4 Tips to Make Friends at University

I’ve written a few posts about University recently, such as my post about making the most of University and my graduation series for those facing life after University.

Today, I want to write a post all about how to make friends at University- and the issues many people face.

Making friends is not always easy, and everyone is comfortable with different kinds of socialisation in their lives.

At the end of the day, everyone will make friends in their own way. It’s a complete myth that you need to make all of your friends the minute you step onto campus.

I made a few friends at Fresher’s events, but my long-term friendships are with the people I met after that, when we all started to settle into real life.

Whether you love mixing with new people or you’re terrified of making new friends, there are a few ways to feel a little more comfortable when you first move to University and start the next chapter of your life.

In this blog post, I’ve come up with 4 easy tips to make friends at University. I hope these ideas can help you feel more comfortable in your new home!

1. Make friends everywhere

At University, it can feel like the only way to make friends is in your accommodation block or on your course, but there are actually lots of ways to meet people!

If you live on campus, chances are you’ll bump into the same people everyday in lecture theatres, clubs, cafés and canteens.

You might meet a new friend in the library, the campus bar, your local pub or even a campus shop.

Don’t limit yourself to the people in your house or on your course- make friends at University wherever you want!

2. Chat to mutual friends

At University, it often turns out that one of your friends will know another of your friends, and you start to realise just how small the campus really is.

If you’re introduced to a mutual friend that you like, chat to them and meet up with them yourselves.

It’ll make it easier to form a friendship group if that’s what you want, and it gives you a chance to create more bonds with the people you like.

3. Speak to people before University

I spoke to a few people online before I started University, and it really helped to have a few familiar faces when I moved into my student halls.

In fact, one of the girls came to find me after my parents left on the first day. It really helped to know that there was someone I knew I liked before I even moved in!

Try and join any relevant social media groups before the big move, and chat to like-minded people to get a taste of University life and make friends.

4. Eat with people

One of the best things about my Fresher’s experience was that it was catered accommodation- meaning all our meals were made for us.

This forced us to sit with people when we ate, and it meant no one could hide away in their kitchen.

It also made sure I was healthy during this transition period in my life.

Don’t get me wrong, it can be daunting sitting with people during meals at first, but when everyone is in a new place, you find that most people are open to sit and chat.

It’s great to enjoy a bit of social time over meals, so whether you’re in catered accommodation or not I recommend finding people to sit with when you eat or during the evenings.

Do you have any tips for making friends at University? Do you find it easy to make friends? What are your top tips for new students attending University?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Happy reading x

62 thoughts

  1. Love this post, Eleanor! I joined some organizations and participated in many college events so I could say that I have many friends at University 🙂 I also met my best friend at university 8 years ago! We still meet often until now 😀 I really miss my college days x

    Liked by 1 person

  2. These are fantastic tips Eleanor! I have always been a really social person and so I didn’t find it hard to make friends in school. One thing that really helped me make friends in school was joining extracurricular activities and also starting conversations with people in the same level as me. Thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Really helpful tips, I’ve been finding it harder to make friends at uni with the pandemic stopping us from meeting last year. Luckily, I got on well with two of my flatmates last year and we’re now living together. I’m hoping to meet more people through societies this year though 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Great tips! I bet it’s really daunting going to university and not knowing anyone there. I remember when my friends went to Uni after sixth form, they spoke with loads of people online beforehand so they sort of knew people when they got there!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Great tips Eleanor! I think its really important to make friends in different areas of your uni life, whether it’s those in your classes, those who you live with or people you do outside activities with. That’s a great idea to talk to people before you start, that way you’ll habe some friendly faces when you do start x

    Liked by 1 person

  6. My tip would be to knock on everyone’s door and say hello! Someone did this in my halls and there was about 8 of us from different flats that ended up going to the pub and hanging out and they ended up becoming my uni friends! I would have struggled without them as my actual flat wasn’t very social.

    Corinne x

    Liked by 1 person

  7. These are some great tips! I found that during my studies I went in with the idea of just being more open and relaxed about making friends and it worked really well. Uni is a chance to really broaden your life so embracing that is probably my advice. I’m still friends with a number of people I went to uni with and that was 20 years ago!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Joining a sport or club are also very good ways to meet people. It’s really super important to remember that others are nervous and anxious too. They’ll appreciate a smile and a “ Hi, I’m Faye. What’s your name?”

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Loving this post Eleanor! I’m not at uni myself but I’ll defiantly be passing this onto my little cousin whose just started uni. It can be hard to make friends so this is really important! Thank you so much for sharing lovely xo

    Elle – ellegracedeveson.com

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Such a great post and this will help anyone starting University.

    I particularly like the point about connecting before the move. Its amazing you’re able to do that now and get to know at least someone you can meet up with on move in day.

    Like

  11. These are some really great suggestions on how to make friends at university and will be really helpful people who have started university or worried about applying for university for this reason. Thank you for sharing your suggestions.

    Lauren

    Liked by 1 person

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