<p>This late August I'm going to be a freshman at a Community College. Being academically successful is obviously very important, but I believe making friends and being social is an important part of life in general and can benefit you in the future. The thing is, Im most stressed about making friends, more than grades. I'm terrified of being alone and becoming a loner. In high school, it was easy. Many classes, every day at the same times, same lunch and breaks. In college though, everyone has a different schedule with different classes, I can't imagine finding someone else with the same 1 hour gap between classes that I am going to have. What will I do at that time? I imagine the first couple weeks ill be in the library or computer lab pretending to study. I really don't know how that will work or what ill do, and I'm even more scared. I can only hope ill make friends quick to know and be with during class and hopefully after school. I don't know. Any tips? Were you in a similar situation? What did you do or recommend I do? I can't go home for that one hour gap, it takes about 20-30 minutes one way with traffic, but there is a shopping center about a 10 minute walk away with restaurants and Papa Johns. I have a couple HS friends going to the same CC, but I don't believe they are getting the same major, so idk if ill see them much unless we organize to meet up. Feeling super nervous and very much dreading the start of classes, with them being only 20 days away. So yeah, any help at all please?</p>
<p>In your freshman classes, there will be other freshman who also want to make friends. Get to class a little early and say hello to people sitting around you. As you walk out, ask people what they have next. If it is near lunch, ask people if they are going to lunch. After a bit, perhaps offer to start a study group. Join clubs/activities. When you see people you recognize on campus, say hello. You will meet many people from your classes.</p>
<p>At first, I would not go off campus during your breaks. Go to the campus center/ dining hall/student union and do homework. Say hi to people you recognize.</p>
<p>Do they have a freshman orienation? Go to that and do any activities they have. Great way to meet people.</p>
<p>I don’t want to disappoint you, but community college doesn’t really come with the same social experience as going to uni does. I went to a CC my first year. And so did a lot of my high school friends. We both noticed that a lot of people in CC are just there to do what they gotta do then get out. There wasn’t much socializing going on between students unless they knew each other from high school. I also noticed that after class most people just go home. They don’t really hang out after class like most people do in a uni. You’ll probably also notice that some of your classmates might be years older than you. I remember in my English class at my CC there were some people my age. But also a lot of people who were older. (30/40s.) I’m not saying you won’t make any new friends. But just don’t get your hopes up too high. In my experience and my friend’s experiences a CC social setting is very different than a uni setting. It’s not a bad thing. Just different. Good luck! :)</p>
<p>I can pretty much confirm everything that moonlightpath said. People go to class and go home or they hang out with friends they knew from HS. Many people do not expand their social circles. I can have a good time with people in class, I can sometimes find people I know in the cafeteria/cafe to talk to, but it doesn’t go further than that. I spent a lot of time studying by myself in the library (I didn’t really have time to study while off anyway…) College is different than high school. In HS you would probably be picked on for not talking to people a lot. In college, nobody cares. You can go the entire semester without interacting with others (not that you should do that…). None of the clubs at my CC look particularly interesting either.</p>
<p>That may have sounded pretty bad but I’m actually looking forward to classes starting. I’m going to try to make this semester a better one. </p>
<p>I have the same fears as you, OP! And I can confirm what moonlightpath and Numbersz said, since I took a summer class right after graduating from HS this summer. It was a lot worse in the summer because there’s no focus on freshman and orientation and ‘a new school year’ and all that. There aren’t any clubs during the summer either, if I recall. I’m definitely going to try to join a club or the student union this upcoming fall semester, hopefully I’ll make friends that way and maybe you should, too!
I thought of joining a sports fitness class, but the times were bad for my schedule so I decided not to, but I think that joining a team-sport, even if only as an elective, would have been beneficial, too.
My community college’s freshman orientation is also pretty bad, it’s online. I think it would have been great if it were an actual event where students can get to know each other, but nope, all online. Hopefully schools can change that, and perhaps add online orientations for those who don’t want to go to the physical one. </p>
<p>at my community college many people hung out in the student center and if you went everyday you would often see the same people there each time and you could join them and make friends that way.</p>