Oct
How To: Make Friends When Learning has Moved Online
Making friends at uni is a worry for many new students. Coming from home, from a smaller college, or a group you have known since year 7 into an environment where there are 23,000 other students can be pretty nerve wracking.
Usually, lecture theatres, The Stag’s and society welcome meetings can be a place to meet people in the same position as you and to cultivate new friendships, but, alas, coronavirus has had other plans. So, while lectures are online and in person opportunities are pretty limited, we wanted to help you find new ways to make friends at uni!
Look at the societies involved in our Union on Facebook and Instagram.
So many societies are online now, with Facebook groups, active Instagram pages and a big social media presence, so you can get to know the society and hear about the events and activities they are offering. Take a look at the pages at your fingertips and get involved! Don’t feel insecure because hundreds of other people will be doing the same!
Join the SUSU Online Community page
Our online community page is always posting new opportunities, groups and events that you can get involved in. From sports, music and non-university groups, there are plenty of people looking there to get involved or to help you get involved!
Go to any society meet and greets you are interested in, and try to go without your housemates
There will still be society meet and greets going on, so make sure to check them out. But, do try to go without someone you know. It can be really easy to only go to events with others in your flat who are interested, but going alone will help you to meet new people and to push yourself out of your comfort zone! You may meet your new best friend!
Join group chats for your course or join a course related society
On many fresher’s groups, you can find group chats for your course being posted, so why not have a look at those? Better yet, there are many course related societies, for those on those courses, or just those interested. From Ancient History or Maths, to Biology and Chemistry societies, there are so many on offer where you can meet people who naturally have a similar interest.
Get involved with any mentor schemes taking place within societies
Societies like Philosophy Society are sometimes offering mentorship! It would be a great way to meet someone and learn more about courses, activities and uni life, and it can be a great way to meet someone new and grow your social circle.
We understand that you may find it difficult to find your ‘crowd’ during this pandemic, but there are so many opportunities like these to meet new people, socialise and develop new skills. With hundreds of societies, there are hundreds of different people you can meet who may be feeling just as you are. So, take a leap of faith, you may meet your new best mate.
It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed when you move to uni, but there are so many people here to support you. It is so normal to feel lonely or lost, so if you need some extra support, you can speak to the Advice Centre by emailing: advice@susu.org.
Tags: course, Facebook, Instagram, societies