worried about making friends when I live in private accomodation

if I get the results I need im hoping to start uni this September in Sheffield, due to personal preference I've booked private accomodation but im still really keen on making friends, I just dont fancy living with them lol. ive heard lots of mixed stories, some people say they made all of their friends in halls but others say halls don't matter and they made all their friends through their course and societies. does anybody have any advice on how I can still make friends and meet people ?? what was your own experience ??

Reply 1

jelllyfiiish

Life & Style Forum Helper

17

Original post by Anonymous

if I get the results I need im hoping to start uni this September in Sheffield, due to personal preference I've booked private accomodation but im still really keen on making friends, I just dont fancy living with them lol. ive heard lots of mixed stories, some people say they made all of their friends in halls but others say halls don't matter and they made all their friends through their course and societies. does anybody have any advice on how I can still make friends and meet people ?? what was your own experience ??

You’ll meet loads of people on your journey!
Don’t worry about not meeting anyone as you’ll have many opportunities to go out and socialise one way or another.

Remember to take all your opportunities and goodluck with uni! 😁

Original post by Anonymous

if I get the results I need im hoping to start uni this September in Sheffield, due to personal preference I've booked private accomodation but im still really keen on making friends, I just dont fancy living with them lol. ive heard lots of mixed stories, some people say they made all of their friends in halls but others say halls don't matter and they made all their friends through their course and societies. does anybody have any advice on how I can still make friends and meet people ?? what was your own experience ??

Hi there,
You can definitely still make friends in you live in private accommodation. Depending on where you've booked, they may offer their own events or have social spaces where you can hang out and get to know the other people who live there. From personal experience, I made friends in all sorts of ways at uni - from my course, working part time jobs, accommodation, societies and Facebook groups. My best advice is to just continuously put yourself out there.

-Nicky

Hi anon,

I lived in halls in my first year and at home in my second, and I totally agree with others on here that living in halls is definitely not the only opportunity you'll have to make friends. I only kept in contact with 2 people from my flat of 18 after my first year, and my real friends I met by asking them out for coffee and walks after lectures, doing group work on assignments, and through the craft society I joined in second year.

Just grab every chance you can to chat with people, arrange meet-ups, and perhaps join a club or society if this is your thing. And even if its not, you will be with coursemates for your whole degree so you'll have plenty of chances to connect with them; or perhaps consider getting into student ambassador work. I met a lot of great people through working on events and tours with others in the role, plus its a lot of fun work for a good casual wage!

It feels a lot more difficult to make friends at uni than it turns out to be - all new students are in the same boat and are all going to be seeking new friendships, you rest assured I'm sure you will be fine :smile:

Hope that helps and best of luck in Sheffield!

Holly
University of Bath

Reply 4

Liverpool Hope University

Official Rep

19

Hi there!

Uni halls is definitely not the only place where you can make friends. I didn't particularly get on with people in my halls due to different lifestyles BUT made plenty of other really close friends on my course and through different societies and evens at university. I also got a part time job within the university itself which introduced to me so many other students all at different stages of their degrees who I would never have met if I didn't branch out of my comfort zone and try something new to do. I'm still really good friends with these people now!

It can feel really daunting the idea of moving away and needing to make new friends but the right people come along without even realising it and you'll soon be calling them your best mates!

Good Luck for your results and have a lovely time in Sheffield!

Daisy- Graduate Advocate🙂

Reply 5

University of Bradford

Official Rep

18

Original post by Anonymous

if I get the results I need im hoping to start uni this September in Sheffield, due to personal preference I've booked private accomodation but im still really keen on making friends, I just dont fancy living with them lol. ive heard lots of mixed stories, some people say they made all of their friends in halls but others say halls don't matter and they made all their friends through their course and societies. does anybody have any advice on how I can still make friends and meet people ?? what was your own experience ??

Hey 👋

There's definitely loads of different ways to make friends and meet new people outside of halls! I was lucky that I had great flatmates, but I also met people through my course and also in societies I joined. Even though I didn't carry on with some of the societies, it was still nice to see people I knew from them around campus and we'd grab a coffee to catch up. For me it was all about pushing myself out of my comfort zone, speaking to new people and just going from there, even if it was just someone to go to the library with in between lectures! I got a part-time job too where I met people outside of university.

