<p>i'm currently a college freshman, and the first year of my college life is almost gone.</p>
<p>this year, i didn't have as active of a social life as i would like to be, because of two reasons--1) i had a fear of alcohol this year, and i avoided any party with alcohols. i have already gotten over this fear and experimented with drinking with a safe amount. 2) i moved to US from another country, so the cultural shock of how people hang out and party did get me for a while. but after a whole year, i can say that im more familiar and more at ease with those now.</p>
<p>looking back, i realize that if i didnt have these 2 problems at the beginning, my social life would be more active now. i would like to have friends, have some fun and to be invited to parties by friends. i'm not trying to be popular or anything, i just want to make my social life better and more fun, and also to get to know others better.</p>
<p>i'm worried that having somewhat missed my opportunity in freshman year, it will be a lot harder for me to start doing that in sophomore year. Can you guys please give me some tips on how to turn my social life around as a late starter?</p>
<p>It seems like you already know what to do. Just get yourself out there and meet people. It doesn’t even have to be at parties, just random events or movie nights. Also, from my experience, you don’t always have to drink alcohol to socialize and meet others. Usually a simple smile works.</p>
<p>i think you are a great person who is open to new people and things (judging from your response), but i would like to know if most people are like that</p>
<p>i know some people don’t like getting new people in their group, to what extent is that true/how big of a problem is it?</p>
<p>Just be friendly and there will be people out there who will accept you into their group. Maybe not every group is like that but people are definitely open to meet new people.</p>
<p>I’ve known several people who barely talked during their freshman year, yet hardly ever stop talking now and have a lot of friends. I think it’s just about putting yourself out there and not isolating yourself. If you can manage that, you’ll make friends.</p>
<p>It can be true, depending on the type of people you hang out with. Consider finding some clubs where people have similar interests to you, whereas going out to party will most likely find you people who prefer drinking and partying. That way you can begin to socialize with those people outside of the clubs, and maybe you can find some parties that you are more comfortable with. And don’t worry about the initial awkwardness of meeting new people. At first they might not accept you right away, because they don’t quite know you that well and don’t know what to expect from you in terms of character. Just keep being yourself, and if they don’t like it then you probably wouldn’t have wanted to hang out with those people anyway. Once you find your niche or get settled within a certain type of network, it’s easier to meet more and more people that way.</p>