Fitting In at College

By Sammy K

High school is about the same for everyone. We all have the cliques and labels, but one way or another, we have a group that we fit in with. College still has its own groups and cliques, but they’re different than high school. People mature and become more open to meeting new people outside of their “type.” You may realize that you’re making friends of every type of group. Believe it or not, this is a great thing. Exposure to what is different is very eye opening and gives a perspective that we may not have had in high school.

If you’re looking to be part of a particular group in college, it’s a waste of time. Think of your school as a big community that you’re part of. Everyone has different personalities, likes and dislikes, fashion preferences, hobbies, etc. But you all have one thing in common: you belong to this big educational community. You’re a lot more alike than you think.

Fitting in at college isn’t the same as it was in high school. In high school, there were only so many people and so many groups. There were only so many after school activities to participate in and only so many places to go in town. In college, the possibilities seem endless. Not only are there like thousands and thousands of more people than high school, your choice of extracurriculars increases a ton. If you like skiing, join a ski club. If you like politics, join your College Republicans or College Democrats. Do something that you like and you’re bound to meet people you truly enjoy being around. Now, just because you both like skiing or politics, doesn’t make you best friends. There are still going to be those people that you don’t like so much. The point is, you have more ways to meet people and find your niche.

In college, fitting in isn’t really a thing, honestly. People tend to mature and become more open minded to meeting new people. You’re not going to walk down a hallway and feel like the popular kids are judging you, or that the punk rock kids hate you; you’re going to go to class and everyone is going to mind their own business for the most part. Once you get to class, you have the chance to meet students interested in the same academics as you are, or are even in the same major as you are. This is how I met one of my very good friends. It was my first day of college and her and I hit it off so well that we decided to hang out a few days later and have been close ever since. We fit in together and aren’t worried about whether we fit in with the “right” people or not. College isn’t a popularity contest anymore.

Take a deep breath and relax if you don’t find yourself donning a Greek letter jacket or in an RA position; you have your own group. You know where you belong, so don’t give up friendships to pursue being a “cool kid.” You’re perfect to your new friends, and that’s where you fit in.

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