So first let me say I am a complete newbie to ukulele and stringed instruments in general. Here is the thing, when I am trying to teach myself the chords on my new soprano my fingers are frequently missing the strings and going into the spaces between them. I assume that practice, practice, practice will help me, but is this a common problem or am I a freak?
Sounds like you're more of a Spazz than a Freak
Beginner here too, but have never done that.
Possibly you are trying too many chord changes in a row?
I find it helpful to 1st practice changes back-n-forth between 2 chords before moving on to a 3rd.
Aim for the spaces between the strings and you should be fine!
It also helps to analyze the change you're going to be making so you can look for fingers that will stay on the same string or (even better) stay on the same fret. (These fingers are called anchors.) Focus on getting those into position first and then put down the rest. The more you practice, the smoother and faster the transitions will go.
It's also important to keep your tempo down while you're practicing the changes and strums. You're much better off playing through a song smoothly at a slow tempo than rushing through the parts you know well and then slowing down for the parts that are giving you trouble. If you do the latter then it will be a lot harder to get the tempo even later.