No friends in final year

I'm in final year with basically just a few months left and I have 0 friends here. I barely have acquaintances. I really didn't bother to socialise my first 2 years which I regret so much now.

It feels impossible to make friends in final year. I feel so lost and hopeless and feel like there's no way out. I have tried going to societies and stuff but it hasn't been very successful. I might meet some nice people but it tends to be surface level stuff.

I'm so miserable about it because graduation is coming up and I dread spending the day all alone.

I'm really eager to keep trying and make some friends but I feel I just don't really know what to do.

Reply 1

University of Bath

Official Rep

Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear you're feeling this way. Please rest assured though its quite normal for people to feel they have few friends and it is often very difficult to find people you really connect with - so you're not alone!

I would definitely suggest giving a society another go, its never too late to join. Perhaps try to focus on just one you're interested in and ask afterwards if anyone wanted to meet up for coffee in the week, or go to town?

Have you also considered part time work? When I worked as a student ambassador some of my really good friends turned out to be students from other year groups I'd met through being on shift with them. Its a lot of fun and it was the most helpful tool for me in making friends.

What about going to any uni events that are on on campus? here at Bath we have weekly club nights, quizzes and cocktail happy hours which are always a lovely environment and a good way to meet different groups of people.

Last suggestion - do you do any group work as part of your course? Do you know any others in your seminar/tutor group? My main friends at uni were the others in my tutor group who I'd worked on projects with throughout the degree. Perhaps if this is the case for you ask a few of them out for a celebratory coffee or meal out around the time of graduation?

I hope some of this helps. Please don't worry - there are SO many people in the same boat as you but as long as you keep your chin up and keep putting yourself out there then I'm sure things will improve for you 🙂

Best of luck!

Holly
University of Bath

Reply 2

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

I'm in final year with basically just a few months left and I have 0 friends here. I barely have acquaintances. I really didn't bother to socialise my first 2 years which I regret so much now.
It feels impossible to make friends in final year. I feel so lost and hopeless and feel like there's no way out. I have tried going to societies and stuff but it hasn't been very successful. I might meet some nice people but it tends to be surface level stuff.
I'm so miserable about it because graduation is coming up and I dread spending the day all alone.
I'm really eager to keep trying and make some friends but I feel I just don't really know what to do.

Hi there,

It can be really tricky at uni if you haven't found a group of friends. This is a lot more common than you might think and often people don't really have massive groups of friends as it can be hard to make friends at Uni.

Here are some ways that I have made friends and that I think are good ways to meet some new people:

I know you have said that you have tried societies, but would you give it another go? I think that societies are great ways of making friends as you meet such a variety of people here and there will be lots of people to talk to and make friends with. Have a look and see if your Uni puts any on that you may want to join.

You could also look and see if your course has a society or if there is a general academic society for courses similar to you and see if you would like to join this. This may be a good way of meeting some new people on your course too.

See if your student union puts any events on. Quite often the SU will put events on throughout the year so that students can meet people and also just do something fun so have a look if yours does this.

Have a look on social media and see if you can meet anyone this way. Quite often there will be groups on social media such as Facebook where you can meet people at your uni/on your course so see if you can do this!

Look at getting a part time job (if you don't have one already). If your uni has any campus jobs available see if there are any that you could get as you can often meet people here too. I know it can be stressful in final year but see if there are any which are quite flexible!

I hope some of this helps,

Lucy -SHU student ambassador.

Reply 3

YSJstudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

I'm in final year with basically just a few months left and I have 0 friends here. I barely have acquaintances. I really didn't bother to socialise my first 2 years which I regret so much now.
It feels impossible to make friends in final year. I feel so lost and hopeless and feel like there's no way out. I have tried going to societies and stuff but it hasn't been very successful. I might meet some nice people but it tends to be surface level stuff.
I'm so miserable about it because graduation is coming up and I dread spending the day all alone.
I'm really eager to keep trying and make some friends but I feel I just don't really know what to do.

Hi!

I want to offer you some encouragement; I have met a few of my friends in my final year and despite being on the same course for the past two years we hadn't spoken, however, these friendships (as all do) begin with surface level conversations. I want to encourage you to not give up, friendships can be difficult but you will get there!

