I'm struggling to make friends because I'm so shy.

Freshman here. It's still pre-orientation period and I'm struggling to find a group of friends. I'm so shy and I just want to be alone all the time. It's easier than making conversation with a stranger. I guess you could say I have mild social anxiety.

I know I need to get out of my comfort zone, because eventually, everyone's going to form a core group of friends, and those groups are typically hard to break into.

Back home, I went for years with what I'd only consider acquaintances. It wasn't until the past year or so until I started making real friends. Some of them I met online, and we talk to each other daily or weekly. I didn't form my first friendships in real life until this past summer. I have two friends, both of whom are 5 to 10 years than me. Quite frankly, that's the extent of my social life, and I'm satisfied with it.

I'm hoping that I'll find a group of friends through extracurricular activities. At least there's commonality of interest.

I hope I'm not the only one who's struggling with social issues.