<p>I am a freshman and I have been here over two months. I really enjoy the school, but I am not very fond of the social life. I have not made any friends here, as people seem to not be interested and many people I've talked to want to remain friends with high school friends. I also really don't care for the bar scene over house party scene. I am thinking of rushing for a fraternity next semester to get to know people and help me know what i should do. Do any of y'all have any thoughts on what i should do?</p>
<p>Jack, try to get involved a group or activity that interests you. You are one of thousands of freshmen who want to meet others and form lasting friendships. Join a club, go to the fitness center, sign up for a service project, or form a study group. Some of your tries will work–others may be a bust. Just keep working to meet people. The high school to college transition is hard for many students. Taking the risk and putting yourself out there can be uncomfortable, but know that other students in your same position will be happy that you did. </p>
<p>Making friends takes longer than a couple of months. Some people are lucky that they click with people in their dorm, but that doesn’t happen for everyone. And it takes a while for kids to let go of the safety net of HS friends. I know way back in the day, I didn’t like USC until around Thanksgiving, then I never wanted to go home - it took that long to find my niche.</p>
<p>Pay attention to dorm announcements and join a intramural team or follow suggestions above to join a club (my niece loves Carolina Productions), do service projects, etc. Keep up with what’s going on around campus - go to Rocky Horror tonight at RH, check out the eclub video game night, trick or treat at the presidents house - these are just a few events I see online for students. Check out Outdoor rec offerings, Greek life is fine but not a cure all. As with any group of people, some fraternity brothers will become friends and some won’t give you the time of day. You want to have fun, but college is about academics - get involved in your major department. That will give you a group of people with something in common. There is plenty to do without making the party scene the deciding factor in your experience - </p>
<p>I think you posted something a bit ago about USC not being “southern” enough for you and thinking of transferring somewhere else.</p>
<p>Let me give you some advice as a southern born and raised girl. USC is very southern. Any of the other schools you mentioned, will be just as southern, but not necessarily more. Southern culture isn’t really what you see in the movies and read in books. But, the south is a very big place and the culture varies from state to state.</p>
<p>As for making friends, it can be hard. That being said, 99% of people I’ve come to know after being in college for (almost) four years say that the majority of their “friends” from freshman year are no longer their friends by senior year. So I would just say: Stick it out. Find your niche. You definitely have time to find friends. There’s only two people who I was really good friends with my freshman year that I’m still really good friends with today. The others who I thought were going to be my life-long best friends, I’ve only seen a couple of times this semester.</p>
<p>What’s important to you? Are you passionate about your major? Is there a club for it? If not, consider other groups to become involved with. I, personally, think religious groups can be great because they’re pretty all encompassing, but that might not be your thing. Do you like sports? Music? Are your classes small enough to actually get to know people?</p>
<p>Here’s another thing that can be kind of difficult to learn in college. You have to make an effort to make friends. You don’t necessarily see the same people every day at the same time. If you talk to someone in class, you should exchange contact info with them and just randomly text them and say “Hey, Want to grab coffee?” or “I just saw this cool event, are you going?” Reaching out to people really works and honestly, there are plenty of others out there who feel just like you, and they’d probably welcome the random invitation.</p>
<p>Do you have a routine? Vary it – leave your room to study. There are places in the library that are more for hanging out rather than getting serious work done. Take a different route to class. Eat at new table. Take a class at the fitness center. If you are the least bit religious, check out the mid-week socials at a campus church center. These groups are welcoming. You will be out of your comfort zone, but hang in there.</p>