High School Introverts Going to College

Making the transition from high school to college can be intimidating for everyone. It’s the first time you live away from your parents, you find yourself with new independence and responsibilities, you’re in a place where you may not know anyone. It is one of the biggest transitions in your life.

School systems often tend to favor those who are extroverted, they share in class discussions more, seem to have an extensive social life, and don’t struggle to meet new people. The influence this has on introverts can make the college transition completely different for these two personality types.

Being introverted doesn’t mean not having friends; this common misconception is false. In reality, introverted people simply enjoy sitting with their thoughts and ideas, they’re not focused primarily on what’s happening externally. They enjoy more intimate conversations. Some introverts still might struggle with larger groups; joining new clubs and teams may seem daunting.

“My social life is good right now, but I will say I haven’t joined any clubs because I get scared,” states Grace Athwal, Silver Creek senior. “When we have class discussions I get scared to speak up, I don’t raise my voice.”

It’s not that introverted individuals don’t want to participate in class discussions, they’re intimidated. It’s important for high school teachers to encourage equal written opportunities as spoken ones.

The school system, at least for high school, tends to favor extroverted individuals. They tend to participate more and involve themselves in activities. College seemingly does the same. In a world full of media, extroverts can quickly find themselves partaking in “college life”: posting pictures at games, videos at parties, and more. This can leave introverts feeling outcasted.

Introverts aren’t loners, but it takes them time to find the right people, to build real and meaningful relationships. It’s not that they don’t want to partake in activities, it’s that they want to do so with people they truly have a bond with. Society needs to give introverts more time to adjust and find their people.

“I wish more people talked about how to give yourself space, time, and space to find your people, don’t get lopsided or distracted by the fact that some people are finding their people right away,” says Justelle Grandsaert, a Silver Creek High School Teacher.

“Sometimes it hurts introverts because we don’t open ourselves up to experiences as much as we should.” States Grandsaert. “So I encourage introverts and extroverts, when you go to college, push yourself to open up to new experiences.”

The differences seen between introverts and extroverts are seen clearly in college and high school, but also in the workforce. Even real-world situations tend to favor extroverted individuals. In an interview, the extroverted individual may be more likely to get the job because they interview better. However, a company needs to have both. It’s good to have someone outgoing, but it’s also good to have someone who can sit back and observe.

At the same time, introverts have certain qualities that extroverts may lack.

“Extroverts are constantly moving and going with people, they don’t take enough time to be reflective and introspective,” Grandsaert says.

When extroverts are constantly surrounded by people, they can forget to be by themselves. They fail to find themselves because they always try to keep up with those around them; when you try to be what others think you should be, you lose yourself in the process.

“Growing as an independent individual in our world, we need that reflection, instead of always being around people telling us who we are, figuring out and asking ourselves who we are is important,” Gransaert says.

Extroverts may not be intimidated by the social aspect of college, but being independent can seem daunting.

“I’m afraid of being on my own, having that much responsibility but at the same time I’m excited to meet new people,” says Michelle Rudland, a Silver Creek senior.

Because introverts can self-reflect so well and are used to being alone, the independence college offers isn’t as intimidating as it might be to an extrovert.

Both introverts and extroverts bring a certain set of skills to the table, it’s important to see and understand that, to use it to your advantage. Not one personality type is better than the other, but in a world that loves to talk, society needs to give more credit to introverts without undermining extroverts.