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How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?

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Reply 1
I obtained lasting good friends from both the hall of residence and my course. I had some shorter lasting friendship from clubs, perhaps since after a bit I made my main hobby socialising at the pub with house and course mates
freshers! make sure you join societies, go to pres when invited (and invite others to yours!) make sure you make plans with people even if just for coffee!!! I'm doing a chem degree so labs is a good place to chat to people when youre waiting for something to happen, but courses will have some kind of groupchat also :smile:
Book club, carnage, classes, freshers week, the bar and library.
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?


I stayed in a private accommodation and made some friends that way, it was actually same price as my uni halls and nicer lol. Also don’t be afraid to chat and pipe up in conversations in group chats. Search for course/ uni/ freshers groups on Facebook and stuff. Ask around for a course Snapchat group chat, if there isn’t one, make one and spread the word. First year is extremely dawnting but you’ve just gotta get out there and get stuck in :smile:
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?

Hello @thesun123 ,

Some universities provide a group page or space for students to post their course, hobbies etc. I instantly clicked with some students on there. Additionally, I socialised with my flat mates and students on my course - this was beneficial as we were all on a similar boat with beginning univeristy!

Furthermore, if you are interested in joining societies, then go for it! This will give you the opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals.

Have a lovely evening,

Olivia (Third Year BA History Students and University of Lincoln Ambassador)
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?


Hiya

I made friends through Disney society, my housemates, within college group chats and my course WhatsApp group. Remember to carry a door stopper with you as it really helps to initiate a conversation with hallmates. Try to be active within group chats, not too much ofcourse but just enough so that people can know who you are when you meet them in person. I responded to a couple of queries in my course group chat and when I introduced myself to someone, they immediately knew who I was and it was a conversation starter as well!

There might be common rooms at your uni- like we have JCR and MCR at Durham- where anybody can come around and just hangout. Put yourself out there and just chat to people, it will really help. Sports, dance, theatre etc are also good ways.

-Himieka
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?

Hey @thesun123

I met friends through my accommodation, lectures and workshops, and sometimes just in random places like bus stops or bathrooms! In first year everyone wants to make friends so I'd recommend being friendly and approaching people first.

I hope I could help!
Rebecca
Reply 8
woah thanks a lot guys this is really helpful and it sounds really chill :smile:
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?


Hi @thesun123

I made my friends through working at the university, you never know where you can meet new friends.
I also made friends through my course which is very important as it helps with your studies! I met my friends a few times in the course by working with them in group work or talking about our modules. During the first few weeks of university, everyone is on the same boat.
Being involved in sports is a good way of making friends also, so there may be societies or casual sports you can try where you may be able to make friends.

Here is a list of societies at the University of Birmingham you may be interested in:
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/university/colleges/eps/eps-community/students/societies/index.aspx

-Moosa
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?


Hey @thesun123!

So at uni there are lots of ways for students to make friends and meet new people. University is such a mix of people from all different types of backgrounds and experiences, it's really quite exciting that you're able to get to know so many different people. For myself, I lived around the corner from my campus in Bognor (the other campus of Chichester Uni) where my degree was based, so I still lived at home for all 3 years. This meant the other students I was mostly seeing were my classmates in the lectures. In time I viewed some of them as friends, but definitely in first year it was still a case of us getting used to each other haha.

However, I did also take the opportunity to join a society as this was a great way to get to know other students from different degrees but with similar interests. I was also toying with signing up for one of the sports clubs too, but I never did and in hindsight that would have been another great way to meet other people and make friends. But most of my classmates were living in accommodation, so for them the first friends they made were who they lived with.

There are lots of ways to meet people at uni, and a great way to start before it even begins is to check if your uni have groups you can join on facebook. We have them available at Chichester and they're really helpful for our new students to start making connections before they arrive. They can find other people on their course, and often times even who they're with in accommodation. So I'd highly recommend checking with your uni if they have groups like that too :smile:

I hope this helps! I wish you all the best for next month (and beyond!) :smile:

Tom
University of Chichester Student Rep and Alumni
@thesun123 I made friends with people mostly from my course, because we had similar values. I was just myself and was open to talking to everyone, which is how I found the people that I gone on with the most. What I also did, and the advice I will give to you now, is: sit with different people for the first week during lectures/seminars, so you get to know everyone, and can find out who you get along with most. Don't feel scared about who to sit with for lunch, if you see some people from your course, just ask to sit with them.

People can make friends during freshers week, but it is not the only time to do so. You can make friends in societies, on your course, through events run by the uni/the students union, and you can make friends with those you live with.

