<p>I think you’ll be fine OP so long as you arn’t going to NYU</p>
<p>My daughter (who was also worried about being alone) is at an Ivy and got to the point where she felt there were so many orientation activities, field trips, study breaks and parties held by proctors/RA’s/deans that she wanted to be left alone! Seriously, you will be fine. All schools have orientation programs where you meet people easily, and most schools have someone around in the dorm who helps you with these things, too. Don’t spend energy worrying about this, honest.</p>
<p>Look for all those small group freshmen exercises because it is a lot easier to connect in a small group.
Be prepared to laugh. I was SO nervous about meeting my college roommate. I walked into “our” room and saw a saddle. I immediately groaned. A cowgirl! I had a vision of an uber-conservative, man eater/weight lifter sort of female who would think I was a weenie. I was massively wrong. I went on to be wrong on a lot of my other fears as well. Write down your top ten fears and be prepared to giggle six weeks out.</p>
<p>I haven’t gone through this yet, but based on what my class of '12 and '13 friends have said, it might seem hard in the beginning. The good news is, everyone is in the same boat as you. People just approach each other, introduce themselves, and try to get to know as many people as possible during orientation. I bet I’d be nervous too, but you’ll be fine!!</p>
<p>You have nothing to worry about. College is your opportunity to meet new people. You’ll make friends in no time whether it begins with your roommate or students from you classes. </p>
<p>Jason </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.sevdog.com%5B/url%5D”>www.sevdog.com</a></p>
<p>You have been very fortunate to have formed two close relationships in childhood. You know how to do it, and you’ve probably done it well. I have a friend who says once you know what somebody looks like, in this day and age you can continue an entire friendship by phone or computer. And she’s probably right. Remember, your two close friends are still your friends no matter where you all are. You don’t need them sleeping in the room next to you to have their complete support and to spend time with them.</p>
<p>That said, we move a lot, and as an adult I can tell you we form friendships with acquaintances who become friends … in time and with time spent together over and over. My (still!) best friend from college was a mere acquaintance down the hall until second semester freshman year. You just have to plan on feeling a little uncomfortable at times, but it won’t be all the time. And get involved in what you’re interested in and wait it out.</p>
<p>And I’ve seen several “shy” kids go away to college and come back not shy at all - they became outgoing and confident!</p>
<p>"And I’ve seen several “shy” kids go away to college and come back not shy at all - they became outgoing and confident! "</p>
<p>from my experience, i havent witnessed that at all. i havent seen too much change in one’s personality from being, say a freshman to a sophmore. but then again, i havent seen any shy people from freshman year and then how they are in senior year, so maybe i’m wrong</p>
<p>I started worrying about this even last year, because college seems so … huge. It seems hard to fit in, to find people, and to succeed while being active in the community. </p>
<p>I still worry, but I went to Summer@Brown, so I know that no matter how huge the school is, you’ll still be able to find your own niche. But I wonder … how will the 4 most important years of my life go??? Hmmm…</p>
<p>On the other hand, I JUST BECAME A SENIOR MEMBER!!! WOOHOO!!! </p>
<p>(The little things in life … :))</p>
<p>yeah, im a bit nervous for the whole college thing. im veryyyy shy, but i think i will be alright. i just have to learn how to approach people. it’s not too bad.</p>
<p>i pray ill do alright :)</p>
<p>Contrary to most if not all of the posts here, in my opinion, it is. If you want to make friends, you have to set a great first impression and approach other people. People are generally not going to be approaching you unless they think you are high value with a lot of connections. If you think that people are going to approach you and you aren’t going to do anything and that its ok to be shy, unless you are a very beautiful girl (just outward appearances), you are probably going to end up a loner. That is the harsh reality, and I figure it is better you hear it now rather than go through it yourself.</p>
<p>There is like this 2 week period which begins once college starts. After that period, cliques and groups of friends have already formed. If you haven’t found most of your friends in those first two weeks, chances are, you aren’t going to have many friends, if any.</p>
<p>Huge schools are friendlier than small ones, coming from a person who attended 9-10th grades in a 350-person school and 11-12th grades in a 2,000-people school. In huge schools, people are nice but mind themselves and the only drama is what’s going on in their own social groups. In small schools, everyone is cliquey and talks about each other behind their backs. In a huge school it’s much easier to reinvent yourself if needed.</p>
<p>College, though, is different. Even in small colleges, no one will be cliqueish or rude, unless perhaps you are at one of those tiny schools where everyone is ultra-rich and spoiled by their parents. </p>
<p>In HS, you’ve got people who’ve lived there since pre-K and new people competing for acceptance. In college, everyone is new, everyone has the same level of knowledge and confidence about the school. This makes people much more mature.</p>
<p>I move a lot, I know these things.
