Moving to university is a difficult time. You leave your friends and family and move away from everything you know. You have to make friends with brand new people who you’ll spend the next years with, but how do you do it?
Not everyone makes friends easily and it’s totally normal to struggle, or to feel lonely while at university. So here’s a guide made specifically to help you make friends in a new city while you’re studying.
Join societies or sports clubs
Meeting people who have the same interests as you in a society is one of the best ways to make friends. Societies are sociable by nature and the focus of a common interest means you’re unlikely to be stuck with an awkward silence.
Sports clubs are one of the best ways to make strong friendships at university, if sport is your thing. You don’t have to be amazing at it, there are loads of teams for all sports and they mostly lead to building really strong friendships.
Volunteering
There are plenty of opportunities to take part in volunteering at university. It’s a great way to do something worthwhile and meet loads of new people at the same time.
Use existing networks
If you have friends from home or school or any other walk of life who are at the same university as you, get in touch with them. You might get on well with their friends too.
Be a happy person
If you can stay upbeat at all times, and empathise without moaning, you’ll be a really positive influence for those around you and people will enjoy your company.
Listen to others
And they will listen to you too. Everyone needs someone to talk to at the beginning of university when there’s a lot to worry about. If you listen to others, you’ll quickly form trusting relationships and they’ll return the favour.
Chat with course mates
Once you spend more time in lectures and seminars you’ll realise who’s in each of your modules and you can chat to people who you know you’ll be spending all term with. They’ll appreciate having a friend to sit with and to discuss work with just as much as you.