Best tips for making friends in uni?

Anonymous #1

I need any help I can get as I am an international student going to live in the UK for the first time alone. Thanks

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Original post

by Anonymous

I need any help I can get as I am an international student going to live in the UK for the first time alone. Thanks

Hi I recommend just going to as many events as possible, the most awkward part is saying hi but after that the conversation just flow. Out of curiosity what university are you going to and where are you from?

Reply 2

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post

by Anonymous

I need any help I can get as I am an international student going to live in the UK for the first time alone. Thanks

Hello!

I think having fun together is the best way to connect with others. Therefore, societies are probably the best way to meet new people and make friends.
Here are some useful options that worked well for me or others:

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Join a society (or a few!) to meet people who have similar interests to you. Enjoy video games or board games? Great, join the society and find people to play with.

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Attend the events during the freshers' week. My Freshers week experience was super fun - not only I learned a lot about the university, joined many events and workshops and tried lots of new things, but also met interesting people and made friends.

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Attend events organised throughout the year. Whether it's a Christmas party or a CV-writing workshop, you never know where your best friend for life will appear.

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Join the course, accommodation and university social media channels/groups.

Essentially, just engaging in university life and being open to trying new things and meeting new people is a good way to start 😊.
Last tip: don't feel like you need to have friends in or outside of your course. Until the second term of my first year, I wasn't actually friends with anyone on my course - all of my friends were studying different degrees, and many of them were second years. Also, remember and respect your personal boundaries 😀

Hope you make some great friends for life and enjoy your university experience!

Best wishes,
Polina,
Lancaster Student Ambassador.

Reply 3

jonathanemptage

Original post

by Anonymous

I need any help I can get as I am an international student going to live in the UK for the first time alone. Thanks

Society’s are a great way to make friends in University they often have a meet up every week for instance you’l all meet up at a bar or the union then maybe move on to a club or something then if course you do the thing the society was set up for whatever that might be and there are so many different ones from conventional sports like football or tennis to extreme sports like rock climbing or more niche sports like octopush.if sports aren’t your thing there are things like film or radio or video games just get yourself to the freshers fair and sport and rec fair and I promise you’ll find something that takes your fancy also don’t be afraid to try something new lots of places have taster sessions if you can’t find anything or there is something you want to do that isn’t offered it’s super easy to setup your own one put up posters and you only need 20 people to show interest the union (SU) will be able to help you with that.

Reply 4

Kingston Zhi En

Official Rep

Original post

by Anonymous

I need any help I can get as I am an international student going to live in the UK for the first time alone. Thanks

Hi there 🙂 just to add on to everyone's amazing suggestions, joining a student accommodation or halls or residence is one of the best ways to meet people outside of your course and faculty 🤗 Take time to introduce yourself to your flatmates and neighbours!
If u are looking to meet people from the same cultural background or beliefs you can try looking at ethnic or faith societies 😉 or just join a regular hobby/ sport society! Personally, I found it easier to make friends through my part time job as a student ambassador and started meeting people from outside my course. I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck in your university journey.

Zhi En
(Kingston Student Rep.)

Reply 5

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

Original post

by Anonymous

I need any help I can get as I am an international student going to live in the UK for the first time alone. Thanks

Hi there,

I totally understand how you must be feeling. Moving to a new country alone is a big step, but trust me, you're not alone in this. So many students here, especially internationals, feel the same way at first. But, it gets better fast, and there are lots of ways to make friends.

Here are some of my tips that really helped me which might help you as well:
One of the best things you can do is join student societies or clubs—there are so many to choose from, whether you’re into sports, music, gaming, or cultural activities. You’ll meet people who share your interests, which makes it much easier to connect.
Also, try to attend as many welcome events and socials as you can, especially during Freshers Week. These events are designed to help new students meet each other in a relaxed, friendly setting. Even just spending time in common areas like cafés, the library, or your accommodation’s lounge can lead to casual conversations that grow into friendships. And don’t be shy to say a simple “hi” to someone—you’ll be surprised how open and friendly students are here. You can also join WhatsApp or Facebook groups for your course or accommodation to start connecting even before you arrive.

Wishing you an amazing start to your UK adventure! You’ve got this. I hope information helps you.

Thanks & Regards,
Kavya Maheta - BBA (Hons.)
Student Ambassador Coventry University

Reply 6

De Montfort University

Official Rep

Original post

by Anonymous

I need any help I can get as I am an international student going to live in the UK for the first time alone. Thanks

Hi there,

I've been at your position myself as an international student who moved into the UK alone. From my experience, the best way to adapt, defeat homesickness and meet new friends is to always keep yourself busy. Join societies, attend social events, trips, do volunteering, have a look at part time jobs, join sportclubs, study groups, attend workshops and there is much much more to do. Also, if English is not your first language (as it is the case with me), try to speak with people as much as possible. Do not feel bad if you have an accent or forget a word or two, it's absolutely fine and nobody is going to put you on spot fro that :smile:

Please, let me know if you have any questions,
Ilya,
Cyber Security student at DMU

Reply 7

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post

by Anonymous

I need any help I can get as I am an international student going to live in the UK for the first time alone. Thanks

Hi there,

Some amazing suggestions so far!

