<p>This is my first post but here it goes. I am a sophomore actuarial science student at a somewhat small private university (~4000 students) in St. Louis, Missouri, where I have lived for most of my life. My whole family is here including my parents who I am very close to (and my dog).</p>
<p>The social scene at my school is overall pretty boring and I don't have really any close friends. I have several acquaintances but no one who I would see outside of class in a noneducational setting.</p>
<p>I'm an introverted person but I want to be extroverted. I'm really scared to meet people and the campus life here is pretty dead considering only about 800 students live on campus. As a result, I'm doing well in my classes but I'm very depressed. My social life has been diminished to seeing my parents and talking to my high school friends who go to school on the east and west coasts.</p>
<p>I'm considering transferring to Drake University (with the same major) in the Fall of 2013 for my Junior year to try to gain a social life and have that college experience that everyone talks about. My fear is that I will just revert to my introverted lifestyle of eating every meal alone in my room and fall into a deeper depression. If I stay in St. Louis, I'm almost certain that's how the next 2 years will be for me but at least I'll have my parents as a saving grace.</p>
<p>I'm not exactly sure what I'm asking for but if you made it this far, thanks for listening to my rant. I guess I would just like some advice, please.</p>
<p>Just some things to think about:</p>
<p>Does Drake get many transfer students? The larger the number of transfers, the easier your transition is likely to be, socially and academically, as there will be others sharing your experience.</p>
<p>What is the housing situation like at Drake? Do most students live on campus after the first year or do they move off campus? Are there many commuters?</p>
<p>Do you have any friends there that would give you a base for your social life?</p>
<p>Whether or not you transfer, I think you need to get out of your comfort zone and start joining clubs, study groups, whatever is necessary to get yourself out, meeting people, and getting involved in something. While college can be a great time in your life, truthfully it can also be very challenging because it means major changes in many ways and lots of expectations that may or may not be fulfilled.</p>
<p>Hang in there!</p>
<p>Take a Myers-Briggs test and discover some of your strengths as an introvert. Learn to enjoy being yourself. </p>
<p>You also will learn that a person cannot truly change who they are, but they can learn to flex their personality. In other words, if you are introverted, you can learn to become more extroverted in certain situations, for a certain amount of time; but you will unlikely become an extrovert because that is not who you are.</p>
I am having the exact same problem as you, and am really struggling.
I’m in the same situation.
This thread is 2 years old. Use old threads for research only. If you have question/comment, start a new discussion. Closing thread.