Dear Prudence,
I’m 19 and in college, and I’m incapable of making friends. I’ve done everything right. I join clubs and activities, I talk to people, I initiate conversations with a lot of people, and I smile. But whenever I sit at a table, people leave. Whenever I ask a question, I’m either ignored or get a short answer and no follow-up. Nobody has initiated any form of contact with me beyond, “Can you get the door?” and “On your left.” It’s a large school, and I see hundreds of kids a day. How is it that they all avoid me like the plague? Is it something I’m doing or not doing? How do I get people to talk to me instead of acting like I’m some kind of untouchable disease?
—Quite Possibly a Loser