<p>I'm going to start college this year, and I'm worried that I won't be able to make any friends. I never had many friends in high school, and I'm worried that it'll be really awkward for me to be completely alone in college.</p>
<p>The major issue is that most people say to make friends with similar interests, but I don't have many interests at all. I feel totally fulfilled from studying all day (future science major), so I'm basically extremely boring. I still have no idea what to say when people ask me what hobbies I have. When I talk to people, I rarely feel like I can relate, so my replies are either awkward or trite/meaningless.</p>
<p>I'm okay with not having close friends, but does anyone have some advice on...well, how I can survive in college without seeming really weird?</p>
<p>You do have an interest: science. There are academic orgs, as well as one’s focused on particular activities or interests, and they often offer opportunities related to certain majors/fields, as well as social activities. You can try joining an organization related to your major and participating in some of the events that they hold. If you volunteer to help plan events or if you hold a leadership position, that can be a good way to help you meet people and give you a built in topic of conversation (planning an event, etc). You could also try to set up a study group for one of your classes, which can be a good way to meet a couple people in your classes.</p>
<p>I also met a lot of people by working in labs, which would provide you with good experience and give you people to hang out with. You can also meet a lot of people by working part-time at a place that hires a lot of student workers (like a dining hall, library, student center, etc). You may not feel like you have a lot in common with people, but you can also have personalities that click without having hobbies or particular interests in common. I met a lot of people at work that I never would have met otherwise because we didn’t have anything in common, really, but we still became good friends.</p>
<p>Maybe something that you can look into is academic clubs at college - most schools have tons of different kinds of clubs, so hopefully you can find one where you can bond with people who are also passionate about science another thing to look into is just exploring hobbies; you might not have many because you haven’t tried them out yet! Try going to a few meetings of clubs that you think you might be interested even if you don’t have any experience, and you might end up finding something besides school that you love. It’s totally fine for your main passion to be school/work, but don’t limit yourself by not checking out the other opportunities you have. You can also make friends by talking to people in your classes - suggesting study groups can be a great way to get to know people as well (you can keep the relationship academic and make some study buddies but you could also suggest hanging out after you finish studying). I personally study best alone but I still study with people in my classes just as a way to be social and get to know people better.</p>
<p>I understand where you are coming from. I am one of the most boring people you will ever meet, no joke. And on top of that I am an introvert. But I have made many good friends throughout my college years. I have found the best way to do this is to sit next to someone your first day of class and just introduce yourself. You would be surprised how many meaningful connections you can make by just doing that.</p>
<p>you don’t need to surround yourself with people you don’t feel comfortable to be with.
it’s really not a bad thing to be by yourself, especially in college.
I’m not very much of an outgoing person myself either, I’m quite shy around people that I don’t know.
Just try to be excited to meet new people, and it’s cool because you’re starting off in a new place and there’s gonna be people that you’ve never met before in your life.
The thing is, a lot of people will be as worried as you are. you’re not the only that’s new to the place.
Try to be as friendly as you can, and being goofy definitely helps too.</p>
<p>What I’m trying to say is, don’t feel obligated to make friends if you feel uncomfortable. no one really cares in college if you’re by yourself at lunch and whatnot.</p>
another thing to look into is just exploring hobbies; you might not have many because you haven’t tried them out yet! Try going to a few meetings of clubs that you think you might be interested even if you don’t have any experience, and you might end up finding something besides school that you love. It’s totally fine for your main passion to be school/work, but don’t limit yourself by not checking out the other opportunities you have. You can also make friends by talking to people in your classes - suggesting study groups can be a great way to get to know people as well (you can keep the relationship academic and make some study buddies but you could also suggest hanging out after you finish studying). I personally study best alone but I still study with people in my classes just as a way to be social and get to know people better.</p>