İ want to increase my social life, any advice?

[Vectorland]

Hello, i(17M) about to enter the university exam and i might not get into the university i want and if that happens, i need to prepare it one more year and that is ok for me but my friends will probably go to uni in this year and i will probably be alone, i want to study ofc but i dont want to be an asocial... İs there any place i can socialize expect going to pubs?

 

And also i feel like i wasted my youth bc i did not go party or got a girlfriend etc...  İ tried to improve myself and and tried to have fun like traveling countries and learning musical instrument in my highschool years, i feel like i did not have fun enough which makes me sad and i sometimes get worried what if i will be alone at college...

İs there anybody who can give me advice about these?

(My bad if it is too long, i just poured myself here.)

[catfeeder]

2 hours ago, Vectorland said:

... İs there any place i can socialize expect going to pubs?

We are not the ones who are familiar with where you live, but you have the whole Internet at your fingertips to learn of upcoming events, classes, clubs, meetup.org groups, etc. You could also go to pubs and ask people what else they do to socialize. Maybe they'll invite you to their things.

I'm not clear about your higher education system, but lots of kids here who don't get into their first choice schools study locally to earn the credits that they'll later transfer to a better school the next year or the one afterward. So it doesn't need to be a matter of wasting school years until you can get in, and you can form friendships with other kids who are attending the closer school.

[TeeDee]

Be open to your second choice school.   That might be the best place for you.  

Volunteering somewhere doing something you care about can be a great way to meet like minded people.   Getting involved with a sports team (to play) can also be fun. 

A warm smile & a firm handshake can be your ticket into anywhere.  It's a skill people learn as we grow. 

It's OK that certain milestones didn't happen for you yet.  You have your whole life ahead of you.  It will come.  

[ShySoul]

Did you enjoy traveling and playing your instrument? Then you did have fun. Fun can mean different things to different people. Some people have fun at bars and clubs. Some people have fun visiting new places. And some have fun staying in with a good book. As long as you enjoy what you do, then you are having the right kind of fun for you.

As someone who did not go to parties or have a girlfriend in my youth, I can say its not wasted time. You said so yourself... You were bettering yourself. That will be more valuable then any party you could have gone to. The experiences you had, the skills you picked up, that's laying a foundation for figuring out what you will do with your life. It is helping you build your future. And socially, it gives you something to talk about. 

Use those experiences. Was there something you found yourself really loving? Find a group for it. If you like music, find others into the same kind you are. Go to local shows. See if maybe people would like to go with you, having a group meetup. Volunteer. People are around us everyday, talk to them. You've made friends before without needing a pub, you don't have to rely on them now. Just find something you enjoy doing and do it. Odds are there will be plenty of people interested in the same thing.