Introvert: a quiet, reserved, or shy person who prefers situations that require minimal levels of stimulation.
College is hard.
It’s a new experience, a new level of pressure, and a whole new environment that you may feel almost thrown into.
But beyond all that, there are new social situations that you have to navigate, a lot of them where first impressions are your only chance to make an impression.
If you’re an introvert like me, situations like that and so many others can be daunting. You may feel scared, nervous, or think about avoiding social situations all together by hiding in your dorm and locking the door to ward off potential visitors.
And while I’m not innocent of doing that (maybe more than one time…maybe even this weekend), I’m also very aware that being an introvert all the time in college can lead to missing out on opportunities that could have been received if I had stepped out of my comfort zone a little bit.
So, for all the introverts out there on the Vanderbilt campus, this is the first installment in an officially unofficial guide on how to be an introvert in college while also navigating the social scene in different ways. It’s not always enjoyable or comfortable, but necessary.
And who knows, we may end up liking being around other people for extended periods of time at the end of it all.