I have managed to achieve friendships with the best aspects of both situations you mention, by renting a large house with five of my college friends right after

I have managed to achieve friendships with the best aspects of both situations you mention, by renting a large house with five of my college friends right after school. We met due to shared interests and we routinely have deep conversations in the evenings. And now we also do a lot of things together, since we're the obvious people to approach to fulfill social needs, that we're developing strong bonds.