Some people might scoff at this, but there is a classic book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. It has basic principles on how to be a good conversationalist and how to build genuine relationships; it’s a book about developing social skills. It’s highly rated on Amazon, and there is an audiobook on Audible. But this isn’t a substitute for a therapist so yes, give that a try, and commit to sticking with it.
I would like to provide everyone an update to the thread. My university is undergoing a massive change at the current moment. A new provost was recently hired, and the board of trustees is looking to hire a new president as well. An equine professor left, and the department has decided to hire a replacement. In addition, our older horses are being sold with the hope to eventually purchase some who are younger. Since our new provost has started making decisions as he sees best, there has been much controversy on campus, and such a change has resulted in one professor being suspended during the middle of the semester. I was also placed on the hall with the majority of the university’s lacrosse players despite having no connection to athletics. The lacrosse team was cut during the last week leading to spring break, resulting in several transfers. Lastly, my former resident assistant was replaced along with the spiritual life assistant for the hall. My university is certainly experiencing rapid and aggressive change on all fronts, which may cause some issues to be more pronounced than they normally would.
While I have provided you with the state of the university, I have yet to comment on myself and any potential progress made. I must say my social life has continued its downward trend. In fact, a majority of the equine department freshmen have formed a clique. They have not been welcoming to me and socially hostile at most. I have begun to communicate with the department chair, and while I can’t say my issues with people have improved, he did apologize to me. He said the program has lost its accepting nature, and it is against the Christian values of the university. He instructed his farm manager to allow me to be more involved at the farm. I was also given a senior horse to care for, a former vaulting horse now used primarily for therapeutic riding. My classes are becoming more difficult with the wear becoming more apparent as time goes. I reached a low for any grade received in college so far with a 73 on my most psychology exam. Current grading trends have me obtaining an A in every subject except for a possible A- in Stable Management and a C in psychology. The grades are not however final, meaning there is still time for improvement. Thankfully, psychology is nothing more than a general requirement in any case. As long as my combined GPA remains over 3.5, at least a C will insure a passing grade and the end to a very difficult class. I’m not settling, but I am willing to go for a pass rather than an A if needed. Finally, I was able to secure an internship with a camp in Pennsylvania for the summer as a wrangler and another at the farm I started riding at over 10 years ago. Other than my social life, I can say college is going well. There are days where I don’t have a single conversation with anyone, and almost every meal I have is still eaten alone, but I’m glad to see greater professional respect from my department and potential employers. Thank you to everyone who has offered advice on this thread, and also for the tolerance of the rant I had when I first made it. If you have any further advice for social success on campus, please let me know!