Everyone knows that when you join university the first thing to do is find the best places to make friends…right? Well, now you do! When I was accepted to Ulster University one of the main concerns that I had was who I would surround myself with and call my friends. For me, school came with a built-in friendship group with whom I spent most of my days with, meeting up at lunch times, walking together in the halls, and meeting up for scripture union. But I knew this was about to change- none of these friends would be coming with me to university and as someone who doesn’t like to party, or go to clubs or bars, I thought that it would be nearly impossible for me to find like-minded people.
But once I arrived at university, I realised that I had thought wrong! University is filled with countless different kinds of people; it just takes you to look in the right places to find “your crowd.” Keep reading to find out the best places to look if you’re looking for tips on how to make friends at uni.
Unions have layers
The main area you’re going to want to look at are the societies available at your university. This will tell you everything you need to know about the groups of people you’ll come across- here’s how to find out which society is the best for you! For me, I dove headfirst into the Christian Union. Before freshers’ week even began, the CU held their own event (weeklit) to welcome all newcomers to the university, including fun activities like beach games, pizza, and team building games. This was a fantastic opportunity for freshers to get to know one another as well as make friends with the already existing students.
If you’re planning on joining the CU then I would highly encourage you to go along to this yearly event, and if you’re still on the fence about joining, I’d still recommend going along to see how a typical event with the CU goes. Once first semester actually begins, so does Welcome Week. This is a week of multiple events put on by the CU in order to connect new students with CU members and life. This includes desert and games nights, information evenings, and sports challenges (there’s definitely something for everyone here!)
Another place that I would recommend for getting connected is the students’ union. The students’ union is a non-profit organisation representing over 26,000 students. In Ulster University, the students’ union has a bar, a pool table, and student support which are all easily accessible. The students’ Union also hosts many different events, all of which can be found here. Whether you’re into karaoke, bingo, scavenger hunts, or just a quiet drink in the evening, the Students’ Union is the place for you. Have a look on your universities website in order to find the SU specific to you.
Buddy up
Most universities have an excellent method of connecting international students to other students. At Ulster University, for example, their “Global Buddy Scheme” is a mentoring scheme where new international students are connected to existing students at the university. Through this, new students not only get an introduction to the culture and environment around them, but they find themselves with a new friend who is the right match for them. Similarly to this, UUSU offers a “buddy scheme,” in which new students are also matched with an existing student to offer them support and advice in their first year of university. These schemes are a fantastic way to not only meet likeminded people, but to get plugged in and connected to campus life.
Chronically online?
For young adults, most of their life is spent on social media. Maybe, you’re used to hearing how you spend too much time on your phone texting your friends. Well, it’s time to put all of that texting practice to good use- this is the moment it will all come down to; joining university group chats. This is an excellent way to source a good friend before even stepping foot in your campus building and a sure way to secure the right kind of person for you.
First things first, get yourself onto Facebook (yeah, I know, very millennial) and type in the name of your university along with the word “fresher” followed by the year you’ll be starting in. This will allow you to get connected with students starting at the same time and also give you links to WhatsApp group chats stemming from these (some general and some course-specific.) Once you’ve found yourself in the right group chat for you, that’s when you can start finding people to connect with. For me, this meant finding my course mates and my flatmates. I can guarantee that you will find someone this way!
I hope that this article has encouraged you in your hunt to find “your people,” and just know that you are not alone in where you stand, everybody is in the same boat!
