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When did you find your people at university??

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Boost

i found my really really really good friends at the start of Y2. but that's mainly because i started uni during covid so everything was online for Y1.

Reply 3

gjd800

I never really did, at any point during any of my degrees and PGCerts.

It was less of a worry for me because I was quite old so already had established friendship groups and didn't feel an urge to make a lot of friends - I also commuted so wasn't in the position of many young people of being in a new place far from home (well, until I went to that place down South, but at that point I was mid-30s and made mates in the local biker boozer).

With that said, I met plenty of people that I liked, and with whom I'd happily go for a pint or whatever. But I made the sum total of three mates for life, and they are the only people with whom I am in any sort of contact 11 years after finishing my undergraduate degree.

I think a lot of it depends on your expectations and exactly what you want from things. You can do things to boost your odds - societies, social events, volunteering and all that stuff. But I never bothered.

Reply 4

EdgeHillStudents

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Original post by Anonymous #1

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Hey,

I would say I found my friends at university through my course as throughout my degree we have been on multiple field trips which gives you the opportunity to speak with different people. Personally, I found it took time to make these friendships like we weren't best friends within a couple of weeks but I find because you are around them a lot or in my instance I am, you form that friendship rather quickly. However, I have found new friends throughout every year so far so there is no time scale on when you meet certain people.

However, there are multiple different opportunities that will allow you to make friends:

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Societies or sports teams - these are a great opportunity as you would be around people with similar interests to you.

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Course mates - I find you can make quite quick friends this way if you are in multiple times a week with the same people or if you are going on field trips or are required to work in groups.

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Flat mates - If you have moved into accommodation that can be a great way of making some friends you won't likely get on well with every one but I always found there was one person who I got on best with.

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Check if your university holds any events for making friends as at Edge Hill there are people called Campus Connectors and they hold multiple events a week to help people interact with new people or to give people something fun to do.

But don't worry if you haven't found your person yet you have plenty of time!

Rebecca
3rd Year Geoenvironmental Hazards Student

Reply 5

University of Huddersfield

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Original post by Anonymous #1

As title?

Anon,

When I spent time getting to know people better.

I don't think it's about timing like you should find your friends after three or six months, but I think it's about being open to opportunities to get to know people and to spend time with them. I think the more that you do that, the easier and quicker it is for friendships to form.

It's difficult to make friends if you don't meet up, go to events or to just hang out in general with people. (They can't get to know you better and you can't get to know them better.) So I think when you're willing to put yourself out of your comfort zone and to try a new society or to grab a coffee with another student after a lecture, then it makes room for friendship to grow.

All that being said, sometimes you just stumble upon friendship. When you just happen to get talking to someone in the library or in a coffee shop and then maybe you see them another time at the library or at the coffee shop and then slowly but surely friendship forms. It was just when you were going back your daily and doing nothing special!

I also think that most of the time you don't realise that you are becoming friends with a person until after a period of time has gone, and then you think you actually do get on really well with this person, or spend all this time with them, or have a lot common. I also think that you then look back and think when was the time that they became a friend and it's not always so clear, but I think it's normally multiple conversations, time spent together, and in general the passing of time.

Hope that helps,

Oluwatosin – 3^rd year student – University of Huddersfield

Reply 6

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

As title?

Hi there,

I think it was definitely towards the end of first year when I really found my group of friends that I clicked with. I would say that this varies massively from person to person, some people I know found their group of friends straight away as they were flatmates and some people didn't really find a group until second or third year. I feel like after freshers is when you start to see what people are really like, whether this is good or bad as the more time you spend with people the more they are themselves.

Here are some of my tips to find friends if this is something you are struggling with:

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Join a society! I know everybody says it but it really is a great way to make friends with people as you meet people with similar interests to you and you spend a lot of time together so you get to know each other really well.

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Attend your classes. Especially seminars or workshops as this will allow you to meet people and get chatting to them and you already have a common interest (your course) so this is something to get the conversation started. If you have group work this can also allow you to meet new people that you may not have before.

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Find people in your building. If your building has a social area or any common room type spaces, you can often meet people here who live in your building that you may not have seen before.

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Find people on social media. On Facebook you can often find people in your city or on your course that you may never come across but you may get on really well!

I hope some of this helps!
Lucy -SHU student ambassador

Reply 7

Manchester Met - Student Rep

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Original post by Anonymous #1

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Hi there,
My top three would be:
Society’s
Course mates
Bonding over your food shop or other mandatory daily activities. Inviting someone along makes it so much more exciting!

Reply 8

Chester Student

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Original post by Anonymous #1

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Hi there,

I was lucky to find my people in university early on, but that wasn't without going through some difficulty first.