Freshers is a great opportunity to go to different events and try out new sports and societies to meet loads of different people so I'd encourage you to get involved as much as possible 😀

I hope you have a great time at university!

Jennie

Reply 6

devshramus

2

Participating in clubs, societies, or extracurricular activities can help you meet like-minded individuals with shared interests.

Reply 7

University of Portsmouth Student Rep

17

Original post by Anonymous

if I get the results I need im hoping to start uni this September in Sheffield, due to personal preference I've booked private accomodation but im still really keen on making friends, I just dont fancy living with them lol. ive heard lots of mixed stories, some people say they made all of their friends in halls but others say halls don't matter and they made all their friends through their course and societies. does anybody have any advice on how I can still make friends and meet people ?? what was your own experience ??

Hi there!

It’s so easy to feel daunted by the prospect of meeting so many people at uni and wondering if you’ll be able to make friends. Everyone’s experience of socialising at university will be different, and sometimes it can take a little longer to find your people. But there are definitely things that you can do to give yourself more opportunities for this.

Societies are a great place to start if you’re looking to meet people, as you already have an interest in common with the other members! They’re also a great way to meet people at different stages in their university journey, who can give you advice based on their experiences!

Another great place to meet people is your course, as you will also have a common interest here! Many courses have group chats that are great for reaching out to people too!

The main thing to remember is to make the most of your time at university, and to maximise the opportunities you get to meet people, ask if people want to meet for a coffee, for example.

Best of luck with starting uni, and I hope this helps!

Eryn - Portsmouth Student Rep 🙂

Original post by Anonymous

if I get the results I need im hoping to start uni this September in Sheffield, due to personal preference I've booked private accomodation but im still really keen on making friends, I just dont fancy living with them lol. ive heard lots of mixed stories, some people say they made all of their friends in halls but others say halls don't matter and they made all their friends through their course and societies. does anybody have any advice on how I can still make friends and meet people ?? what was your own experience ??

Hi there,

There are so many different ways ti make friends at uni so try not to worry too much about this!

if you did want to try and meet some people and make some friends in your accommodation, you could have a look on Facebook or other social media to see if there are any groups for your accommodation. There are usually groups for uni accommodation and there might be some for private halls too so it is worth have a look. I found this a good way of meeting some people in my building and sometimes talking on social media can take the pressure off a little bit so it might be worth trying this. There might also be social areas and spaces in the building so you could always see if you can meet anyone this way if there are people there. Your building might also put events on (I'm not sure if they do this in private halls) but it is worth checking if you want to meet some people here.

I would definitely try a society as these are really good ways of making friends. It's good to get out and do something you enjoy and you will also have a common interest with everyone there which can make it easier to make friends. Most people who join societies want to make friends and join them to meet people so it is fairly easy to meet lots of people here who want to make friends. I would go to the freshers society and sports fairs and see if you like the look of any and if you do then sign up to some trial sessions before you commit to joining the society as they can get quite expensive if you join a few different ones. There might also be a society for your course which is sometimes free to join so it is worth doing this as you might meet some more people on your course this way.

There will also be lots of people on your course to make friends with too. Make sure you are attending your lectures and seminars and sit next to new people and just talk to them! Most people will be friendly and will talk to you so just try it as especially at the start of uni everyone will want to make friends and will want to make plans! There might also be group projects on your course which can be a good way of meeting people and talking to some new people which is important to meet a variety of people! I met some of my closest friends on my course so it is possible to meet lots of great people this way!

I have found Sheffield in general to be a really friendly city and lots of people here are really nice and sociable so don't worry too much as most people I have met have been really nice! There are loads of students here so you meet lots of people on nights out too and just in general around the city.

If you are going to Hallam, the Student Union quite often puts events on which you can go along to and meet some people this way. They are called give it a go events and they go to lots of places - ice hockey matches, alton towers and trips to London to name a few. These are great for meeting new people and doing something fun at the same time! I am sure that Uni of Sheffield will have some fun things like this too so if you are going to this uni then make sure to check this out too!

Whichever Uni you are going to you will have a great time and you will meet load of new people to make friends with. Sheffield is a great city and I have found everyone here to be really friendly so don't worry 🙂

I hope this helps,

Lucy -SHU student ambassador.

worried about making friends when I live in private accomodation

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