Do you feel like you fit in at college? Have you befriended a few classmates and discovered a student club you really love?
If the answer is yes, that’s great. But if you don’t think you fit in, you’re not alone. It can take months or longer for a new college student to feel like they belong. College is a huge change in life, so don’t feel bad if it takes longer than you expected to find your place.
If you’re having trouble fitting in at college, what can you do about it? Our best advice is: keep being yourself, but get outside your comfort zone. Try to continue meeting new people, and find clubs that fit in with your own interests. The classes you take might help you find new study groups, out-of-school activities, or people with shared interests.
There’s actually an advantage to not fitting in: the freedom of choice. You can move between different groups and social circles, getting the chance to explore without being committed to a clique.
Resist pressure to change who you are in order to fit in. Being yourself is more important than that. But this is college, and college is the best opportunity for you to learn more about yourself. Explore new things, take classes about unfamiliar subjects, and hang out with people you normally wouldn’t. College is the perfect time to try new things, so explore new passions, follow impulses, and have adventures. If you don’t like a new experience, nobody will ever force you to do it twice.
Our last piece of advice is simple: be patient. Some people are extroverts who can adapt and make friends easily, but not everyone’s that lucky. It may take a few months or even a semester to find a good, supportive group of friends and classmates.
We’ll do our best to help. There are around 10,000 students at North Lake College, dozens of student clubs and organizations, and numerous events throughout the school year. Our four sports teams always have cheering fans. From athletics to anime, from drawing to job skills, NLC’s student community has room for every passion. It may take time for you to find your place, but when you do find it, the rewards will be worth the effort.
