FWIW, OP is long gone. I do hope that s/he manages to develop some strategies to improve his/her situation.
It’s only been two days. That’s not really “long gone”. We can hope that the OP found something fun to do this weekend and is doing that instead of wallowing here. Or, the OP might have another screen name and his reading under that? Just a thought
I have tried going to clubs and things but the meetings weren’t fun for me. Very few people showed up for most of the club meetings. It was Halloween this weekend and almost everybody went out and partied so I didn’t have much to do. I really don’t know what to do to have a good time here.
So after reading all the comments, and this last one (I cringed sooooooo hard), I’m just going to say:
You’re very pitiful
I feel like you have listed *all/i your problems, and what I take away from this is for us to feel bad… and that’s it. It doesn’t seem like you’re really looking for help?? Granted, I do see you have somewhat tried out these activities… but that’s it. done. no more. no use. gone. see you never. goodbye forever. so long. farewell. I mean, seriously?
You have to put in effort in order to receive reward. Even with the quote I mentioned at the top of this comment, you said the “meetings weren’t fun for me”??? Um, well, based on personal experience, the first meeting is never the fun meeting! Just because a few show-up, I think that it is actually better for you that a few showed up rather than hundreds of people, otherwise it would be overwhelming and you’d leave the minute you came to the meeting!
But honestly, as a senior in HS, I can’t say much, but what I can say is that you absolutely have to get out of your comfort zone. Mommy isn’t holding your hand for you anymore, you’re a big boy now. Go tackle life head-on and make the most of your future!!! Do you think future employers will want to see someone whose dull and boring and not willing to try out new things??? Or someone who is excited and interested and shows a contagious passion for everything??? To put it in perspective OP, you need to figure out your life. Yeah, you’re a freshman in college, but this is crunch time for you to really show your true colors and not hide back your misfortunes behind a wall of “I tried but fell short”! NO!
What I want you to do, immediately after reading my comment (and I will imagine you doing so), is go walk to the bulletin board or whatever is in the hallway of wherever you live on campus, and find 3 THREE things that you don’t think you have interest in. PLEASE don’t be, “I don’t know what that is… so I probably don’t like it… so I’m probably not going to try it… and continue saying how sad my life is on CC.” Please don’t. Find those three things, and I want you to attend those meetings/parties/festivites or WHATEVER they may be and then report back (if you want to, because then people can probably get a better sense of who you are and give more advice) in somewhat detail on 1) what you did 2) was it something new, different, or something you already had interest in, 3) how did the thing go 4) would you go back, specifically why/why not (NOT “because the food at the meeting wasn’t good” or something???)
I wish you the best of luck!!! 
@Englishbooknerd , it seems as though this is mostly about not yet finding “your people” and building a group of friends to hang out with. As you are learning, sometimes this process can take some time, but it is important to keep trying new activities and not hide out in your room. Push forward when something you try does not pan out as hoped.
At my D’s LAC, there are usually substance free events for students on weekends, perhaps you can see if your school has something similar as a way to meet like minded people. If there is substance free housing available, that might help in the future, too. There may also be other Living and Learning Communities (LLCs) which might interest you, where you could meet students you have something in common with.
My D’s LAC, as well another D’s large public Uni, both have hundreds of clubs and activities to choose from, along with many opportunities to volunteer, on campus or in the community. Keep trying until you find something you do enjoy.
If you are feeling anxious and isolated, visit your school’s counseling center, and don’t feel embarrassed about it, since many students are likely having issues settling in. 2 of my 3 daughters have had some anxiety while in college and both found their school’s counselors to be extremely helpful. Hang in there!
@Englishbooknerd, very brave of you to come back given the twists and turns this thread has taken. I just wonder why you can’t go do the things you enjoy whether or not you have people to do them with? If you love museums, classical music, or whatever, just go do these things on your own. You might just meet someone like you there.
Keep us posted, Englishbooknerd!
@Englishbooknerd
I would also recommend on-campus counseling if there isn’t a long waiting list. Personally I am thinking about dropping counseling since it is only heightens my anxiety rather than alleviate it (plus a disconnect between me and the counselor) but I hope it works better for someone like you. I decided that if I can’t be positive for myself then be positive for others in my position. I hope you follow this advice.
