Can anyone give me advice about college?

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I'm gonna be a freshman in college this year and I'm more than a little scared. Not of the academics, I know I can handle college-level work, but I'm scared of the new dynamics and whether or not I'll be able to make friends, assuming that I decide I actually want friends.

My advice is to try to be more social and get out of your comfort zone a bit. In my freshman year, I didn't push myself at all. After I went to class and did my work I gave myself much more downtime than I needed, and now I regret not trying to make friends with that time. Even if you don't want to make friends, I would still advise practising your social skills because you will probably have to work in groups. An important thing about working with others is announcing what you're going to do before you do it. Sometimes I would start working on something, not realizing that my teammates didn't understand or wanted to be told what I was doing.

Also I want to mention about academics that this may be the first time you don't grasp something right away. I didn't have to try at all in high school, but for about half my college classes, I had to study outside of class to keep up and do well.

I noticed that you have to be friendly with the professor's and show interest.

When it comes to making friends just ask questions and you'll get into a conversation with someone if you are compatible

Don't worry too much about being friends with the first people you talk to. You will get to know people more and they will be awesome.

Join a club! Honestly best way to make friends other than class

Enjoy alcohol in your first year but don't let it affect your work (a problem I had a bit)

On that last bit are you American? Can freshman drink in America?

Save your money and take the free on-line courses from MIT and other reputable educational-institutions instead of getting yourself into unnecessary debt and unnecessary financial-load of the cost of traveling back and forth to school. MIT even mails you official/seal/embossed certificates/diplomas/degrees for successful completion of even their graduate-level courses.

"On that last bit are you American? Can freshman drink in America?"

Nope...she'd have to be your age just to drink if she is...let that sink in...

I am so f*cking proud to be an Australian for that very reason...legal for age 15+ to drink at home with parental permission, completely legal to buy and drink without consent at 18..

"Save your money and take the free on-line courses from MIT and other reputable educational-institutions instead of getting yourself into unnecessary debt and unnecessary financial-load of the cost of traveling back and forth to school."

It prevents you from the opportunity to meet new people though as college is one of the best places to do so to meet young people your age once again and be exposed to them frequently, if one is to believe such things are worth it.

I personally can study at university for free thanks to affirmative action so choosing real-life university for social aspects over just continuing to sit around at home and isolate myself is more worth it in the end.

In the US, people can drink, "with parental permission," at any age.

However, as Outrider stated, one cannot drink until one turns 21. They enforce this rule quite vociferously in college campuses. I'm not sure which states: but there are some which consider underage drinking a misdemeanor (a "summary offence" in the UK and Canada).

There is much underage drinking, though. And it's not always enforced unless there's a crackdown, or unless a party gets really loud and people start calling the cops.

As far as socializing is concerned, people usually get more mature in college, and are conscious that they are not high school students any longer. It'll probably be easier, in general, for a person with Asperger's to make friends. Especially if one joins a club which caters to their major/special interest. There's still peer pressure--but it's probably not as intense, in most cases, as that found in high school. I would advise AGAINST joining a fraternity/sorority; they are usually into the old high school stuff.

That must suck soooooo much! I would hate to wait that long. Although might be because alcohol is a cultural part of england

It's 18 in England. It's like a part of first year uni experience .

Also I agree with Outrider it's worth the social experience

I tried beer at 15; I just spit it out.

At a toast, I only take a sip, and that's it. Otherwise, I'm a teetotaler.

I'm so weird, anyway. I'm naturally drunk. I don't like it, though, when people get stupid when they're drunk, and want to start fights. When there's fighting, I really don't care for the "social experience."

I've known people, though, who insist that one has not really "lived" until one has gotten drunk.

Of course I agree with you.

I have friends who drink. They just let me alone.

One in a while, some guy gives me this spiel about one "not having lived" until one gets drunk--but I just laugh it off.

Forget about booze.

Everybody feels as nervous as you so they may welcome a friendly hello.

Work hard and do your best.

And, never get a credit card.

I got a sweet deal from the university I'm attending so I'm going to end up paying less than 2.5k per semester for a school that would normally be 15.5k per semester.

Does anyone have bad social experiences that still haunt you? I'm not even sure if I want to make friends sometimes. Too many bad past experiences.

That typically only happens from grade-school up into high-school. You see, moms and dads still house these guys, bunches of brats who are simultaneously spoiled & abused. Obviously they will be immature.