19M, Computer Science student, never been in a relationship – how do I learn to meet women?
Hi everyone,
I'm a 19-year-old guy studying Computer Science. Ever since high school, I've been in environments that were almost entirely male. My high school had a strong focus on IT/Computer Science and there were barely any girls there, and now at university it's pretty much the same situation.
I'm also quite introverted, so approaching people and starting conversations doesn't come naturally to me. That makes meeting new people, especially women, even more challenging.
One thing I should probably mention: I'm not really the stereotypical "CS geek" who never talks to women. I do know some girls and have female friends, but they've always just been friends to me rather than people I've tried to date. I don't think my issue is that women are completely absent from my life.
I also don't think I'm particularly unattractive or anything. I'm not a model, but I don't feel like my appearance is the main obstacle. The bigger issue is that I simply don't have much experience when it comes to dating, flirting, or turning a friendship/acquaintance into something romantic.
Because of this, I feel like I've never really learned how to meet women or build romantic relationships. I've never been in a relationship, never been on a date, and I've never had any romantic or sexual experiences. Until recently, it didn't bother me that much, but now that I'm becoming more independent and entering adulthood, I'd like to start building a dating life and hopefully have a healthy, fulfilling relationship someday.
The problem is that I honestly don't know where to start. Sometimes it feels like I missed out on experiences that many people had during high school or their early college years.
I'd love to hear advice from older people, fellow students, or anyone who has been in a similar situation:
How did you start meeting women when your environment didn't naturally give you many opportunities?
What are the best ways for a college student to meet new people?
How can an introverted person improve their social skills without feeling fake or forcing themselves to be someone they're not?
How do you go from being friendly with women to actually expressing romantic interest when appropriate?
Are there any mistakes you wish you had avoided at my age?
How do you build a healthy and fulfilling dating life when you're starting from zero?
I imagine I'm probably not the only guy in a male-dominated field who's gone through this, so I'd really appreciate any advice or personal experiences.
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to reply. 🙂