minutes early and chit chat with a neighbor. Try to understand people really don’t care enough to judge you the way you probably think they are. Once I got over that, I found it a lot easier to talk to people. </p>
<p>This may be bad health advice, but I found smoking has helped me alot, and I met a lot of really cool, open minded, chill people by smoking (we have designated smoking areas). Having a few drinks at a party helps. There really wasn’t a way to prepare me for school. I actually wasn’t very social in HS because I had soccer 2 days a week and every saturday and sunday, so I wasn’t around much. Basically my social skills were ok. Getting thrown in a new environment gave me a fresh start, and I was glad I went to a school that I didn’t have any friends. </p>
<p>Good luck, don’t let people get you down about grades. Grades are subjective, even at a CC.</p>
<p>You’re ready to go to college when you actually want to go. I didn’t care about school very much right out of high school, so I got my AS at a local community college. By then, I was really fed up with school and wanted a break. I took a year off, and by the end of that year, I couldn’t WAIT to start school again. Since I actually wanted to go, I am now getting involved in all kinds of activities on campus and am truly happy to be here, which makes finding friends much easier.</p>