Making friends at uni: top tips
Understandably, starting at uni for the first time can raise lots of questions as well as anxiety levels for many students. Suddenly you’ll be navigating a new city and campus, full of new people and potential friends. This can seem daunting, and maybe you’re asking yourself “How will I get to know other students and form friendships?” This is a natural question to ask, but remember, other students will be asking themselves exactly the same thing.
Here are a few tips on how to meet new people and make start forming those friendships in your early days at Winchester:
Start forming friendships before uni starts
Sign up to the app CampusConnect where you can find other students who are going to Winchester. There you'll find group chats on different topics and you can self select the groups you want to be part of. There are chat groups for courses, the different accommodation options at Winchester, sports groups, mature students, commuting students and more. This means that you’ll have someone to share your thoughts, expectations and worries with before you even arrive and you’ll have some friendly and familiar faces to look for once you get here.
Get to know your flatmates over a coffee
During Arrivals Weekend a really great tip is not to hang out in your room initially, but rather hang out in the kitchen or communal area. Offer a cup of tea or coffee, or just a glass of water to your newly arrived flatmates and introduce yourself to them. You might even want to offer them a hand with their bags if you have already moved your luggage into your room.
Remember that suitcases and bags full of clothes, kettles, books and pictures are great conversation starters.
Knock on a door
If you haven’t met all of the people you live with during the first couple of days, try knocking on their door. Chances are they’ve just been busy unpacking or that you’ve missed each other, rather than they’ve purposefully avoided you. For sure they will be happy that you took the initiative to open the conversation.
Chat to your coursemates
Chat to as many as possible. Try and sit down next to someone you haven’t talked to before and introduce yourself. You will get to know a potential new friend and also someone to pair up with, if there is ever a group project or coursework you need to collaborate on.
Join a new society or group
Freshers Fayre is on the Saturday after Arrivals Weekend and is an amazing opportunity to find out what the Students' Union offers in terms of societies, representational networks and other groups. And remember there are not just only sports clubs on offer. Here is just a sample of groups from previous years: Allotment; Anime and Manga; History; K-Pop; Performing Arts and Yoga. Examples of sports teams are: Badminton; Cheerleading; Climbing; Dance; Dodgeball and Tennis. Examples of SU networks are the Asian Students Network; Commuting Students; Disabled Students Network; Mature and Part-time Students and Spectrum (LGBTQPIA+community).
Meeting people with a shared interest is a great way to find new mates and this way you’ll get to know people other than your coursemates and flatmates. If you’re trying out a society or an activity you’ve never done before, nothing knits people together more than learning and succeeding on something new.
Try not to worry about making friends when you get to uni – you absolutely will. Be yourself and you’re pretty much sorted. Boost your chances by seeking out events with other students, spending time in the communal kitchen in your flat and chatting to different people at the start and end of your lectures.