Struggles in college

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Im a freshman and am a month into my freshman year. I enjoy it much more than high school but it has defiantly been hard for me to adjust. First of all as a freshman I have to live in the dorm and I have a roommate. This has probably been the hardest thing for me. I like my room to be in a certain order and really don't like people messing with or touching my stuff. I also like to have my alone time and to not be bothered. She doesn't understand this and is always asking me to go eat at the dining hall or go work out. I also like the room to be clean. I also have been having a really hard time making friends. I really stuggle socially and haven't really made any friends besides my roommate and we are more of acquaintances than friends. Im doing well in classes, keeping up with homework. Got As on my first two college exams and quizzes but still feel very overwhelmed by school work even though I know the material. So if anyone has any experiences from their first year of school that they think would be helpful I could really use the advice.

Hmm. Well, I actually had a seperate bedroom to myself all 4 years of college, so in retrospect I was very lucky. I didn't even realize how lucky until now. I still was bothered by all the noise in the residence halls, though. So I stayed away from them as much as possible. I had late classes so that I could stay up most of the night in the computer lab, until people had gone to sleep, than come back. I spent most of the day in the library an the night in the computer lab. So that was what I did for noise. Friends, I'd say join interest groups, but that didn't really help me, so. Good luck, you'll do ok as you get more used to things.

I am a two time college grad, once in 1995 and then in 2010 (new degree) and now in graduate school.

I respect you need your alone time and find some way to get it, but don't turn down your roommates request. This person sounds like they are really nice and tolerant and later on those types are hard to find. I didn't have to try hard to have friends in my teens and twenties but it gets harder later on when "social abiltiy" becomes even more valued than looks or talent or "quirkiness" (which is what I relied on) and often you with less opportunity comes more isolation and alienation.

You may have to resort to weekends at the library or cafe to get some more alone time.