Sophomore struggling to make friends

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>So I've posted a few threads about this before but my situation hasn't improved much and I like venting on here so here I go, and sorry this is going to be long. I'm an out of state sophomore female that goes to Auburn University (I didn't mention my school name before but I am now since I think this will give people a better idea) and I'm from the northeast, so the culture down south is different than I'm used to but I expected this and find it not too different. I struggled to make friends and even acquaintances my freshman year and was completely depressed by spring semester, I was crying almost everyday and missed my family and friends a lot. I also felt like something was wrong with me since all my friends were having a blast at college and making great friends. It would be awkward over holidays when my hometown friends would ask me about my college friends, so I just tried to avoid the subject and told them I had a few friends but wasn't super close to them (not true. I was too embarrassed to tell them I had not a single friend). They still don't know but I feel like they are catching on. And on top of this my mom kept badgering me to go make friends and to just come home instead of wasting her and my dads money so I felt awful about failing their expectations. My grades were pretty good despite my emotional distress, but I know my parents want the best for me and I feel like I'm failing them by being miserable 1000 miles away from home. I've tried joining a club sport and while I enjoy getting to play my favorite sport I have not really connected with others at the club. People show up inconsistently and usually don't have intentions to make friends, so this makes it difficult for me to make friends. I really don't know how else to get involved at Auburn since nothing else interests me besides sports. I interviewed for a student govt organization but didn't make it so this discouraged me even more. However, this year I did make one acquaintance/friend, but I find her pretty annoying and we don't have much in common. It's nice to hang out with someone but I'm getting to the point where I'd rather be alone than with her since she's very pessimistic and complains about her boyfriend all the time, and I don't want to here it since I don't care. As you can see, I'm pretty miserable and getting desperate to find friends that I actually like since fall semester is almost over and I'm dreading being a junior with only one friend that I don't even like. Any positive advice would be appreciated!!</p>

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<p>How are you interacting with people at these club events? Do you normally wait for people to initiate a conversation, or do you actively engage people? In some cases, you may have to break out of your comfort zone and initiate conversations with people. It may very well be that they are shy as well.</p>

<p>As for your interest in sports, and only sports, what other sports clubs or intramurals are available at your school that might interest you? Is there any other hobby that sounds appealing? There are likely hundreds of clubs at Auburn where you can connect with people… I really encourage you to break out of your comfort zone and try new things. It’s what college is all about.</p>

<p>FWIW, I made most of my college friends through study groups, roommates/suitemates, and my part-time on-campus job in the mail room. I honestly never had much luck making good friends in any clubs that I got involved with. Plenty of acquaintances, but not a lot of friends.</p>

<p>Regardless, you don’t deserve to be miserable there. Try actively engaging with people more, giving them a fair shake, and really trying to be open-minded to trying new things. It will likely help a lot!</p>