Tell HN: People underestimate the effect of colleges in making lifelong friends
Just going to college isn&#x27;t enough. This only happens for the right people going to the right college under the right circumstances.<p>I went to college and lived there. I was far enough away from home that I could not return home with any frequency. I was a nerd at a college full of nerds and other like-minded people. I intentionally put more effort into making friends by participating in various clubs, social groups, and activities. I put more effort into that than I did into my studies. I did just enough schoolwork to graduate. Indeed, I did form lifelong friends during this time.<p>Now compare that to the story of another person I know. They went to community college while still living at home. After a year or two of that, they did leave home to go to college. However, they were at a state school with people studying various things and having various interests. There was not a group of like-minded people there. Lots of the students there were commuters and not living in dorms. This person focused on their studies, not on socializing. This person&#x27;s social group today is largely still comprised of their friends from high school.<p>This scenario that OP describes happened for me, and presumably for OP as well. It doesn&#x27;t happen for all, or even most, people attending college. It only happens for the right people who attend the right college in exactly the right circumstances.