<p>I like UMass but I wonder about it for my son, (a junior now) who is really quiet and shy. He has had the same four friends forever so I'm not sure he has such great skills at meeting and connecting with new people. He goes to a really big high school. He has lots of aquaintances but complains he doesn't see these people enough to turn them into friends. (That sounds weird, but you get the point)</p>
<p>Are there particular activities, groups, dorm situations, etc. that make it easier for the quiet and shy to make friends rather than just aquaintances who just say hi in passing? I know everyone says to join clubs, etc., but I wondered if there are any particular clubs or activities that are known for their friendliness.</p>
<p>Have you taken your son to see UMass? My son is also on the shy side and goes to a big high school. He wanted a BIG campus. We looked at big, small, urban, rural and everything in between. He definitely had his preferences. I suggest you take you son on tours of different types of schools and see what appeals to him.</p>
<p>My son applied to UMass, UConn, UDel, SUNY ALbany and Syracuse (and a few others), was accepted to all of these (and some smaller ones), and will be going to UDel.</p>
<p>I was also shy, but couldn’t wait to go to college to ‘re-invent’ myself. I felt that in high school everybody had already type-cast me as the shy, quiet kid but in college, no one knew that and I could start anew. I think my son’s feeling the same way. He’s really looking forward to the fall.</p>
<p>He should be able to bond really well with his dorm floor when he moves in. I would also suggest looking into joining a fraternity while he is a 2nd semester freshman. You bond with and meet a lot of people very well that way.</p>