Does it get easier?

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I'm currently in high school, and I'm okay at the work, but I have real difficulty with the social interaction. I find it hard to understand my peers, I only really respond to teachers with a very specific teaching style, and I feel lonely almost every day. I was wondering if other Aspies out there have found university a little more enjoyable than high school.

It can be, it depends on a lot of factors. Making sure you enjoy the course is an important factor in the enjoyment level.

College is generally easier for aspies because there is much less obligatory social interaction time. I don't know about you, but I used to dread recess and lunch time. I had no idea what to do with myself and it was always so noisy and chaotic. In college, it's more socially acceptable to eat alone, and you can go wherever you want.

College also favors self-teaching. You can read and study on your own, with minimal interaction from teachers. I barely go to my lectures, but I still get good grades because I know how to read the book and teach myself. Most aspies don't do well with oral instructions, and this applies to traditional classroom learning as well. I've seen many NT students do poorly after not attending lecture, so the autodidactic trait is definitely an asset.

In my experience here's what you can expect:

When you graduate HS and enter university things will not change that much. In fact it might be harder to interact socially since you do not see the same people all the time...each semester, each class will have completely different people. You also only spend just a day or two (depending on course) per week in each class...each class being anywhere between 1 to 2 hours. Most coursework is individual with maybe one or two group projects.

However, once you complete all the basic required classes and hop on to the classes that your degree requires... things change dramatically. Its a huge difference to suddenly be in a class where everyone there LIKES the same subject you do and many will be quite passionate about it. Social interaction without the small talk... people who will approach you or that you can approach to talk about things you like..and will listen to you for a change. Its a wonderful thing.

This might be a good thing if you prefer solitude, but I guess it depends on the person.

True. I preferred the solo work during those classes because, really, having to put up with NT bs on top of being in a class that I was forced to take (required course not related to my degree) was annoying enough.

On the other hand, in the classes im taking now that are related to my major... its a pleasure to be part of conversations since they almost always are on subject or related to what im studying for and not general vapid chit-chat.

I fear that it will get harder. Not the socialization aspects, but whats expected of me. I already have bad enough anxiety about not doing well enough, even though I know I'm doing fine. I can only imagine it will be much worse in college. For this reason, I highly doubt college will be more enjoyable for me, even if the socialization aspects get better.

You have more freedom in college. Try not to worry yourself too much. I found high school more stressful both academically and socially. In college, there is little or no obligation to do daily homework or to socialize. You won't have as many due dates to get stressed out about, but you will need to prepare for projects and exams. I never went to the lectures but I did fine because I am good at teaching myself. Also, homework is not always mandatory in college, so you can pick and choose how you want to study.

College was different from high school in that I was a nameless face in a crowd and no one knew me. That meant that no one taunted or picked on me any longer, so that was easier. I had no social interaction in college. Once I counted that I went six straight weeks in college without speaking a single word to anyone. Although I liked that anonymity, I also suddenly began feeling like a ghost -- like I did not even exist, like no one could see me. That made me feel somewhat depressed. I tried joining a couple of special-interest clubs, but found myself the outsider within them and felt very uncomfortable. Despite this, I continued to volunteer-staff at the Womens Center just because it was a small quiet room with couches and very few people there at any one time. It was like my secret get-away despite the fact that some of the other Womens Center staffers made slanderous comments about me almost (but not quite) out of earshot.

If you finish your first and second year of college, your classes become much smaller after that. The people in the higher years are more serious and dedicated to the subject and are not mainly there to socialize. Depending on the college, in your first and second year you may find yourself in large lecture halls with hundreds of other students, most of whom are only there to socialize and will drop out eventually.

I am finding college to be much better. There is more emphasis on relying on yourself to do well, and less to have to socialize.

Okay, this made me feel much better. Thanks guys.