Hope this helps! Faye 🙂

Reply 4

UoL Students

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

I'm in final year with basically just a few months left and I have 0 friends here. I barely have acquaintances. I really didn't bother to socialise my first 2 years which I regret so much now.
It feels impossible to make friends in final year. I feel so lost and hopeless and feel like there's no way out. I have tried going to societies and stuff but it hasn't been very successful. I might meet some nice people but it tends to be surface level stuff.
I'm so miserable about it because graduation is coming up and I dread spending the day all alone.
I'm really eager to keep trying and make some friends but I feel I just don't really know what to do.

Hello,

Although I can not give you any advice, i can say you are not alone as I am in a similar position and I'm sure many others are as well. Have confidence that the right friends will come up at the appropriate time in your life.

Charlie
Law LLB Student

Reply 5

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

I'm in final year with basically just a few months left and I have 0 friends here. I barely have acquaintances. I really didn't bother to socialise my first 2 years which I regret so much now.
It feels impossible to make friends in final year. I feel so lost and hopeless and feel like there's no way out. I have tried going to societies and stuff but it hasn't been very successful. I might meet some nice people but it tends to be surface level stuff.
I'm so miserable about it because graduation is coming up and I dread spending the day all alone.
I'm really eager to keep trying and make some friends but I feel I just don't really know what to do.

Hey,
I totally get how you’re feeling, and trust me, you’re not alone in this. Making friends in final year might seem tough, but it’s definitely not too late! Try reaching out to classmates for study sessions, coffee chats, or even just a quick catch-up after lectures. Societies are great, but smaller groups or casual meetups can help you connect on a deeper level. Also get involved in other university events and fairs in order to meet new people and try to build connections with them.

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there—so many people are probably in the same boat. Graduation is still months away, so there’s plenty of time to build connections. Make the best use out of it.

I Hope this helps you.

Thanks & Reagrds.
Coventry University Student Ambassador
Kavya Maheta ( BBA Hons.)

Reply 6

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

I'm in final year with basically just a few months left and I have 0 friends here. I barely have acquaintances. I really didn't bother to socialise my first 2 years which I regret so much now.
It feels impossible to make friends in final year. I feel so lost and hopeless and feel like there's no way out. I have tried going to societies and stuff but it hasn't been very successful. I might meet some nice people but it tends to be surface level stuff.
I'm so miserable about it because graduation is coming up and I dread spending the day all alone.
I'm really eager to keep trying and make some friends but I feel I just don't really know what to do.

Hi

Thanks for sharing this, although you can feel quite isolated in this situation you will have seen it is more common than you might've thought. Although you are surrounded by people at university it can be hard to get to know people more than on a surface level, or to find your crowd. As a mature student, I hadn't really thought about making friends again as I had been fortunate enough to live near lots of old/work friends beforehand. But after moving 200 miles up North to attend university I suddenly realised I didn't know anyone and I was a bit rusty at "making friends". However, I soon realised most students were/had been in the same boat and were friendly, happy to support one another, and keen to make a connection.

I agree with all the advice already given. I have made some of my best friends during my final year at university and it isn't a big friendship group, just a few close friends.

Joining a society is a good shout as not only do you get to do something fun which you enjoy be that snow sports board games, or building a racing car (yes all societies that exist at my uni), but you meet like-minded people outside of course and/or house. This can be a low-pressure way to get to know people as you don't have to have long conversations, you can instead chat casually whilst you play a board game for example. If you are nervous about attending on your own you could drop the society a message to let them know when you are attending so that they know to expect you and introduce you to a few people. Societies are run by students for students with the main aim of connecting people over fun interests.

If you have time finding a part-time job or volunteering can be another good way to make friends, I have been a student ambassador since my first year, and although I initially started working so I could earn whilst I learnt, I now really look forward to work days as I get to work with some of my best mates.

You could even see what social events your university organised, often my students union holds social events such as craft and chat where you can just drop in for a cuppa, chat, and a fun crafting activity meeting people on similar courses.

If you are worried about striking up a conversation, I find offering people something like a sweet can be a good conversation opener.

I hope that helps a little, best of luck! Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

Lucy ☺️
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)