autistic and worried about making friends at durham

Your anxieties about being left out and 'all alone' are understandable. In every stage of life the brain has the ability to fear the worst, and make all those anxieties a thousand times worse. That is how phobia's start to develop because the fear of the fear becomes the proverbial worst wall to climb over.
Durham is a great place to be and one of the really 'old school' Uni's. I am interested to know if you have been there and paid the campus a visit? Sometimes it can settle your fears by just going and walking around (it is free and open to do this) Get a feel of the place you are going to be for a long time.
When you get to Uni, everyone is in the same position. You have left school, and quite literally can know no one. There are foreign students, students from all corners of the UK. Everyone is thrown into the mix. You will find personalities of all persuasions and of all kinds. Everyone is desperate to find their perch. You will be ok. Gradually you will encounter other students who you will think - yes I can spend some more time with them. Often it is a sharing of ideas, or outlooks that allow you to take a step closer in to other personalities that form new friends.
The best way of making new friends is to immerse yourself 200% into freshers week (or fortnight) or month. The more new experiences you have you can tick them off and know whether you either want to repeat the experience or close it down as 'done that' If you are stuck in your room you are never going to find new friends and other students. They will not come to you. Gradually when you meet more people you can make arrangements to meet up for coffee, lunch, supper, night out etc etc. Making friends takes a while. You have your tutor groups, lectures, sports, activities, year group. There are thousands of people to meet. This is Uni now, not school with its micro groups or small cliques. Some people sadly need to form a clique with 'hangers on' because they are too insecure and need the support of others around them to feel valued. Ignore them. Find those genuine people who make you laugh, with whom you want to share everything and anything.But keep trying and never give up. You will find your mindset match, it may take a while.
You are at Uni for a reason - to get a degree out of it. make sure you keep that uppermost in your mind. Then be brave and do absolutely everything you can to expand your experience of life and people. Try everything once. If it feels good (& it's legal) repeat. If you mess up and survive - learn from it and don't repeat or do something different next time.
Now what were you saying about autism? People will take you at face value. You don't have any of your hang ups tattooed across your forehead, and to be honest no one cares either. So stop looking inward, stop being so negative and worried about making mistakes. You are as you are. Live your life as if you will not survive tomorrow. If you share experiences with laughter you will make new friends. If you are prepared to make a fool of yourself and live with it you will make new friends. But just be you and understand it can easily take six months or more to settle in a new place, find your feet and enjoy your new life of independence.
Go out there, enjoy every day and try not to define yourself by your 'label'. No one else will really give a stuff other than exploring a new day.