This world is filled with millions of people with millions of different and varied personality. These personalities are categorized into two major types: extroverts and introverts. Extroverts are those people who are comfortable in a crowd, they get their energy from being around other people and are generally friendly and outgoing. Introverts are the opposite, they do better in small groups, get their energy from being alone and are typically more reserved. One is not better than the other and no one has to be completely one way or the other. People can fall somewhere in the middle and have days when they're more social or not. I, however, fall pretty heavily on he introverted side of the scale.

I'm one of four kids, but being the only girl I always had my own room, my own space, my own stuff. I had never spent more than two weeks away from home and had never spent more than that amount of time in a shared space. My own room was essential for me, a place to decompress after school and sports and finally have some time by myself. When I went to college, being in the dorm posed a unique set of challenges: I was without my own space for the first time. There were people, new people, everywhere and that scared me more than anything else about starting school.

What I first had to come to grips with was the fact that it's okay. It's okay to need to be on your own, it's okay to need to take time away from people, even the ones you like. That's the first step of dealing with having an introvert personality in college. The second is to find somewhere that you can be alone. The dorm is hard, especially freshman dorms I think. That's where the pressure to make friends is felt, in the open doors and hall activities. Not that any of that stuff is bad, but people are always around, most of all your roommate. Freshman year was my first time sharing a room with someone, let alone a tiny, cramped space. My roommate would later become one of my best friends, but she still presented a problem. Here's my advice: know your roommates schedule. Don't be creepy about it, but know generally when you'll have some time to yourself. If you do, I say enjoy it. Decompress, watch a show, read a book, take advantage.

If you can't find any time to be alone while your in your dorm, then search out another spot on campus. At night, some classrooms remain open and you can take a room all for yourself to do some studying. You can find a corner of the library where no one will bother you or occupy a table in your dorm's study room. With a pair of headphones, really any place turns into a space to be left alone with your thoughts. Also, go to the gym. No one bothers you there and it's a good place to decompress, relax and clear your mind. Also, Saturday morning leaves the place pretty empty.

Here's the third step of dealing with being an introvert, do things alone and don't worry about it. It's okay to get dinner or lunch alone if you need to. This isn't high school, you don't always need to be surrounded by friends. Doing things by yourself is perfectly acceptable.

My fourth and most important piece of advice is this: find a balance. The friends that I made because my freshman dorm forced me to be social are some of my best. At least once a week they force me to be social, and I have a great time. Turns out that even I need to be around people sometimes. A balance is healthy and it turns out that new people can be really fun and interesting. Just know that a dorm is never going to be easy and fun all the time, there is nothing wrong with taking some time to yourself, and find a balance that works for you.