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Making Friends as a Postgraduate Student

As we step into postgraduate education, making friends can be more challenging as most of us have commitments other than studying. Therefore, as a Bar student at City St George's, here are my top tips to make friends and connections during your postgraduate study here.

1. Go to Events!
Fresher's Fair and the socials around it are just as open to postgraduates as they are to undergraduates! I also event-hunt, which is an effective way to not only have fun, but to meet new people too!
You can find the latest events here👉🏻https://csgsu.co.uk/whats-on#results-content

During my time here, I've made friends from a Karaoke Society social and from attending a Welcome Week event just by waiting in queue and talking to the people in front of me. Sometimes, it's really that simple!

2. Join a Club!
Joining a club helps you meet new people! In fact, we have a Postgraduate Society at City St George's which organises events where you'll be able to meet fellow postgraduate students. You can find more information about them here 👉🏻https://csgsu.co.uk/explore-and-join/view/206 and look out for their events through their Instagram here 👉🏻https://www.instagram.com/citypg_society_/

I've been involved in the society's committee before and getting to know its members and being present at their events really helped me get to know fellow postgraduate students across courses!

3. Talk to your Classmates and Housemates
Talking to people you see regularly such as classmates and housemates could potentially result in new friendships. However, it is important to manage expectations as not everyone in postgrad school might prioritise making friends in the same way that you are. Once I realised this, it was easy to accept when someone was not interested in being friends and continue being open to making new friends with minimal disappointment. The world is your oyster after all - there are so many new people to meet!

4. Join and Initiate Group Hangouts
Connecting everyone into a big friend group is an organic and easy way to make friends. Therefore, setting time out from your busy schedule to initiate group hangouts, or accept invites from other friends to hang out goes a long way.

During my time as a Bar student, I got inducted into a group of Malaysian students by a mutual. The assimilation process was easy, as all of us had the common ground of being Malaysian. Being in such a big group gave me lots of opportunities to bond with others individually. Additionally, ensuring I dedicated slots of my schedule to accepting badminton and hangout invites, and putting in effort to attend my friends' Call to the Bar ceremonies (whereby we graduate as lawyers and can now practice) helped make these friendships work.

5. Bond over common ground
If you find a shared interest with someone, organising hangouts around them is a quick and simple way to bond! For example, I recently met up with some of my gaming buddies from Europe and northeast London after playing Pokemon together online for 3 years and it was an amazing week with a very fun group of people who looked out for one another! I wouldn't have imagined that hopping online would have given me such wonderful friendships.

Although making friends as a postgraduate student can be slightly challenging, it's the effort that counts! Making friends as a postgraduate student isn't about finding the perfect group right away - it's about staying open, showing up, and being genuine. As long as you stay positive, the right people will find you. And even if you don't manage to make many close friends, meeting new people is a win on its own. You can do this!

Reply 1

LJMUStudentReps

Official Rep

Great advice here!

Many postgraduate students wonder if societies and campus events are still open to them, and the answer is yes, absolutely. With such a wide range available — from weekly events to monthly meetups — there’s usually something for everyone. If you don’t find one that fits, you could even consider starting your own postgraduate society.

Even if it looks like everyone has already found their group, it just takes a bit of confidence to introduce yourself. A simple, “Hi, I’m [your name] — do you mind if I join you?” usually works wonders. Most people will say yes, and if someone’s saving a seat for a friend, that’s okay too — just move on and join another person or group.

Lectures are also a great place to start because you already share an interest. Try asking about the course, their hobbies, or which societies they’re planning to join. You could even suggest grabbing a coffee or lunch after class, or starting a group chat or study group to stay connected.

I’d also add that part-time jobs and volunteer roles are brilliant ways to meet people while gaining experience. Even if you’re already working, your university careers team might advertise one-off projects or flexible opportunities that help you meet new people without overloading your schedule. Balancing different roles can naturally connect you with people from a range of backgrounds.

Some of the closest friendships I’ve made didn’t come from my university course, but from activities outside campus — things like social clubs, hobby groups, and weekly pub quizzes. Don’t underestimate the social opportunities beyond university life!

Megan (LJMU Rep)

(edited 2 months ago)