College

[raesong1017]

I suffer from social anxiety and I'm supposed to be moving out for college soon. Any tips to survive college life?

[bluepianist]

Same here! Moving in two weeks from now! Good luck to you! I'd suggest joining a club or organization that helps you escape dorm life. There also tends to be group sessions involving mental health talks, sort of like a support group. My therapist highly suggested joining one of those. I don't know if you've heard this before, sorry if you're hearing it again, but the people in your college probably won't see you again after you graduate. I am personally excited to start over now that I've graduated high school. Nobody has to know where you came from.

[EleanorRose]

I think my biggest piece of advice, if you can call it that, is to just stick at it.

I remember going to university (I’m in the UK) and crying and crying when my parents left. I went home fairly frequently for the first few months and cried every time I went back. I could have dropped out numerous times but I am so glad I didn’t. The first 4/5 months were tough but once I got past that bit, I now look back on it as one of the best times of my life.

There will be so many different people but the thing everyone will have in common is a desire to fit in and make friends. Just like in other parts of life, there will be people you like and others you’re not so keen on. If you can, try to push yourself to do things that make you feel uncomfortable in the first couple of weeks - don’t do anything you’ll really dislike but go to things that might make your anxiety levels rise (they will come down again!) in order to meet new people. It’s easier than you think to make new friends in the first few weeks as everyone is in the same position. If you make yourself ‘available’ other people will initiate conversations and you can just take their lead.

I did some things (nightclubs etc) in the first couple of weeks that I didn’t enjoy particularly but it got me to meet people. I made a friend who was a bit more outgoing than me and that led to further friendships.

The other thing to remember is, there will be people just like you and people the complete opposite and everyone in between. Don’t compare yourself to others or feel you have to behave a certain way or do certain things to be a ‘college student’ - make it your experience that you enjoy.

[pink318]

Hi- I used to be shy and timid and when I started going to college, it was very challenging for me. I was born and raised in the rural area and then my university is located in the big city. It was a hard adjustment for me. I met a friend who is also my classmate and she’s a very good person. She understood that I was shy so she encouraged me and we became close friends. Because of her, I met a group of people and it helped me to overcome my low self-esteem..

My son is a rising sophomore in college. When he started college, he joined organizations to help him adapt to a new life. He enjoys his college life as well as living in the dorm.

I hope you will enjoy your college days and you will be surrounded with people you can trust. Praying for you, take care.