Friendships at university are constantly changing due to different commitments, interests, wants, and needs. My own group changed a lot as we moved through the first semester. I think the best advice I got was to just be open to everything! Be willing to go to lunch, have a study date, or hang out when asked - and be willing to ask others.

There is really no other way to find your people than by actively trying to put yourself out there and make those connections.

I found my closest friends in my accommodation, but there are loads of other ways to meet people too. For example, on your course; through a sport or society; through part time work or volunteering; or just by having a common interest/circumstance (I'm currently studying abroad, and a lot of my friends are also international students!).

There is no timeline for when you find your people at university. You might not, and that's okay. But you can definitely improve your chances by finding things you love doing and talking to others!

Best of luck,

Isabella
Third-year Geography with a Year Abroad Student

Reply 9

University of Kent

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

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Hi there

I met most of my friends at the end of year 1 and the start of year 2 (when Covid restrictions started to lift).
I find that societies are a really good way to meet people with similar interests and hobbies. Speaking to classmates from the same lectures and seminars can also be a really good way of making friends.
I hope this helps.

Chloe
University of Kent Student Rep

Reply 10

UCLan Student

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous #1

As title?

Hey there!

Finding friends at university can be a really experience, especially when you don't know anyone before hand!

Facebook groups
I found that joining the Facebook group for my course before I started was the best way to make friends, the people I met from that are some of my best friends now! Try having a look if your university has these!

Work
I became friends with my housemate through my job as a student ambassador and have made some really good friends along the way! This job is great as it helps you to meet people you otherwise would never have met!

Clubs and Societies
Clubs and societies are great ways to make friends during your time at university as these let you meet people with common interests to you! Having something to look forward to outside of lectures is super important at university!

I know it can be a really difficult time but hopefully this has helped to ease your worries a little over it all!

-Rebecca, UCLan

Reply 11

NULondon Aleks

Official Rep

Hi!

Just wanted to share my experience along with everyone else. I found my people after first year. It took a while to get my groove at University. It was a big transition for me and I was entirely focused on studying. We had met during a seminar where we were put in a group to work together. We ended up being great friends after that.

To echo what others have written, I found more people that I cherish during societies. It brought me out of my comfort zone and made me connect with more people.

It can be scary and I am complete introvert. Luckily my friends are similar which is why we became such close friends.

Happy to answer more questions or provide more context :smile:

Thank you and good luck!

Aleks (She/her) - Law student

Reply 12

Wombat11

I think you have to be flexible and push yourself to go to different things with different people,even if you don’t naturally feel like doing that. It’s often easier to do this stuff early in the academic year, but you can do it anytime. It’s about widening your circle of contacts and types of people you might meet.

I’d say, say ‘yes’ to invitations to go out and try to be pro-active in intimidating a coffee or drink or whatever. Share friends. If you’ve got some people you go out with, when you meet others, invite them along.

You have to get out of your room. It’s too easy to sit on your own online and not mix. Join a society which does something you like, especially one which is big, where there might be lots of people. Common interests are amazing for making friends and once you make some connections, things snowball.

I think there’s no reason why people will speedily meet their people. The chances that they are in your flat or hall is actually quite small, maybe catered halls allow you to mix with more people, but flats of 6-12 - you can probably make friends, but they may well it be your best buds.

You won’t be alone. People feel under pressure to be having the time of their life and to have lifelong friends within about 5 mins. In reality there’s no reason why that would happen.

Reply 13

City UoL Rep 2

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Original post by Anonymous #1

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Hey!!

When I started University, I was a naturally introverted individual and was terrified of not making friends at Uni due to my shy nature. Due to this, I found a TikTok where people were commenting their University and Courses and I was so nervous that I left a comment. To my surprise, I came across someone in the comment section who is now one of my best-friends. Its good to know that at the start, everyone is feeling nervous about forming friendships in a new environment.

What truly helped me was joining societies! You can find like-minded individuals and get to know each other and go to the same events etc which can help build friendships. For example, I joined my universities magazine society in my first-year and met an incredible girl who was truly my first friend and made my time at university lovely!

I would also highly recommend joining your universities Student Ambassador scheme if is being offered by your university. I joined my Ambassador team in my 2nd year. I am now in my 3rd and final year at City. The friendships that get formed in a work-place environment are incredible! If I knew that I'd meet so many people and make genuine friendships, I probably would've applied earlier.

Finally, in Lecture/ Seminar classes, when I needed help, I was absolutely terrified of asking the professor so I would ask my classmates. Through this, you can meet a range of individuals who you can message and talk to in regards to the course that you are doing, the shared stress of exams etc.

I hope this helps,
Iris - 3rd Year Politics Student at City, University of London.