<p>Just so this doesn't get mistaken as one of those "woe is me" threads, this is more out of curiosity than self pity- I'm a freshman in college and I've made plenty of friends, but I would consider them more as acquaintances- we're friendly with each other and hang out from time to time, but we don't really share that many interests, and I have a vague suspicion that when we stop being so close together in the dorms after this year we'll grow apart (which I'm frankly not all that upset about, lol) and I'll be almost starting from scratch next year, except for a select few people who I have become close with.</p>
<p>I'm just curious as to what the average CCer's college experience was like in terms of forming lasting friendships at school: did you guys find your niche in the first few weeks? Months? Did it even take a year or two?</p>
<p>I imagine there will be an interesting variety in the results. :)</p>
<p>I’m halfway through my sophomore year, and I’m still just settling into a social group. Part of that is because my college has a somewhat weird social system in which people join eating clubs second semester sophomore year, but the other part is that I didn’t join a small major or a really close-knit campus organization my freshman year. </p>
<p>Still, I have several close friendships that began last year and have continued until now. In fact, my closest friends come from a wide variety of places (classes, clubs, housing) rather than a centralized “niche.” </p>
<p>The thing about college is that it can be easy to get superficially close to people first semester, but by second semester, the novelty has worn off, the reality of schoolwork has set in, and the “summer camp vibe” is gone. You realize the “friendships” you had were really just brought on by proximity. Real friendships take time, and while this can suck for the first little bit, it just means that when you do find your niche, they’ll be true friends–there for anything.</p>
<p>Still, even superficial friends can help stave off some of the loneliness. I recommend joining an intense club or team of some sort to make you feel more integrated into the social scene. Close individual friends will come later.</p>