GOOD LUCK! ;)</p>
<p>"Contrary to most if not all of the posts here, in my opinion, it is. If you want to make friends, you have to set a great first impression and approach other people. People are generally not going to be approaching you unless they think you are high value with a lot of connections. If you think that people are going to approach you and you aren’t going to do anything and that its ok to be shy, unless you are a very beautiful girl (just outward appearances), you are probably going to end up a loner. That is the harsh reality, and I figure it is better you hear it now rather than go through it yourself.</p>
<p>There is like this 2 week period which begins once college starts. After that period, cliques and groups of friends have already formed. If you haven’t found most of your friends in those first two weeks, chances are, you aren’t going to have many friends, if any."</p>
<p>this</p>
<p>I strongly disagree with Battlecruiser. I’m nearing the end of my freshman year right now, and by some odd twist of fate, made more friends than I possibly imagined being in your place last year. </p>
<p>In high school, I was dreadfully shy. Like, I was even voted “quietest” in the senior superlatives at my high school! I barely spoke, had only a few good friends, and was terrified at the thought of going to college. Just like you. </p>
<p>My advice is:
a) Actually go to the orientation activities held by the school. While icebreakers grow redundant over time, they actually DO bring people together. Must have something to do with the embarassment unifying you all…</p>
<p>b) For the first couple weeks after moving in, leave your door open. There are a lot of non-shy people who like to introduce themselves to their neighbors. An open door for them is more welcoming for them to come in and say ‘hi’. :)</p>
<p>c) Join a club or activity (or even work on campus). A good portion of the friends I’ve made have been through work, because at my school, the only job open to freshmen is the dining hall…but I’ve met a few sophomore friends as well! The same principle works in terms of clubs too. </p>
<p>Admittedly, cliques do form in college, but I still found it relatively easy to make friends. Also, keep in mind that there are TONS of other people out there just like you, going to a school where they know absolutely no one. Everyone’s on the same level, shy or not. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>most people don’t stay in contact with the people they go to highschool with… besides why would u not want to experience all life has to offer?</p>
<p>everyone makes new friends in college, it’s part of the college experience, the best part is that those friends you make in college–you’ll probably stay friends for the rest of your lives!</p>
<p>Im starting school in the fall @ Chicago State. i am really excited. Im not nervous at all because i have a great personality and im really friendly. I cant wait to meet new people and make new friends so my new friends can meet my old friends</p>
<p>Dude I say just join a few clubs and stuff, those are pretty much geared for you to interact and make friends.</p>
<p>I think you should be okay, especially if you join special interest clubs or groups. How big is the school you’re going to? In a larger school you might have more of a chance to meet more people, but a smaller school often has more of a sense of community and might seem easier to be noticed by others.
Whatever your situation, college is what you make of it. If your two best friends were going to write about their favorite qualities that you had, what do you think they would say? Join clubs or groups that run to your interests and you’ll definitely find other people like you.</p>
<p>Hope I helped!</p>
<p>I used to be really shy in high school too, but when I went to college I decided to become more outgoing. and I did that by going to all of the floors activities, approaching people and saying “hi, i’m …whats your name?” I know this sounds odd and I would have never attempted it in hs but it really worked for me. Also if someone elses door is open on your floor dont be afraid to go in and introduce yourself. Another thing I did was leave my door open and continually have a smile on my face. </p>
<p>After that, people started to want to get to know me better, we went out to eat together, and became friends. Really its best to know as many people as possible and then you can choose who you want to be “best friends” with. (provided they feel the same way about you)</p>
<p>Also, to be quite honest, I think cliques seem to cement after thanksgiving break, but there are always exceptions, lots of exceptions.</p>
<p>If you are really shy in college and don’t try to make friends, don’t expect friendships to be made. It’s like I went through my freshman year wanting to build up muscle, but never worked out. You only make friendships, money, success, whatever, if you constantly take steps on a everyday basis towards your goal - and you have to have a clear vision of your goal. Don’t say I want to be a social butterfly, picture the number and type of friends you want, picture what you want to be doing on a friday night, etc etc.</p>