College folks

I'm just curious, how many of you SAers out there are in college? and those of you who are in college, do you think college is easier than high school (anxiety-wise)?

i personally for now think that college is significantly easier on my nerves than high school, then again, i'm only a second semester freshman :roll:

I agree. I just finished Uni last September, but for me, I found that every year, starting from about GCSE level (year 10 – UK), got progressively easier to handle (anxiety-wise). I think this was partly because peer pressure levels dropped. I think most people naturally grow up and mature, and the petit name-calling and stuff like that generally reduces, which makes life a lot easier.

I also think it was due to the amounts of freedom we were given. In year 10 they still force you to work to the school’s timetable, but by the last year of Uni, I came in for half an hour a week to see my tutor, and the rest of my time I could manage myself. So I did all my work at home.

I would have to disagree. My anxiety didn't surface until my last year of High School. I think this was partially due to leaving the few friends I had behind as well as going from a High School of about 1000 kids to a University of just under 20,000. I agree that people are generally more accepting in College, but for some reason I find it much more difficult to interact socially.

I feel more alone now in college than I ever did in high school. Most of my old friends dont speak to me now either as they've grouped off and left me behind

Going through a major low at the moment

yeah, i've never felt the loneliness that i do now that i'm in college, but as long as i'm not terrified to go to class like i was in high school, i can deal for a while. they say that you'll meet all kinds of people at college, but that's for the overacheivers...

by the way, i feel you stardog, i too am going through a major low! but things always work out

dan246 said:

I would have to disagree. My anxiety didn't surface until my last year of High School. I think this was partially due to leaving the few friends I had behind as well as going from a High School of about 1000 kids to a University of just under 20,000. I agree that people are generally more accepting in College, but for some reason I find it much more difficult to interact socially.

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Yeah, I agree with you there. Mine actually got worse through Uni. :/

Uni has been SO much better for me than high school. Although I've pretty much finished now, the work I was doing really suited my interests. It was a small group of people doing the course - the largest lecture had about 30 people in it. Although I didn't have the daily interaction with people, I found this better than spending 8.30-4 with people I had nothing in common with.

um when i was at college .. yer i found it easier .. but then again id starting getting a better all round so i dunno.

college you could choose to be much more anonymous which was good in a way i guess

there was a bar right across the road .. i made the effort to go with some friends a few times after college .. the first time was a BIG effort for me to go ... but yer.

I think the good thing about me is i dont like lying .. i despise it actually.

so if someone says to me "why not" i say "cause i dont feel like it" which is the truth right ?

well when people are being really great to me and want me to come and hang out for a bit .. sometimes it feels much too rude to say that .. so i get pushed into going .. and i almost always have fun when i make the effort !

My SA only really started to get bad at college. School was fine for me until my last couple of years when my friends started leaving and getting jobs whilst I stayed on to get qualifications. This meant I drifted apart from nearly all my friends and I spent more and more time alone, both in school and out. I think this is where my SA originated. So when I started college, my confidence was low and I was already getting used to spending a lot of time alone. Making new friends suddenly seemed impossible and the SA started to get a hold of me. At first, I did try to force myself to make the effort to socialise a bit with the new people at college but I always felt like a complete outsider...far too anxious and unable to relax, it was obvious I wasn't being accepted as one of the crowd, so eventually I just gave up trying.

One thing that made it worse was that so many people say that your college days are the best of your life, what with all the great friends you'll make and the great socialising that goes on. So when that's happening to everyone else except you, it makes you feel all the more of a failure, an outcast, a freak. I wouldn't want to have to go through college again.