It often takes students a little while to find their bearings and rhythm in graduate school; and even moreso, if you are new to the area and/or balancing multiple commitments like being a parent, working, etc. It's important to recognize that you are not alone and there are likely other students who feel similarly.

Sometimes things aren't always clicking into place like you anticipated and/or on your timeline. Here are some suggestions if you are feeling stuck or if you are looking for other ways to feel more engaged and connected.

1) Seattle freeze - If you're new to Seattle, recognize that culture shock and the Seattle Freeze is a real thing. It's not you. This just means that most people have to spend a little more emphasis on building connections and friendships whether that's in or outside of school.

2) School of Social Work - If you are encountering difficulty finding connections with faculty or your classmates, there are a few things that you can do. Try reading "Tips for working with faculty" and find additional faculty members or see if someone (i.e. field faculty, advisor or another instructor) can connect you with the faculty member you are looking to build relations with. As for classmates, try joining a student group or asking a classmate if they want to study together.

3) Troubleshoot further with an advisor or a mental health counselor - Sometimes, no matter what you do, things just aren't organically sticking or flourishing. Meet for a few sessions with a mental health counselor through the Counseling Center or an academic advisor to gain another perspective about the experiences that you are encountering. In particular, Jennae Carpio, Academic Advisor, jpcarpio@uw.edu, is eager to help students navigate this terrain as she wants them to succeed.

4) University of Washington - There are a ton of resources available for students, but navigating the resources can be tough. If you're struggling to find community, it can be difficult to want to attend events without another person. At first glance, attending solo may feel uncomfortable or awkward, sometimes if you aren't finding your niche, you need to proceed a little differently. Here are some tips to build confidence when attending events and/or make navigating new experiences more manageable:

Know yourself: Are you introverted or extroverted? Develop some good ice breaker questions to easily strike up a convo along with elevator pitches for similar responses. Examples: Who you are, some of your interests, etc.
Build resilency: Finding the courage to attend events solo can be empowering for some people. It can teach you how to explore and engage in new experiences. It could also be an opportunity that you might not have, otherwise, or lead to other experiences. Also, your experience in grad school is one of the few times, in which you will have social opportunities that tend to be more readily available.
Have an open and positive mindset: Networking and smoozing might not be your greatest strength, but use it as an opportunity to improve.
Practice: The first go around is usually the most uncomfortable, but with anything you do that new, going more often will help you better navigate and feel more comfortable especially at future events.
Rule of thumb/Take aways: An event may not be what you have hoped for or perhaps, you weren't successful in building a couple of strong connections with others; however, if you can take one new perspective, learned lesson or fact from the event, then consider your time spend and effort a success!

Other places to find community:

Take advantage of Meetups.com, Event Bright, or Facebook Events.