A good thing to do is to invite/go with flat mates to freshers events, to the freebie fairs etc. It's a good way to get to know each other and have fun in a non-alcoholic environment without any potential awkwardness.

When freshers week is approaching, look online for your universities freshers week, they should have a list of events lined up, so you can see in advance which ones you want to go to and plan accordingly! Societies will also be hosting taster sessions, these are a lot of fun to get involved in, meet new people, and find societies you want to join long term.

On your course, join or make a group chat, this is a great way to get to know people, to talk to them pressure free, and is a way to help and support one another.

Basically, just make the most out of your time at university by not being worried to put yourself out there, and you will find the people who you will call friends :smile:

I hope this helps.

- Rosie
Hi @thesun123,

During the induction week for my first year at uni, there were a few social events in the department that I would be studying. I saw these on the uni induction timetable when this was sent to me and thought I would go and see if I could meet anyone. On the day I was a little nervous and wasn’t sure about going but I decided to go and I met with the three people that I still see every day when in uni now.

I found it really helpful to meet people this way as we were able to go through the course together and all the new experiences we could work through together which made everything seem a lot less worrying.

I hope this helps.

Luke Portsmouth Student Rep
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?

Hi @thesun123!

I made friends at societies, the people in my first year flat and also on my course! There’s plenty of opportunities to make friends at uni. Best of luck if you plan to start at uni soon!

- Tineke
Lancaster Physics Graduate
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?


I love this question because you go to uni being told you're going to make friends for life but how do you actually do that ?????

Like lots of people have already said, I made most of my friends through joining the uni netball team! It was such a good way to just meet a load of new people who weren't just my flatmates. I also didn't really get along with the people on my course so it was great to have another pool of people I could chat to and get to know and it definitely worked out as my four closest friends 6 years later are all people who I met through netball!

If you need any more help we have a resource all around making friends on Student Space so feel free to have a read and use as you please: https://studentspace.org.uk/wellbeing/taking-a-structured-approach-to-making-friends

Good luck :heart:
-Abi
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?


One of my closest friend I met was in a seminar. Other friends I have made were from my accommodation, uni jobs and events.

When you start university join lots of groups and societies to help you find people who are like you and join in as much as possible. I know my university at Chester would create events including mature and commuter events that allowed me to meet people I wouldn't have otherwise.

Have a great time at university!
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?

Hello @ thesun123

For me, the best way to make friends was through joining lots of societies!

Via getting involved in clubs and societies, there are lots of ways to meet people that also have a common interest, so you are likely to get on!

Also, if you make one friend then hopefully, they will introduce you to their friends and lots of other people.

Going to events and getting involved is also a good way to naturally meet friends.

Maybe look at your university's Student Unions website to look for clubs to join or events to go to.

Best of luck 🙂

UEA Rep Lucy
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?


Hi there,
I met my friends over quite a long period of time. Its rare that you just suddenly fall into the perfect friend group, it takes effort from all sides and a bit of luck. The best way to increase your chances of finding like minded people is to put yourself out there as often as you can. I don't mean acting out of character by being extremely extroverted if that's not you, but I mean taking as many opportunities to meet new people or form bonds as possible. This could mean joining societies, making conversation with your course mates/housemates, and accepting any social invites you get (unless of course you feel too uncomfortable with certain situations). There will be ups and downs but you will find good friends eventually, just know it can take time and don't be too hard on yourself if it doesn't happen straight away. Hope this helps.
-Grace
Original post by thesun123
How did you guys make friends in uni/how did you guys first meet them?


Hi there!
Some of the very first friends I made at uni were my neighbours who I met on my very first night, when moving to uni I made sure to myself that I would speak to everyone that I met, and these were the first people I saw. These people are still my friends now that I am going into my third year and living with some of them in a shared house.
As well as talking to my neighbours I also made friends on the WhatsApp group provided by the University for our accommodation so I could introduce myself to the people I would be living with before I met them in person. By doing this it took the pressure off of meeting them for the first time because we already knew quite a bit about each other.
I also highly recommend going to societies and any introductory classes that you have in freshers week as this is when everybody is looking to make friends so it's the perfect opportunity to meet as many people as possible.
Hope this helps!
-Bethany, UKC Rep
Original post by Lancaster Student Ambassador
Hi @thesun123!

I made friends at societies, the people in my first year flat and also on my course! There’s plenty of opportunities to make friends at uni. Best of luck if you plan to start at uni soon!

- Tineke
Lancaster Physics Graduate


Hi Tineke,

I'm going to Lancaster for Physics this year!! I'm so scared. Did you do anything to prepare yourself for physics at uni beforehand? Also, are the people nice? Are there any girls on the course? When I attended my university interview at Lancaster, I was the only girl there :frown:

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