feeling like i don't belong

I recently started uni (2 weeks ago) and although I've met some nice people, I have no real friends as such as I havnt clicked with my hall. I made friends elsewhere (which is a problem as coordinating dinner is extremely hard so I often have to eat alone!)

The thing is, I'm a pretty quiet person by nature, and enjoy my alone time to read//hangout online etc. The atmosphere at my uni though is one of getting drunk every night and being hungover, but that just isnt me. I'm enjoying my course a lot but I totally feel right now that uni is more about endless drinking, than say, enjoying your course. I'm not sure what the aim of this post is, just for advice I suppose, but I'm genuinly feeling like I don't belong as part of the university crowd

Reply 1

generalebriety

I don't belong to the "typical" uni crowd, but I'm having a great time. Not once have I gone out clubbing, and I've been out drinking once (and had nothing more than two pints). It's almost certainly not easy (I don't get on with most people I live near either, though one or two are really nice), but try joining clubs or societies, or speaking to people before/after lectures, or at dinner (if you're at a catered uni). Get to know the people in your hall and see if they have any other friends in the university or the city that you might like too. If the worst comes to the worst, realise that uni is a time for working and so on, and the more work (and hence less socialising) you do, the better your degree class will be at the end - you're not paying £10,000 a year for nothing, you know. :smile:

Purely for reference: I'm a member of the university's maths society, German society, I go out with the LGBT crowd, occasionally go to the theatre, attend formal hall and college swaps, and speak to all sorts of people in lectures and at dinner. There's plenty of opportunities even if you don't do sport or go clubbing - let's face it, all of my uni activities are academically based. :p:

Reply 2

Francophobia

If you're someone who prefers solitude and enjoys reading and being online, chances are you wouldn't find being part of the crowd and binge-drinking every night as fulfilling as your usual pasttimes anyway.
Concentrate on your studies -- even if you feel like you don't fit in, you will have a much better chance of success in the long term if you do your work instead of partying.

Reply 3

Henerz

You know, you really should try to find the silver lining. It's a weekday night, one of my friends' bands is playing, so they ask me if I'd like to come along, support my firnds, and enevitably have a few drinks. Physics homework? Revise for Maths test? (I'm still in U6th) No chance.

You might find it rewarding and a good attribute to honestly be able to say you'd rather do you studying.