Is it normal to be lonely in college?
I'm 23 and recently received my A.A degree from a community college last May(had classes 2-3 days a week) and I understand how lonely it can be. You're surrounded by many different people (adults who are 30 yrs going back to school,duel enrollment students,students who go to community college cause it's cheaper,etc.) Everyone in the end are focused on their own education. After class you either go home or to work. The routine does get boring and lonely. It's not high school where everyone fools around. Everyone has a background story. (example:a mother who went back to school for a nursing degree to support her family) I sense, from my experienced in a community college, that some don't really have the time to socialize and make friends. Most have jobs and family to take care of. In a huge University most students are young,spoiled and party a lot. Some waste their tuition by dropping out or whatever. The environment seems awesome but I'm guessing that most don't really care about their future and just want to act "independent". 2-3 yrs at a community college taught me a lot. I did made decent friends (3 friends). I had to do everything alone. I was serious about my studies because money was involved and literally couldn't afford to fail a class. I really worked hard. The older students also taught me a lot too. They kind of inspired me to focus on the true things in life. like family vs. binge drinking lol. I dunno. Yeah that's my story. And a A.A degree seems useless to some. But I am proud of my hard work and carefully choosing my B.A major.(I'm taking a yr off to know what I really want to major in so I won't waste time/money). And also it seems lonely cause usually most community colleges are small so there's not a lot of people on campus to mingle with. And everyday can be the best day ever. If you want college to give you the good years okay then but appreciate everyday,life is a blessing. Give it time, you will attract friends in community college and you will transfer to a nice university. You're 18 and your growing up. Reality will unfold.
Very Lonely in College?
I'm a freshman in college. I've been in college for five days and have not made any friends. I see a lot of freshmen who already knew a lot of people, or have made friends easily. I'm very shy, and it has always been really difficult for me to really open up and feel comfortable around others. I had very few friends in high school, and I wasn’t even close to any of them. I was always lonely in high school, and now it seems like college will end up being the same way. I feel like, I don't know how to make a friend. Like, never before have I gotten to a point where I can call or text a friend whenever I want to, or hang out with friends outside of school. I don't know how to get to that point with someone. I've talked to a couple of people here, it has always just been small, short, meaningless talk, and has never led to anything else. I don't know how to go about creating a real friendship with someone. It's frustrating, and depressing. It seems like so many people here already have friends, so why would they need another one anyway? Especially one as boring and shy as me. I can't help but want to have friends though. I've been feeling incredibly lonely, and I don't think I can stand to feel this bad for the next four years. It'd just be nice, for the first time ever, to have a good group of friends that I can hang out, have fun, and create great memories with. But who knows if that'll ever happen for someone like me.
Is it normal to feel lonely or sad while in college?
When I joined college some years ago, I used to be someone who was very focused on studies.I used to be indulged in my books and never bothered what everyone around was up to.If I was greeted by someone, I'd nod and greet them back. That's it.Never initiated any conversations and spent most of my time by myself.I didn't consider making friends as such; preferred sitting alone, lost in my thoughts.I was happy by myself but deep inside, I craved to have friends and to have a normal life just like others.I used to be so conscious about what others thought of me that it kept me from opening up and hence I started feeling lonely even in a classroom full of people.But then gradually, I changed myself. I started talking to like minded people and made great friends! I started feeling good about myself and that just raised my confidence.I lately understood that studies are no doubt important in life but so is to make relations; to have friends to talk your heart out with!Now, I can happily say that I'm completely different from what I used to be.To answer your question: Yeah, it is quite normal to feel lonely in college but it's only till you decide to change yourself!Once you choose to come out of your shell, to open up a little infront of someone, to peel off the mask you've put on yourself and show you inner true self; you come out of the phase of loneliness as well.Go out there, just open up a little and you'll find people with same interests. Talk with them on generic topics and Voila, you've got a friend!It would be for the best, you'll never be lonely again!With love!-Nishtha
Why do I feel so alone at college?
Having gone to college for a time myself, I can tell you what you're feeling is pretty normal. College is different because everybody who is there is paying a lot of money for it. In my experience, other students don't always want to interrupt somebody else who may have important things to do. It's a weird thing, but out of respect a lot of people worry about bothering others who could be really busy. A good way to find some new friends and whatnot is to find people who are just relaxing and strike up a conversation. If you feel brave, ask if they wanna trade numbers or something and hang out sometime. At my school, we have a pool hall on campus where I did just that and ended up with people to chill with every day! Find someone who's doing something you like, find a common interest and use that to form an impression with the other person/people. I walked in one day and saw a bunch of guys playing cards (my favorite pastime) so I dropped in and after a few days of that, I was officially one of the guys. Just prepare yourself for rejection. Not everyone is looking for a friend in college, and that's a fair outlook. Just put yourself out there and don't let a failed attempt dissuade you from trying again. Good luck!
Is it okay to be alone in college?
