<p>I’m going to be brutally honest concerning your views and issues, as I was somewhat similar in the past (minus being religious) and was able to change for the better. </p>
<p>The vast majority of people in college want to have fun and explore new areas (drinking, smoking, traveling, sex, other friends, etc.) which were either limited or off-limits during high school. That said, if you don’t take part in these activities, you must either find others that make the same decision, or relegate yourself to isolation - no one will change their lifestyle because you don’t agree with it.</p>
<p>If you have nothing in common with people, why do you expect them to desire to spend time with you? If you are anything like the image your journal gave me, you are likely fairly quiet, passive, judgmental, and to many college students, boring. This creates two major problems for you: first, guys like people that are fun and share their interests (if you don’t like football, you’re going to have a hard time with the typical guy you described), second, girls like guys who are confident, funny, social, and good looking - if you lack in those categories, you’re going to have a heck of a time getting a date.</p>
<p>One question I had: how can you presume to know how relationships are supposed to work and the goals of anyone in a relationship? Both guys and girls like to have fun, and when a specific thing, or person in this case, is the most interesting thing at that point, why shouldn’t they spend a lot of time together? People can do whatever they like, and apparently it’s working for them, as you’re the one wishing you could have more friends (maybe even a girlfriend). </p>
<p>Personally, I had always chosen activities and friends that separated me from the “popular” crowd, eventually I came to the conclusion that I needed to change as I thought their lifestyle sounded so much better (plus, all of the hot girls were in the “popular” crowd). I embraced my decision and started doing all of the things I missed out on earlier in life: listening to popular music, watching football, playing football, “hanging out” without a specific purpose, etc. After about a year, I was no longer considered any different than one of the other guys, except that I happened to be in much more advanced classes. Eventually I came to the realization that I really didn’t enjoy my new life and wished I could talk about more serious and intellectual matters. After that, I abandoned the aspects of my “new” life that I didn’t like, but held onto a few thing things that I surprisingly really enjoyed: playing/watching football, rock music, a new confidence, and a lack of the fear/hesitation/shyness/weakness that had pervaded my relations with those outside of my comfort zone up to that point. Anyway, my point is, don’t judge too quickly or too harshly if you haven’t given things a fair chance, and don’t worry about how other people see you or treat you if you wouldn’t enjoy their company and interests anyway.</p>
<p>Lastly, think about this - why should anyone make an effort to get to know you? Concerning your social life, the ball is yours, whether you decide to run for the touchdown despite your opponents attempting to drag you down, or crumble under the pressure, is up to you.</p>