Building Up a Social Life In This Whole New World

Entering the college world is a shock to the system.  While the most important part of attending university is, hands down, to focus on academics, you will not be spending all of your time on work.  There are 168 hours in a week, and typically, a student should  spend about two hours studying for each credit hour.  For example, I am taking 15 credit hours this semester, so I spend about 30 hours studying each week.  That still leaves 123 hours in the week for sleeping, eating, participating in extracurriculars, and of course, socializing.

I come from a town so small that I knew my entire graduating class, and everyone that I knew from my town was categorized in my mind as “friend” or “not-friend.”  Now, I am standing as a small fish in this huge, endless pond of new people and experiences.  Before I came here, I was honestly terrified of this fact.  I could recognize a few friendly faces from my orientation group, but I did not have a single real friend upon entering.  Only recently have I realized the incredible advantages of my situation.

Back in my town, I was already known as Brittany, the Harry Potter nerd who likes to solve Rubik’s Cubes competitively.  In coming to this new place as a stranger, I did not have any labels upon entering.  I have been able to test my social skills in a whole new light, and it has opened so many doors.  The best part of this situation, however, has not been a change in me.  I still am a Harry Potter nerd, but I have found my other Potterheads on campus to bond, reminisce and discuss our favorite wizard with. I used to solve Rubik’s Cubes alone in my room.  Now, I’m an active member of the Rubik’s Cube club on campus, and my skills have improved thanks to it.  I have not had to change, but the world around me has.  For that, I could not be more grateful.

There used to be a little voice in my head that said, “When you go to college, you won’t be able to make friends.”  I was under the impression that my limited experience with social experiences would deter my ability to socialize and make friends.  However, I could not have been more wrong.  College is an incredible place where nerds are cool, where weird hobbies are treasured and where anyone can have a chance to explore something new.  Just a few weeks ago, I was the girl who was dreading having to build her own social life. Now, I am telling you this: IF I CAN SOCIALIZE, ANYONE CAN.  If you’re sitting in your dorm room early on in the semester, refusing to socialize out of intimidation, fear of rejection, or any other excuse, you’re doing it wrong.  Get out there and get your name known!