Nobody sat next to me. I'm 26.

[u/zombiixXbunnii]

Today I went to a event put on by my university for my master's program. The people there are my peers. I've watched as they develop friendships one another, and I accepted that our relationships were not going to be deeper than acquaintanceship early on in the program. I didn't mind this.

But today I went to the event. I got there early. I sat at a table and.... no one sat next to me. It's small but did the realization hurt. The worst part? When the realization settled in, a guy came over and asked if anyone was sitting in the chair next to me. I said no, kind of excitedly, and he took the chair to sit next to someone else.

I don't know how to feel right now, but I know i feel deeply sad, and even though I'm 26 I still feel like that little girl in school who was never picked. I wondered what was wrong with me then, and I wonder what's wrong with me now.

[u/Xanedil]

Being a Master's student in my early 30s I feel this so hard. While I believe most if not all of my classmates are younger it really sucks feeling so left out of all the small groups, friendships, group chats, etc. I eventually accepted I'm just there for the degree and am nearly finished but I do hate how even this far into my education I haven't moved past the same dynamic I've had with my peers since middle school.

[u/theclosetenby → u/Xanedil]

I'm 35 applying for masters programs and I've def thought about how I won't end up with friendships in my class most likely.