The whole “Magical College Experience” we see on TV/Movies is a marketing gimmick. You are not going to love every waking moment of it. The important thing is to keep the big picture in mind. You are there to get a degree/education and then move along to something else. Treat it like business: get in, do well and get your degree, then get out.
“Keep us posted, Englishbooknerd!”
Yes, please do. Why don’t you try some of the specific things that the other parents and students have suggested and report back to us around the end of semester?
@Englishbooknerd, keep it up. You can find your people, but you won’t find them in your dorm room. I am sending you a message. I know a very nice kid that might be at your college, if it is the college I am thinking of.
@MotherOfDragons I’m learning that people don’t like it when you keep it real…I like people who keep it real.
Ragging on kids who are already unhappy is not, and will never be, keeping it real.
I will say this one more time, since apparently my point didn’t get across. Words have consequences. I know because someone did to me when MoD did to OP. It hurt. It didn’t help. It made everything worse. I don’t know if her words hurt OP as much as that, but that is always a possibility, especially when the person you’re telling “here’s why nobody likes you” is already upset.
I unfortunately had to work with a student this semester who prides herself on taking no crap. Maybe she doesn’t take it, but she certainly gives it out. She’s a bully. And she thinks that’s “keeping it real,” too. Being on the receiving end is a different story.
@bodangles My “keeping it real” doesn’t mean I am a bully. It simply means that when asked for my opinion I give it. As I’ve said recently on other threads…College Confidential is a great source of information and support as long as you make sure your comments don’t “offend” anyone. @MotherOfDragons simply provided a response that was full of good information. Because she was blunt doesn’t mean she doesn’t care or that she’s a bully…it simply means she’s coming from an experienced perspective.
It’s ironic that the person who called me a jerk on this thread, and takes every opportunity to beat me up continually for expressing my opinion, is calling me the bully.
That’s not good information, and any value the post might have had is lost because it’s couched in a nest of insults. “You are where fun goes to die”??? How clever. How cutting. What ~good information.~
You can say “Go see if there’s a book club!” without also saying “I don’t care if you don’t think it’s fun.” She literally said she doesn’t care what OP feels. Right there.
Again, stop putting words my mouth. it’s so tiresome.
@bodangles All of us are speaking from experience. You sympathize with how OP feels because you went through the same situation. @MotherOfDragons sympathizes with OP because she’s seen it and sees more in him. I sympathize with OP because I’ve rendered that tough love and had the pleasure of watching the transition to a more positive outlook/consequence. Even though I rendered tough love it was difficult for me to see my daughter receive it from one of her IB Higher Level English teachers. We/she hated him at first. Then the same change I noticed in those students/employees I worked with I saw in my sweet girl. In the end she was the only student who earned a perfect score on her IB HL English Exams! Her ability to write is what got her admitted to GW’s Elliott School and the University Honors Program. When she looked back on it she realized his tough love helped her so much more than making sure he didn’t hurt her feelings. They remain close to this day even though he’s gone on to teach at another IB international school.
I think people are missing the point. Englishbooknerd’s problem isn’t that people don’t like him or he can’t “find” stuff to do. He HAS friends. He KNOWS there are things to do. His problem (based on the description and IMO) is that he isn’t ENJOYING or INTERESTED in any of these things and isn’t meeting people who are interested in what he is interested in. ???
Where would those people be? In the music department maybe? @Englishbooknerd, are you making use of the music department? Taking classes there or hanging out there or going to their shows?
I also suggest (besides a job) to do something like take up running or even yoga. Both work wonders (when done consistently) in helping one feel better about life and those around you.
While I agree that telling someone else that they’re where the party goes to die might come off as harsh at first, no one should be afraid to call themselves out for their shortcomings and make fun of themselves once in a while. I do it frequently myself.
@Englishbooknerd
Being positive and happy all the time is just beyond tiring, and none of us robots, so why not poke fun at yourself from time to time? Even the best of us need a break from all this positivity or else we would all implode.