High School Cliques

What are High School Cliques?

Cliques are groups of friends with common interests. Usually these groups of friends are tight knit and do not allow many people into their circle. Some hold a certain level of prestige and seem to give off an aura of being better than other people.

Unfortunately, some of these groups will poke fun at other people. They do this because they know their friends will back up anything they say. Some will have even more fun with people who show they desperately want to be a part of the group.

So How Do You Get Into a Clique?

Many high school cliques are continuations of middle school. If many of the students at the school came from different junior highs, groups form gradually. If you are lucky enough to meet someone who eventually ends up in one of these groups, then you may have made it in automatically. However, if you are trying to get into one already established, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Don't Seem Too Eager

If you follow the group around and ask if you can join them, they will try harder not to let you in. You will most likely find that they will laugh at you and make you feel bad about yourself.

Stay Close

Without seeming too obvious, try to be in places that the group hangs out. After awhile, some of the members may notice you and want to get to know you better.

Be Nice and Act Aloof

Don't try to go out of your way to become someone's friend and just be a nice person. If a member comes around, smile, say hello, and then continue doing what you were doing. Many times, people are attracted to people that have better things to do other than trying to win someone's friendship.

Find Out the Interests of the Group

Just because they are popular, doesn't mean you will enjoy being a part of it. Find out what kinds of things they enjoy doing with each other by listening in on conversations.

Cliques are Weaker When Broken Up

Without the power of their friends behind them, people in a clique may not be as mean as they seem within the group. Try to strike up a friendship with one of the members. This way, you can gain trust and friendship with someone that may be able to encourage others in the clique to allow you to hang out with them.

Join Activities You Enjoy

Join activities that you enjoy that they may enjoy as well. This way, you can have a good time and show them that you have some of the same interests as they do without coming off too strong.

The Disadvantages of Cliques

If you can't get into a circle of friends, don't get too down about it. A few years from now, many of them won't even talk to each other anymore. Many times, lasting friendships come from people outside of your main circle of friends.

Something else to keep in mind is that some of these group members don't really support each other. They may seem like they are best friends, but some of them have no problem kicking someone out of the circle if that person does something embarrassing. Is it really worth working so hard to keep people around that aren't truly your friends? You should be able to be yourself and have someone like you for who you are, not for your acting.

Another disadvantage is there may be a lot of peer pressure involved. Even if they are not into bad behavior, such as alcohol and drugs, you may have to say horrible things about people, even if you don't want to do it. You could lose your ability to think for yourself just to stay in your circle of friends. Keep in mind, if you have to work too hard to get into a high school clique, it may not be worth your trouble and may cause you more unhappiness than you expect.