That depends on what you mean by alone, and it depends on what you're studying.If you mean, "is it okay not to be romantically involved?" The answer is yes, so long as you're not so upset about being single that it's distracting you from your work.If you mean "is it okay to essentially be a loner?" I would say that is not the end of the world, but you're probably doing yourself a disservice; you'd be amazed at how nice it is to have someone to eat dinner with, or to have a conversation with over a snack between classes.If you mean, "is it okay that I don't interact with my classmates?" I'm going to say no. According to your profile, you're studying culture and politics. These subjects require an understanding of other people, with different values, and how they relate to each other, and how that affects society.You could possibly be a chemist or a physicist and be a loner, but not a sociologist.
Do you ever feel lonely in college?
When I was in college, in another province and away from everyone I had known, in a town a fraction of the size of my home city…very far outside my comfort zone I felt extremely lonely indeed…that changed after I sent used to let go of home and ACCEPT the change, the differences in my new environment. The culture shock was pulling me under making it very hard to breath.Once I accepted that the people n places and customs were not the same, I made a concerted effort to adapt; never forgetting where I came from, instead taking what I knew and what I was learning and do ding ways to celebrate both.I began making new friends by joining various extracurricular groups in and outside of the college I attended;I immersed my self in my studies and made time for fun. To curb the lonely feelings of homesickness, I kept in touch with some folks back home. Reminded myself that feelings come and go. Acceptance is not easy always. Not just a matter of words but I needed to I side out recognize where I was, what I felt and why. I had some help from campus counselors, and new friends who I add also some of whom also travelled from various parts of Canada to study there too…so really, that feeling of being 'the only one's, decreased after we all connected n shared our experiences…Whether it be college or just moving to a new unfamiliar place, those feelings can arm from being outside comfort zones…it's about creating a new comfort zone. The biggest element in my humble opinion was and remains communication…the first and single most crucial skill to any new situation is the ability and choice to communicate with others. That is what broke the I've, helped me find new friends, create new skills and carry on in and after college to a new job at the time. To this day I still talk with some folks from those days over 15 years ago!
How can I feel less lonely in college?
My years in college were marked by an almost ever present fear of loneliness. So your question immediately struck a chord with me.That being said, I don’t think you’re going to get much more advice than simply “Try to meet more people.” But I’ll try to take it a step further, based on what I learned from overcoming loneliness.Find your niche. I never felt more lonely than when I was the most social. I was friends with everybody on campus. And this was clearly better than being friends with nobody. However those friendships were all superficial. I was a social butterfly who could go to parties and mingle with everyone, but still went back to my isolated existence at the end of the night. I lacked a tribe. Find your tribe.On the other hand, be open to everyone. An ecosystem can’t thrive without diversity. You need novel experiences with new and interesting people to feel like you’re sufficiently interacting with the world.Be a planner and organizer. This is the most important thing I’ll say. When you plan a party/trip/book club/social event you bring a ton more value to your social circle. It will create trust and bonds and mutual experiences that will make your friendships more tightly knit.Understand the most fulfilling relationships take time. Ultimately, my loneliness didn’t go away until I left college and formed deeper and richer bonds with men and women that I’ve maintained over the past half decade. This can be difficult in a place as transient as college. But the realer and more long lasting your bonds are, the harder it is for that feeling of loneliness to creep in.Hope this helps!
I am feeling lonely at college?
Hey your not the only one going through this. I was the same as you last year. Take a chance, this is the time for you to break out of your normal habits and meet some new people with some awesome oppertunities for you. Here is one thing that I did sit with different people at meal times. Just ask if you can sit there and introduce your self. The other people will do the same, if you get stuck for conversation talk about the food, peoples majors, where everyone is from, what you are looking forward to in the coming year. Go to the mixers that the freshman committee set up. That is a great way to meet people, everyone is just looking to meet someone new and have a great time. Check to see if you class has a Facebook Groups page, this is where people can talk about different things and even set up times to meet other people and do things. Talk to the other girls in your hall, just knock on the door and introduce yourself, it is good to know someone else that lives on your floor. Keeping your door open while you have some of your favorite music on will make people interested and they might come by and say hi. Once classes start you will meet the other people in your class and you will bond with them over crappy tests, bad lectures and ridiculous instructors. People will get together to do projects and late night study groups the day before tests. There will be plenty of time for you to meet people. Don't stress over being homesick, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE goes through it. Just take it a day at a time. Something that I did when I got home sick was just take some time to pamper my self. I would take a nice long hot shower, make some of my favorite snacks and watch one of my favorite movies or tv shows. I would also just call my mom and ask how her day went, just hearing her voice would make me feel better sometimes. I hope that this helps you some and good luck with all your studies :) ~ Kendra :D ~
Eating alone in college?
I am a college freshman and did not know anyone there. I ate alone and it felt really awkward and uncomfortable. I felt like everyone was looking at me as some weird loner. Have you ever ate alone in college? Do you think people care if you eat alone actually? I just hate looking like a loner but I'm hungry