How to compensate for being a college commuter?

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I commute to college, and for the first two years, not having any real social connections with college didn't bother me at all. However, now it's really bearing down on me (especially with the few high school guys I stayed in touch with all getting girlfriends recently), and my grades are slipping...

Is there any way to remedy this? I don't have the money to actually get a dorm on campus (having a hard enough time paying tuition as it is), and since it's a 45 minute-1hour commute each way, I don't like to stay on campus longer than I have to...

Is there any place other than college campuses that people my age (even the recently graduated from college) tend to gather? I haven't seen anyone close to my age around on any regular basis...

It's alright... Just be yourself and learn whatever stuff you can, before going home:)

I don't understand your situation here.....Are you saying that you want to live near campus so that you can be near people that you want to make friends with and have more time to study?

I agree with you, you still need to find a peer group, the best way is to find a club with common interests, it could be either inside or outside of your college. If it is a larger college than there will most likely several student clubs, if there is not one that appeals to you there may even be a possibility to create your own. (make sure there is interest though, I don't think a "people who like to wear wrestling singlets club" will be too popular).

If you are at a smaller school than it is very personal and everyone knows each other, it is important to make some "strategic relationships" to keep in the loop. As for clubs, you would have to look to the greater community to find an interest group.

I don't know if this applies where you go to school, but here in Portland, it's really common for people to hang out at neighborhood bars and coffee shops between and after classes.

Ehhh, unless you live in the town that the college is located in, then you are not going to have all that much luck as people are stuck in cliques either from their dorm situation or from their town/high school friendships, etc.

I've suffered with this problem for 3 years of college so far and at 3 different schools. The easy answers are join a club, form study groups, etc. Otherwise, I don't know. Get a retail job; many people working retail are in your age range.

I guess the real soultion is to see whether there is a club in your college that fits your interests and time that you can join on your free will. Other than that, just hang out in the nearby bars and watch the world, like me. Solitude can be cool because for aspies, there are unworldly pressures from friends who do not understand our needs.