Something else to remember when you first start at uni, is that you will continue to make friends and meet new people throughout your degree. So if you don't meet your new bestie within the first few weeks, then that's okay. You have plenty of time, and you never know who you're going to meet and when, so try to relax and enjoy meeting new people. Everyone's suggestions about joining societies is definitely something I'd also recommend. And you can also look at whether your uni offers student jobs around campus, where you could make friends through work and make some extra cash too!

Hope this helps. 🙂
Emily
Student Rep at BCU

Reply 8

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post

by Anonymous

I need any help I can get as I am an international student going to live in the UK for the first time alone. Thanks

Hi 😀

I can see you have loads of wonderful suggestions so far.

First, just to reassure you that you will not be the only student feeling apprehensive about moving to a new country to study. It is a big step to move away from home for most students, let alone go and study in another country, so you should be really proud of yourself for starting this process.

I would say when you start your degree, make the most of the first few weeks to say Hi to everyone, whether that is where you live or on your course. I can guarantee your new coursemates will be as keen as you to make friends. If you click with anyone on your course, you could see if they fancy grabbing a drink together. As mentioned, societies are a great way to meet like-minded individuals outside of your course, a chance to have fun, and perhaps learn a new skill. For example, at my university we have a range of societies from Rugby to Archery to the Car Racing society or the Taylor Swift society.

At my university, we host regular international cafes, which is a good way to meet students in a similar position to yourself. It is also worth checking if your university offers any kind of mentoring, as my university does this for some new international students, so this could be a good way to make friends at university.

Good luck with your studies, and I hope you settle in quickly!

Lucy 🙂

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 9

McGinger

Talk to people. Yes, it will all feel a bit cringy at first but its the only way to get to know people.
Sitting in lectures or class just start with 'Hallo, my names is ,,,,' and ask where other people are from etc.
Say 'Coffee?' to a group of people at the end of a lecture/class, because otherwise everyone just drifts off and disappears, and they were all wishing that someone would do this.....

Reply 10

LJMUStudentReps

Official Rep

Original post

by Anonymous

I need any help I can get as I am an international student going to live in the UK for the first time alone. Thanks

Hi!

I know you already have loads of replies and I hope they have reassured you slightly!

It is perfectly normal to be feeling nervous about moving to uni, especially coming from a completely different country. As mentioned, you definitely will not be the only one feeling this way and there will be plenty of people in the same situation as you.

Joining societies are the best way to get to meet new people and get yourself out there! They are good because you know that all the people that will be there share at least one common interest with you as they are attending the same society! My best advice is to just put yourself out there for the first month or so. Get involved with as much things as you can and you will be quick to realise that you meet so many new people easily.

Unitemps are also a good company to get a small job through and that can help to keep you busy whether it is just for a few hours a week. Getting paid a bit of money can always help as-well! It is also another way to meet new people and fellow students.

I hope all the responses to your question have put you at ease slightly, remember it is normal to feel anxious and you certainly wont be the only one. Good luck!

Thanks, Matt 🙂
Official LJMU Student Rep

Reply 11

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post

by Anonymous

I need any help I can get as I am an international student going to live in the UK for the first time alone. Thanks

Hi there!

You have had some great suggestions, but I know this is something that people often struggle with and I know how you feel so I thought I could just add my opinions too.

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As everyone has said, societies are great ways of meeting new people and making friends. Have a look on freshers week and see what you like the sound of and then maybe go to some trial sessions and join one of them! They are great and the socials are great fun.

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If you don't want to join a uni society, have a look and see if you can find any clubs or groups in the local area. There will often be groups in the city you are living in which will accept new people and they are good ways of meeting some new people.

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Have a look on social media, before you go and when you get to Uni as you may meet some people on here too and it can be less scary to talk to people on social media than real life sometimes!

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See if the student union puts any events on at your uni. Quite often the SU will be good at putting on events for all students to enjoy which are great ways of meeting new people!

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Talk to people you meet in your accommodation! There will be lots of people to talk to in your accommodation and you will meet some people this way.

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In general, just be friendly and people will reciprocate it. Try and talk to people and get out of your comfort zone to ask people if they want to go out, or go for coffee! You will find that people will say yes so it is definitely worth asking.

I hope some of this helps and good luck at Uni!

Lucy -SHU student ambassador.

Reply 12

LJMUStudentReps

Official Rep

Hi There,
There are lots of different ways to make friends at university- here are my main top tips:

Join Clubs and Societies- This will help you meet other students that have the same interests as you. If you attend a club or society, you will already have something in common with everyone else there so it will be easy to break the ice. All of my best friends at university come from clubs and societies that I joined.

Ask your course mates to hang out- At the end of a lecture or seminar ask the people on your course if they want to go and grab a drink or some food. This would be a great way to bond with them and get to know they outside of an academic setting.

Speak to your flatmates- If you are moving into shared student accommodation, make and effort to sit in the living room or knock on your flatmates' doors to get to know them. You will be living with them for a year so you might as well get to know them and become friends.

Get a part time job- If you get a part time job, you will click with your co-workers and get to know them. Maybe suggest hanging out outside of work and see what happens.

Buddy Schemes- If you have tried all of this and are still struggling to make friends, some universities have buddy schemes. If you are feeling lonely, speak to your personal tutor and they will be able to advise you further.