<p>First off, I am not a parent, but I am a scientist.</p>
<p>Socialization is important for your career. However, it is more important for grad school than it is undergrad. As long as you get along with the people in your lab and they like you, and you have people to study with when you need to, then you are probably fine. Also, if you are relatively happy and satisfied in your life, then there is probably no need to “fix” anything, at least not yet.</p>
<p>As for grad school, the other posters on this thread are right in that it is extremely collaborative. Especially in the beginning, you will not know anything, and you will need to consult more experienced grad students. Also, when things aren’t working, you will need to talk to others to troubleshoot your problem. Oftentimes, there is no real reason for anyone in the lab to take time to figure out your problem except for the fact that you may be friends. You may think people are helpful to you in your lab now, but grad students feel more responsible for helping an undergrad than a new grad student. I’ve seen NSF Fellows who couldn’t finish their PhD because they didn’t get enough help in the lab in the beginning. </p>
<p>However, if you don’t know your stuff at a high level, that will, of course, hurt a lot–even socially. So I don’t see a problem with basically spending all your time studying during undergrad, if that is what you want to do right now. A lot of people aren’t built to do that, but if you truly are, then it probably is in your best interests.</p>
<p>I’m not going to be an armchair psychiatrist, and I don’t think enough info has been provided by the OP to make a diagnosis even if I was qualified. One important question, though, is if the OP has ever had friends. If he/she is just too busy now with a job and classes, then the desire to keep one’s head above water may extinguish any desire for friends. If, however, the OP has been around people who are similarly intelligent and motivated in the past while not being buried by work and still had no desire to socialize, then I would find this a bit curious. However, a person like the OP may have not been around people who are his peers intellectually, so this question may not be answerable.</p>
<p>I’m not going to comment on socialization as a professor…It is a long way off, and I’m sure a lot of those guys matured emotionally before they got their jobs.</p>