A cringe-free guide to making friends at uni

It may be a bit daunting now but we’ve all been there, you’re stepping out of your comfort zone and moving away from all your friends and family.

Fitting in when you first arrive at halls or head to Monday’s lecture might seem like the scariest thing in the world right now, so here’s our simple guide to making friends at uni, minus the cheese.

How to make friends before you start uni

First impressions mean everything, so making a statement before the studying begins is a great way to establish yourself and potentially make new friends. Just don’t forget everyone is in the same boat!

Don’t be afraid to stalk

Thank the lord for social media! Join the Campus Living Village closed Facebook group's and have a quick snoop on people’s profiles to see if they’re on a similar wave-length to you.

Warning: watch out for accidentally liking a picture from three years ago – awkward.

Get involved in the group chat

It’s more than likely that once you have been assigned a flat, someone will have created a group chat on Whats app to speak to each other on. If they haven’t, go for it!

Speaking over text ahead of time is a great opportunity to find out what you have in common with people, especially if you are shy around new people. You’ll already have topics in mind when it comes to chatting in person!

How to make friends during Freshers’ Week

Freshers’ Week is MADE FOR meeting new people and finding out what’s on offer. Go on and get out there!

Societies and clubs

Signing up to societies or clubs that interest you can be an easy platform for making friends, as the people who are also in the society/club are quite likely to have the same interests as you!

As our resident @w_piano told us, he made friends “by playing on piano”.

Out on the town

You never know, if you head out to a club you might meet your future best friend! Plus, a bit of Dutch courage takes away the awkward introductions – as long as you don’t have too much.

Attend your course induction

Okay, we know that studying won’t be the only thing on your mind during first week, but you really should attend your course induction – everyone is looking around to make friends here!

Whether you like it or not, your course is most definitely going to swallow up the majority of your time at uni so it’s probably best to meet people while you’re all feeling like fishes out of water!

Don’t be THAT person

Lots of us love a good drinking “sesh” (which is one of the reasons that Freshers’ Week is legendary), but there’s always a line we’d suggest not crossing!

Let’s face it, your flat mates won’t appreciate having to carry (or drag) you back to your room, or even worse, having to clean up your vom once you’re back.

Have fun but stay PRESENT!

How to make (and keep!) friends post-Freshers’ Week

So freshers’ flu is lifting and it’s time for proper studying to happen. How you manage your time between studies is important, particularly if you feel like you aren’t that close to anyone yet.

Scrub-a-dub-dub

Nobody likes a slob. Be respectful of other people’s space by cleaning up after yourself!

When you’re the person coming home to a sink full of dishes, hangovers and tiredness don’t usually go down well as an excuse, so avoid getting death stares and stay on good terms with your flatties.

“Cup of tea, anyone?”

Whether you call it a “cuppa” or a “brew”, it’s good to ask your flatmates if they want a cup of tea or coffee. It may seem like a small gesture but it will go a long way and give you a chance to chat, particularly if people are spending a lot of time in their rooms!

Give yourself study breaks

Studying may be the main reason you go to university, but giving yourself breaks to reunite with humanity is a good idea, both for your mental health and your social skills!

Our Lea Halls resident, @syed_1077 said he found friends “playing Fifa in the common area with lots of interesting guys”.

The way to a student’s heart is through their stomach

We’re not saying you have to be the Jamie Oliver of the flat but even heating up a pizza for everyone to have a bite of will get you in your flatmates good books.

If you want to go the extra mile (and you genuinely are a bit of a Mary Berry), @squishywishycharms knows that everyone loves the bringer of treats:

“I baked a box full of brownies and muffins for everyone on moving-in day”.

The sleepover club

We all know student nights out don’t end up with you in bed by 9:30pm, so if you don’t like going out drinking or you’re a bit skint, invite a couple of people over for a movie night.

If you want to get closer to your course mates, a sleepover will give you a fun, relaxed opportunity to get to know them better.

Go to our fabulous Village Life events

Even if you don’t click with a huge group of people straight away, it makes sense that the more time you spend with other students, the more likely you are going to meet someone who you really get along with.

Our Village Life programme will let you chat, laugh and learn new skills together – so listen to @billiewest.m and “go to the events”! Hello, friends for life.