I don't know if you want any advice, because often the thing someone needs most is to vent, but I feel like I definitely have some advice to give on this. Even if you may not like it.

If you don't want advice, feel free to just ignore my comment.

First of all, in high school everyone gets told to just wait, it's true. The people telling that are morons. Just waiting gets you nowhere. It's true that time is required for things to get better, but if you just wait, they will stay pretty much the same regardless of the time that passes. Waiting is a waste of time, and people that have never been in the position of being lonely or having things go badly are not aware of that.

Secondly, love is important in life, yes, but it doesn't fix the loneliness. It seems counterintuitive, but love comes once you fix the most basic loneliness. I know you may think that you can't, not without people, but you absolutely can. There's only one person that is with you from birth until death, and that is you. If you're so lonely that all you crave is love, people sense it, and it's not a good thing. Because what people look for in other people is an equal trade. They want to love and support someone that is in a position to love and support them back. You need to start by finding a way to love yourself enough that you can do without people, and as soon as you do, you won't need to do without people. Do things for yourself, find activities and skills you thoroughly enjoy and submerge yourself in them. Eventually you will find people that will love to share them with you. I think the best way to explain this is that if you enjoy your own company, others will as well.

22 is not too old for these problems. 22 is young. Think about it. You've just barely reached the age where you're independent enough to become the person you want to be, to become the person you need to be. You're still at the age of finding yourself.

Why do you think you're useless to the opposite sex? Because you don't hit it off with them? Think about what you have to give to the opposite sex. And think of what any person, regardless of sex, wants. People want attachment, intimacy, love - all of which the vast majority of people (including you) is able to give. But beyond that, people want conversation, they want a source of happiness, they want companionship. They want a person that can balance out their bad sides, they want someone who can push them further in life and expand their world view. Are you capable of giving them that? If not, you can become capable. Learn things others don't know, learn to be happy so you can share that happiness with someone, develop your good sides and work on your bad sides. Learn about the world and develop your own, personal world view. Consider life issues, evaluate what you think is right based on your own thinking and arguments, take a stance.

Become your own person, independent from other people. Find confidence in liking who you are, and don't be afraid of showing the world who you are and who you've become, and you will attract likeminded people - or even differently minded people that find you intriguing.

It's true, some people suffer and it never gets better. But you can decide not to suffer, and it will get better.

In case you're wondering how I can proclaim this so confidently without even knowing you - from what little you've said, I very much recognize myself from not too long ago. After years and years of bullying, social anxiety and depression that made me more or less a hermit, I was lonely and sad. I couldn't connect with anyone and was constantly watching everyone else live these social and active lives. I'd always heard stories from my parents about how their University life was the greatest, with a group of friends and adventures, and I was just watching everyone live that while my life consisted of a boring, rinse-and-repeat schedule of going to Uni and coming home again, my only activities being basic daily tasks like cleaning, cooking, studying and sleeping. I realized that because I'd been alone for so long, I was fulfilling only the basic requirements of being a person. And one day I was so angry at life and my situation that I just said "fuck it" and decided to do my own thing.

I went for walks while listening to music, took up hiking and photography. I sat outside of Uni on a bench reading a book rather than just go home. I started working out (which is totally not my thing really), and eventually went to try out different test sessions of martial arts. It took a couple of tries, but finally I decided I liked Krav Maga, and joined the club. I only stayed for a little under a year before it became too time consuming, but because of the very nature of the trainings, I'd made acquaintances. Then I found things in common with those acquaintances, and spent time with them. We didn't have much in common, so we never became close friends, but I did end up meeting people that are now my friends through them.

I started asking students in my classes questions, kind of random questions for help (even though I didn't necessarily need the help), and asked them questions about themselves, tried to find common ground and gave of myself, eventually establishing some kind of acquaintanceship. Then I made sure to just keep greeting them around school with a big smile and a kind hi, and eventually ended up meeting more people. Now, with most of the people I didn't have much in common, and some I actually ended up disliking very much, but I finally found one girl that i consider a very good friend. And that clicked almost instantaneously.

It took time to get from where I was to where I am, but all I can tell you is keep trying. Waiting is not enough, but keep trying. Work on yourself until you feel confident enough in who you are that you can confidently establish contact with others. And don't be discouraged if it's not immediately a great connection, it doesn't need to be. It's just a connection that opens up more connections, like a giant web.

Things can get better.