How do I make friends at uni?

Hi, I am enrolled at Nottingham Trent University and in my first year of criminology. I was wondering how to make friends. Things to note are that I have social anxiety, am a couple of years older than everyone else in my course, and that I also live at the university in accommodation.

Reply 1

Nottingham Trent University

Official Rep

15

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi, I am enrolled at Nottingham Trent University and in my first year of criminology. I was wondering how to make friends. Things to note are that I have social anxiety, am a couple of years older than everyone else in my course, and that I also live at the university in accommodation.

Hiya! Welcome to NTU 😀 We totally get that it can be overwhelming sometimes trying to make new friends and meet new people. Societies are a great way meet people with common interests and at NTU we have over 100 to choose from, you can find out more about what's on offer here: Societies | Nottingham Trent University

If you're interested in sport or music and the arts, there are also lots of ways you can get involved with extracurricular activities at the uni. You can find out more here: Get involved | Nottingham Trent University

One of our students also created a video with their top tips on making friends at uni, definitely worth a watch 🙂 - Alanna's tips for making friends at university - YouTube

We hope that's helpful 🙂 Let us know if you have any questions!

Sammie - NTU rep

Reply 2

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi, I am enrolled at Nottingham Trent University and in my first year of criminology. I was wondering how to make friends. Things to note are that I have social anxiety, am a couple of years older than everyone else in my course, and that I also live at the university in accommodation.

Hi! I may not be at your university, however generally I would advise making friends with your flatmates and other people near your accommodation as you will see the same people around fairly often. I also recommend joining a society or two, as its an amazing way to meet new people! It doesn't matter if its something you've been doing your whole life or if you're trying something new. Personally, I started pole fitness society a few weeks ago, it was scary at first as I'd never done anything like it before but now its my favourite part of the week and I've met so many new people. Also, if you have a chance to talk to people on your course definitely do that, its good to have contacts not only for friends but for if you need a chat or a group study session!! Also, don't worry too much about age, I have made friends of all ages at university and it has never been an issue.
Best luck, I hope you have a good time at uni.
-Kat (2nd year psychology undergraduate, Lancaster University)

Hello,

Congratulations on starting your course! I always found criminology to be a very interesting subject!

I am an international student who also found it quite difficult to make friends during my first year.

My biggest advice would be to try to join different societies and try to meet different people there, there are often societies linked to your course or even societies for older students that you might fight interesting. My second tip would be to try to hangout in university social spaces, either in your accommodation, nearby cafes, or in university as an opportunity might arise where you might strike a conversation with someone and the rest would be history. One time, a person asked me to look after their stuff while they went to the loo and we became best friends! Finally, if you feel like you have time for a part-time job, working as a student ambassador is a great way to make friends, some extra cash, and it looks great on your cv.

Also, check with student support at your university as they often have schemes like Uni Buddy to help.

Best of luck,
Haya- MBBS 5

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi, I am enrolled at Nottingham Trent University and in my first year of criminology. I was wondering how to make friends. Things to note are that I have social anxiety, am a couple of years older than everyone else in my course, and that I also live at the university in accommodation.

Hi there

It is good to hear that you are enrolled in University. :smile:

It is an amazing opportunity, and I hope you enjoy it. Some advice I have is:

Having a look at any freshers events: in particular society booths during the freshers fairs. This is a good chance to get to know the different societies around. Joining society events afterwards is also a good way of making friends, as most people will have similar interests to you.

In my first year of University I was extremely introverted and struggled to speak with others. What I found easier was speaking to those in the same course as we had similar topics to speak about. It may take some time to adjust to a new environment and make friends. But take things at your own pace, and I am sure you will meet a nice group of people. (I would not worry about being a mature student, University is a very diverse environment, and there is no pressure to hang around those in first year either. There are many mature students around at University).

Most people will be in the same position as you, and will be a bit anxious about heading to University. So take things easy and I am sure you will be fine.

Good luck.
Chloe
University of Kent Student Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi, I am enrolled at Nottingham Trent University and in my first year of criminology. I was wondering how to make friends. Things to note are that I have social anxiety, am a couple of years older than everyone else in my course, and that I also live at the university in accommodation.

Hi there,

I hope you are enjoying your course so far!

Making friends can be really difficult, especially with all of the changes that happen when you first arrive at university. Firstly, I wouldn't worry about being a few years older than everyone else. When I first joined university, I made friends with people of all ages, and I didn't realize it until a lot later! I have found that it's not something many people are bothered by, as long as you are a pleasant person to be around.

It can also be difficult with social anxiety, but there are a few things you could try if you are comfortable doing so. Joining a sport or society taster session that interests you could be a good option, as there is no obligation to come back. A lot of them should run refresher sessions in the next term, so look out for those. Something as simple as saying 'hello' to a classmate and asking them about the classes/content could also be a good place to start. This also applies to the people in your university accommodation, which could then lead to other things like inviting them out to get coffee or study.

It definitely takes some courage to put yourself out there and try to make friends, but you've got this!

I hope this helps and best of luck,

Isabella 🙂
Third-year Geography with a Year Abroad Student

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hi, I am enrolled at Nottingham Trent University and in my first year of criminology. I was wondering how to make friends. Things to note are that I have social anxiety, am a couple of years older than everyone else in my course, and that I also live at the university in accommodation.

Hi there,

It can be tricky to make friends at uni, especially when you are more introverted.

I always say that a great way to make friends is through societies! I'm sure Nottingham Trent has loads of societies that you could join and usually there is something for everyone! It's a great way to meet people and do some kind of activity together, whether that be a sport or just a hobby that you are interested in. Everybody there is also interested in that society so that's already something that you have in common!
Most societies also do social events so if you make friends in the society you may feel comfortable going out with everybody and enjoying an activity together! It doesn't have to be a night out if that's not your thing, some societies do day events, like going for food or a coffee for example so look into this before you start so you can join something that's right for you!

Usually universities put on something in January called a 'refreshers fair' which is just like freshers fair but in January, so it may be worth going to this so you can have a look round all the societies and see if any interest you.

Another way of making friends is through your accommodation. Try and see if the accommodation that you are living in puts on any events as this is a good way to meet people that you are living with.

I would also say don't worry about being older than the people on your course! I was two years older than most people when I started and it doesn't matter! Nobody will think anything different because you are older, everybody usually just wants to make friends.
There will also be lots of people who are your age, so if it bothers you being older than your peers then try and find people your age!

Another way of making friends is to see if there are any Facebook groups around that you can join as this can be an easier way of meeting people as you don't have to talk face to face at first!

Or, see if your university has any jobs as a student ambassador. This is a great way of making friends as it allows you to mingle with other students and you get to know everybody.

I hope this helps,
Lucy -SHU student ambassador

How do I make friends at uni?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you