How To Make Friends At University For All Freshers Out There
Making friends at university can be daunting. You are starting somewhere new and you might not know anybody. There are thousands of people you could make friends with, but you may might find it hard to. You might think “how can I approach them?” Here are a few ways you can easily make friends at university.
Live on campus for university
Moving out is a great way to make friends at university. Living in student halls and getting to live with new people is a great experience. You will quickly form bonds with your flat mates and become friends with them in no time. You can even make friends in communal areas in your accommodation which will quickly expand your friendship circle. Try to not lock yourself in your room and interact with your flatmates.
Join as many societies as possible
Now I don’t mean go to the extreme and join all of them but joining one or two will enable you to meet new people. Universities offer a wide range of societies to join: there are sport societies, cultural societies, music societies and many more. During Freshers’ week there should be a society event where there are stalls and you can ask society leaders questions. This is a great way to make friends at university as you are making friends with people with similar interests.
Try to be outgoing and approach people
It can be a bit nerve-racking to approach people and try to make the first move, but sometimes you have to take the chance. Try smiling at someone in a lecture room or in the reception area and if they smile back maybe you should go over and introduce yourself.
Go out to Freshers’ events
Going out during Freshers’ week, to events is another good way to make friends at university. Attending freshers’ events is a great way to meet lots of new people. Most universities host events throughout the first couple weeks of the year such as parties, movie nights, quizzes, day trips, etc. Partying may not be something you enjoy but attending university hosted day trips is a great way to make friends at university.
Go to your course induction sessions
I know many people will say that you don’t need to attend your course induction week because it is not important but that is not entirely true. Induction week is the first time you will meet the people on your course, so it is when everyone is starting to get to know each other. Some courses also host small events such as a pub quiz so you can all get to know each other better.
Join social media groups
I know group chats can be annoying at times, but it is a quick way to speak to new people and become friends with them. You can even join these groups prior to starting university and hopefully you will already know a few people before university even begins.
Sit next to people in lectures
Sitting in a corner alone seems like the easiest thing to do when you enter a big lecture room and you don’t know anyone. If you want to make friends at university, try sitting next to someone and introduce yourself to them. The lecture will definitely be more enjoyable if you have someone to talk to and help you with the work.
