Hey Guys, this is my first post.
I've had a thorough look for something as close to my situation as possible but have found nothing that solves my issue, so here we go:

I'm in my second year of my degree and social groups / circles have been set.
I'd say I hang with the 'average/ normal/ mid group' people. I find this really frustrating because we don't hang out a lot outside of uni, and none of the group like clubbing or anything like that that im interested in. - not to mention one of the guys is nice one minute then passive aggressive toward me out of jealousy. There is a group full of the loud / cocky kids who seem to go out a bit or at least party, but i haven't previously established connections or friendships with any of them.

I'm not really sure what to do or how to build my status now amongst my peers as i've been branded as normal or perhaps low value. So, walking up to one of the higher value people now would seem strange - almost like its too late?

Please let me know what you guys think. Thank you!

Firstly, I struggle to believe that you're at uni and you haven't got, at the very least, some slightly-more-than-casual-acquaintances who would go clubbing with you! I can only assume your friendship group is very, very small if that is the case.

But even if it is, then groups are never "set". There were people I lived with in first year halls, would go out with them three times a week or more, and spend hours of supposedly "study" time playing FIFA and whatever when we were in - ie; we were very close - and yet I probably only said about four sentences to them in second and third year. likewise, one of my best mates in third year was someone I had never said more than "hi" to for most of first year!

A new year means you'll probably have a new class or subject with new people in, talk to those. Get yourself into their friendship group. Ask them to do stuff with you if you're struggling to get invited.

Really, just put yourself out there. Might look strange? Yeah, it might do. But if you're not in a 'cool' social circle now, then there's two things that might happen by putting yourself out there - 1) the new people will accept you into their cooler friendship group, or 2) the new people will think yuo're strange, but then you'll still be in the exact same position you are now.

Don't go up to 'the cool kids' and think you're of low value or that they won't accept you. Just talk to them in class or whatever. If you're really struggling, just ask them to borrow a pen or something and start talking that way. but the main thing is just to talk to them, show them that you're not low value, get on with them, and you'll soon have new friends.

All you need is one or two friends that you can drag out for a night or so. Go upto the so named 'cool' kids, and be like is anyone going out tonight or name a night of the week that you know they are going out.

Ask where they are going and when/if they ask where you are going, say "i was thinking of [insert club night/name 1 here] or [insert club night/ name 2 here]." maybe ill see you there, then you just pretty much crash, and providing you demonstrate to them that you're fun and a laugh, you will most likely get invited in the future. Just make the night that it does work out count.

If however you do not go to the same club as the group you wanted to be with did, just go upto them the next day or whenever you next see them and ask them how they're night is.

if they are socially normal, they should ask you how your night was, (if they dont no biggy, just roll into story telling anyway). when they do this, you have to have a good story, like "some girl came up to me and asked me for a lighter, so I was like "what's your name? what do you do?", and she was like "i want to be doing you..""

or

"some girl came upto me last night and stuck her hand up my shirt. She then dug her nails in a scratched my back till it bled. When i turned to her to ask her "what the fuck she was doing?" "she just whispered in my ear "im sorry im really horny", so i sent her over to my friend "

or whatever be creative and try to keep it true, just demonstrate that when you go on a night out, crazy fun shit happens. If you're feeling confident enough you can invite them on the next night out...

or at least this is what works for me

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Find enlightenment through heeding many points of view.
Find ignorance through heeding few.
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I have a similar issue to you in that both my friend groups just not the kind of people that go out. Although I can pull them out my main group is 75% couples and 25% hopeless stoner types, my second friend group (coursemates) is smaller (1 single guy) and he is barely a person.

When I originally came to uni I made the mistake of joining all the wrong societies, keeping close to my main group and worst of all cementing my low-value, quiet personality with a large amount of campus. Second year was just as big of a balls up but it did spur me onto reading the game which helped me out a bit.

This year to make sure I could make an impact I moved in with a group who I don't know well beyond the fact they all play football and work out (I hate football). Either way I am now learning to play FIFA in my spare time and occasionally piggybacking on their nights out. Also joined a more laddie society (Basketball) which so far has been a great environment for making more adventurous friends.

Just be happy you are figuring this out now, second year is a good time to re-establish friendships if you really need to.

As for the guys in my house currently they are always reluctant to accept me but I find that it isn't hard to build yourself to a group. When I feel like going out with them I will present it as more of a statement than a request "All my mates are being boring, might just go out with you guys", it can help to bring one other guy for fallback conversation.