Hi Tumblr, I also was, what I would consider, socially awkward in my teens. With time I have relaxed a bit and gotten better with socializing. Still however, there are groups of people or social settings I would be in and I would say something that sounds like nails on a chalkboard, the only difference is that now I don't care as much, because when that happens I know that it's because whoever I'm around at the time, they're just not my crowd.

I share the above commentor's sentiments. Sometimes we think the problem is ourselves, so we try to mimic others, when you should not and should never do that. You may just not be around "your people". For instance I am most comfortable around artists and creatives, so that cancels out corporate settings and the average person. When I am around artistic people I am very chatty and outgoing. However in other settings I may go completely quiet especially during group discussions. If this happened while I was a teenager, I'd feel pressured to partake in the conversation and likely try to interject but it would sound awkward and no one would take me seriously. But now I just don't pressure myself to say anything, even if people accuse me of being quiet or introverted - which I no longer mind because I know the truth about myself.

As for why it happens, I cannot speak for everyone but I do know that for myself, I was raised in a house where I was yelled at a lot and I think I subconsciously developed low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness. So when it came to being social, I was critical of my voice and myself and overthought everything, thus becoming very unnatural around people who I did not vibe well with.

Like I said though, it gets better in time. I did build most of my social skills in university. You are a freshman, so don't be too hard on yourself, take it easy, you will grow and things will turn around eventually.