I’m currently a senior in high school and I’m really worried about making friends next year. You see, I’m really introverted and quiet and I think speaking is really hard sometimes. I’m not the best at making friends and it doesn’t help that I have very few friends currently since I moved from California to North Carolina this summer, so the bulk of my friends are all in California and it’s pretty tough.
What are some good ways to make friends in college?
There are many threads on this from the past few weeks, lots of suggestions to freshman who feel like they are struggling. The basics are don’t hole up in your room all the time, try to hang out where other kids are, common room, cafe, gym, etc., join clubs, get involved, be friendly, and most of all, be patient. It takes time to cultivate real friendships. It might not happen right away. Also, don’t sacrifice your studies, keep on top of your school work even if discouraged about friendships. It is the primary reason for going to college.
Remember that you’re not the only person in the situation you’re in, especially when you will be coming in as a freshman. There will be countless others that are overwhelmed and nervous about their college social lives. You’ll have a chance to meet tons of those people if you go to as many freshman events as possible. Those events are extremely social and, considering that nobody knows anybody, you’ll make quite a few acquaintances.
Honestly, you never know where a good friendship may come, whether it’s your roommate or lab partner or someone who asks to sit next to you in the library. Making friends in college can seem harder because you need to put yourself out there more, but that doesn’t mean you have to be loud or extremely outgoing. Like the above poster said, getting involved in your school is a good place to start. Joining a specific club, sport, or frat/sorority can help you find people with similar interests as yourself.
Other than that, I understand that it could be uncomfortable for the quiet type, but keep in mind that the beginning of a school year is a great time to strike up conversations with strangers. It’s not as weird as you probably imagine it is and people aren’t going to brush you off or judge you. Most college students are extremely open to meeting new people and would much rather be talking to somebody than sitting alone.
Remember that you’re not going to hit it off with everyone you meet. Don’t let that discourage you! It happens to everyone and does not mean anything bad about you.
Here are a few more ways to make friends in college:
•Attend a recreational class in or near the campus (like yoga, art)
•Get a part time job, possibly on campus
•Keep conversations going during class breaks/group projects
•Volunteer with student associations
•Introduce yourself to people on your dorm floor
I hope this helps! Good luck with the rest of senior year and I hope this is useful to you during your freshman year. 
I’m a senior like you I think what we ought to do is be true to ourselves? I’ve been reading a couple of threads around concerning surviving college and they’ve got quite a lot of challenges so we better be ready for that.