INFJs who are or have been to College
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Well that's the majority of the people I meet unfortunately. But yeah, I probably am blowing it all out of proportion but only because it's better to be over prepared then under. I'm just feeling extremely cynical. The world and it's inhabitants always feels dangerous to me.
I went to Roberts Wesleyan College first, a liberal arts school, and got my bachelor's of Math Ed. This fall I'm off to Georgian College for 2 courses, then New York Chiropractic College in January! 
I loved Roberts so very much! It was great! WAY better than high school! People don't freak out if you're weird. In fact, the cool people kind of like you for being weird.
And I am SO looking forward to NYCC!
I loved Roberts so very much! It was great! WAY better than high school!
People don't freak out if you're weird. In fact, the cool people kind of like you for being weird.And I am SO looking forward to NYCC!
This is my experience. I find that more and more people will end up appreciating that you are weird if you can be generally gregarious about it. There's no reason not to feel comfortable in your own skin, even as some degree of headcase, if you can be open, gregarious, and at least mildly confident.I loved Roberts so very much! It was great! WAY better than high school!
I have been going to University of Nebraska at Omaha(UNO), and I agree that college ends up being what you make/let it be. Certainly college is a whole other animal than high school, one that feels more real. I have felt no pressure and certainly no need to play any silly social games with anyone at any point... So, even though admittedly some people at UNO actually have this idea that UNO is a little more focused college that it is even sorta hard to meet people at(I suspect that many colleges feel more focused than many people want), and I think I've embraced that more detached style and sort of let it be more focused for the most part, I still think that it just goes to show that in college in general, you have to go out of your way to get entrenched in social games...
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I currently go to a state university in the mountains, and while I love the area and the school, I'm probably going to wind up transferring to a community college in a different city for a number of reasons.
It's been somewhat hard for me to make friends where I'm at now, simply because I never stayed in the dorms (transferred in as a sophomore and got an apartment because the dorms were full). I consider the people I work with friends, but they're a bunch of introverted computer people, and that's all most of them do. Most of them also have wives and girlfriends, so they're covered in that regard.
There are also a lot of hippies where I go. This isn't necessarily bad unless you meet the wrong kind. There are smelly hippies, there are super liberal vegan feminist hippies, there are patronizing self-important hippies that nag you about everything you do, and many other kinds. There are also super-friendly hippies, but I've met fewer of these than the former.
Sadly, I don't feel like I have a lot in common with most of the people I go to school with. Generally I like most of the people I meet there, but it's hard for me to make a deeper connection with someone when I'm not forced to be around and talk with them. I'm trying to fix this by actually going to clubs this semester, but it may be too little, too late.
As much as I like the mountains, the school, and my job, it's a four-hour drive from my home, and I don't have a lot of money to repair my car with should something happen. The snow has already taken its toll on my paint job. I don't know what I'd like to do with my life; I'm currently a Psychology major but I don't think I'd want to go to grad school for it. Looking at it from an objective standpoint, I'm essentially wasting money by going to school for something that I probably won't wind up doing. These are a few reasons I'm considering a move.
If I move to Raleigh, I can go to Wake Tech for a Computer Engineering certification. It would be much cheaper, I'd be around my friends in a pretty large city with much more to do, and it would be far easier to get a better-paying job. It's probably not something I want to do for the rest of my life, but it's better than wasting time and I'll be that much closer to being self-reliant. I hate borrowing money from my dad.
To me, it seems as though college is great for some people and not so great for others. If you absolutely know what you want to do (or at least think you can figure it out within two years) and have the drive to study and work for it, I'd say it will probably be one of the greatest experiences of your life. If you don't, then you'll probably have fun regardless, but you might wind up like me: in the hole a few thousand dollars with nothing to show for it.
It's been somewhat hard for me to make friends where I'm at now, simply because I never stayed in the dorms (transferred in as a sophomore and got an apartment because the dorms were full). I consider the people I work with friends, but they're a bunch of introverted computer people, and that's all most of them do. Most of them also have wives and girlfriends, so they're covered in that regard.
There are also a lot of hippies where I go. This isn't necessarily bad unless you meet the wrong kind. There are smelly hippies, there are super liberal vegan feminist hippies, there are patronizing self-important hippies that nag you about everything you do, and many other kinds. There are also super-friendly hippies, but I've met fewer of these than the former.
Sadly, I don't feel like I have a lot in common with most of the people I go to school with. Generally I like most of the people I meet there, but it's hard for me to make a deeper connection with someone when I'm not forced to be around and talk with them. I'm trying to fix this by actually going to clubs this semester, but it may be too little, too late.
