"I Wasn't Told This Before College" #1: Don't Forget How to Make Friends

   In my home school district, we had three middle schools that fed into one big high school. While in middle school, you build teams and comradeship based on your middle school being "better" than the others. And then you get to high school, everyone becomes the Lions (even though all eleven schools in the district have the same mascot that simply ages through the schools). 
   That being said, I am so grateful for the friends I have. Though most of my group came from different middle schools than me, or even outside the school at all, they are incredibly important to me and the greatest friends that I have ever had.  Some might say that you should keep them closer than ever. I tend to agree with that. Others might say that you should let them go and make friends for this new part of life. But most say to keep your older friends very close while still making new friends. That is the best option.

   A little back story about me. I am one of the most happy, outgoing, fun loving, optimistic people you will ever meet. I have never ever had any difficulty making friends. But making friends in college actually depressed me. Why? Because I had completely forgotten how to do so.
   I now know why I had such a difficult time. I am not a partier. Parties do not interest me unless it is a family party in which there is a guarantee of at least one board game. Drunk people are only funny to a certain point. I can't stand the smell of alcohol. And drugs? I am a Pharmaceutical Science major who intends on becoming a Pharmacologist. The only thing I want do to with drugs is to study their effect on the brain. 
   But this kind of conversation was all I could find. Everywhere. 
   Gradually I found a few people who liked what I like, and we would have fun while in class, but never hung out outside of class. By October of my first semester, I actually cried about being lonely. It was horrible. Here I was, never have been without friends or family in my life. And to make matters worse, my grandma, affectionately known as Dahgo, passed away a few days before Halloween. 
   I was absolutely miserable, with the only things keeping me sane being my mom who I texted constantly, my boyfriend who I basically only saw on weekends, and Netflix. I had nothing to do and no one to do it with. Except chemistry. But I don't want to rant right now. Maybe later. 
   Until one Saturday night after spending the day with my dad, I realized my mom, sister, aunt, and cousin were all on campus for a women's volleyball game. As I talked with them, and watched a sport I hadn't played in years, I realized that there was something for me to do.
   I had not played a sport since before junior year, when I quit softball due to politics issues. I instead took up dance after seven years and performed in a school theatre productions. I had told myself that I wanted to get back into softball for fun when in college, but had missed the deadline for an intermural team because I was still depressed about being cut from my university's (really freaking fantastic) marching band . I had been really close, but hadn't made it, and had to move in to my dorm less than a week after having been cut.
   But it was the end of October. I looked at potential spring semester sports, but everything started in March. I need something right that minute. Something I could get involved with. So I started to look through clubs. Some of them are junior varsity-ish teams, and some are actually clubs, and thankfully, the Taekwondo club was an actual club.

   That brings me to November, also known as The-Month-That-College-Actually-Started-Getting-Fun-Outside-Of-Class. I attended a meeting of the club, which was actually a class, and after getting over the intial weirdness of being the only non-black belt, it was awesome. I was ready to (and did) pay dues by the second class, even though I had two free. 
   So that's where I pick up here. Spring semester is already 17.3 times better because I actually have friends that I can have dinner and hang out with who like Broadway and fandom and science. And I could win the award for Most Active Member of the Club Who Has Only Been Here for a Two Months. One of my friends pointed out that out to me today, and I told her I was happy to. It kept me from marathoning television. Well, kind of. 

MORAL OF THE STORY: don't forget how to make friends or else you will be miserable for two months until you join a club where you learn how to hit and kick people for fun.