As much as I like the mountains, the school, and my job, it's a four-hour drive from my home, and I don't have a lot of money to repair my car with should something happen. The snow has already taken its toll on my paint job. I don't know what I'd like to do with my life; I'm currently a Psychology major but I don't think I'd want to go to grad school for it. Looking at it from an objective standpoint, I'm essentially wasting money by going to school for something that I probably won't wind up doing. These are a few reasons I'm considering a move.
If I move to Raleigh, I can go to Wake Tech for a Computer Engineering certification. It would be much cheaper, I'd be around my friends in a pretty large city with much more to do, and it would be far easier to get a better-paying job. It's probably not something I want to do for the rest of my life, but it's better than wasting time and I'll be that much closer to being self-reliant. I hate borrowing money from my dad.
To me, it seems as though college is great for some people and not so great for others. If you absolutely know what you want to do (or at least think you can figure it out within two years) and have the drive to study and work for it, I'd say it will probably be one of the greatest experiences of your life. If you don't, then you'll probably have fun regardless, but you might wind up like me: in the hole a few thousand dollars with nothing to show for it.
Anxiety is actually a natural part of going to college and changing your lifestyle. I was a Residence Hall Director, and I've been an Academic Advisor longer than that. I see kiddos every day with anxiety on every level.
It's true - be yourself as much as you can, but get used to the idea of college life. If you want to find more students like you, find a student organization on campus. There are literally hundreds of them from all walks of life. We have karate organizations, anime organizations, drawing orgs, writing orgs...you name it. You can't possibly get bored - and you *will* find someone you can connect with.
Second (and not all agree here): I think residence hall life (aka "dorms") are good ideas for Freshmen and Sophomores. Mostly because you can connect with people and really get a good grasp for college life early. Fortunately things are different from when I went into dorm life (twenty+ years ago). There are actually Resident Assistants (RAs) who can help you get acclimated. Some RAs are better than others, but they're easy to talk to. They're like peer advisors for your floor.
Third, some colleges have created roommate matching systems. You can put in your likes and dislikes and get matched with a roommate with similar qualities. It's not foolproof, but it could help.
And last but not least, connect early to your campus - find out (through Facebook or what have you) who is going to your university, and try finding out about the campus atmosphere. Try seeing if there are any campus clubs or student organizations you'd like to be a part of ahead of time. See what you'd like to become, and try and work towards that goal.
Whew. I could say more, but I have paper work on my desk (students need degree plans, a-yup!)
It's true - be yourself as much as you can, but get used to the idea of college life. If you want to find more students like you, find a student organization on campus. There are literally hundreds of them from all walks of life. We have karate organizations, anime organizations, drawing orgs, writing orgs...you name it. You can't possibly get bored - and you *will* find someone you can connect with.
Second (and not all agree here): I think residence hall life (aka "dorms") are good ideas for Freshmen and Sophomores. Mostly because you can connect with people and really get a good grasp for college life early. Fortunately things are different from when I went into dorm life (twenty+ years ago). There are actually Resident Assistants (RAs) who can help you get acclimated. Some RAs are better than others, but they're easy to talk to. They're like peer advisors for your floor.
Third, some colleges have created roommate matching systems. You can put in your likes and dislikes and get matched with a roommate with similar qualities. It's not foolproof, but it could help.
And last but not least, connect early to your campus - find out (through Facebook or what have you) who is going to your university, and try finding out about the campus atmosphere. Try seeing if there are any campus clubs or student organizations you'd like to be a part of ahead of time. See what you'd like to become, and try and work towards that goal.
Whew. I could say more, but I have paper work on my desk (students need degree plans, a-yup!)
Yep - and they're pretty darn active! The one year I created a comic book convention (using the eager li'l students as my helper crew) they came and brought tons of stuff. They discuss the movies, watch 'em, and do all sorts of humanitarian projects around our wild little bohemian town. They're a good group of kiddos.
Okay...I'm showing where I am and advertising a bit, but if you're interested in what a small scale ('cause there are places who do this better) student org list might look like (and what opportunities there might be to plug in), here's an example.
ETA: Better link here.
ETA: Better link here.
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I met this guy on a plane after a conference in New York. His book, "The Naked Roommate" is actually a pretty good guide, and I liked it when I read it. I'm not sure if it'll answer all your questions but it's really a really nifty guide to getting around college.
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