A chief concern to a university fresher may be the daunting prospect of landing in a world where everything and everyone is new to you. In many cases, there will be the odd person you may know from home, but for the majority, you go to university knowing absolutely nobody. With good reason, this is incredibly frightening and for some, ruins the idea of moving away to study altogether. But it shouldn’t be this way, because making friends at university isn’t as difficult as it may seem at first, provided the effort is put in.
I would personally classify myself as quite introverted, so the first day of university was nerve-wracking for me because this of course would be the day I would meet my flatmates. However, as soon as we all began to talk, and the ice had begun to break, I found it easier to open up and quickly realised they were all fantastic people. Naturally, it takes time for bonds to form between one another, but the key is to try and come out of your shell as soon as possible and show your flatmates just how fun you can be from the very start.
It would be naïve to assume that every single one of your flatmates is going to become your best friends: some people aren’t as compatible and that’s okay. The most important thing is that you at least get along with another and show respect; you are living together after all. That said, if it turns out none of your flatmates are your cup of tea – it can happen – then that’s also fine! There are many other people at the university to make friends with, and in general these friendships can be much more meaningful as they do not simply rely on where you live.
It seems obvious that the next place to look for friends is on your course; these people all share at least one common interest with you, so it makes sense to assume there will be more things you can find shared interest in. Finding friends on your course isn’t difficult if you put the effort in because there are so many things you can already talk about. Besides the social aspect, it’s also a good idea to get close with some people on your degree because this quite often helps with study: multiple heads tackling a problem is always better than one. There will also be some incredible social events organised by your course leaders throughout your degree (balls, bar crawls, go-karting etc) so it’s important to find a friendship group with people on your course to fully take advantage of the university experience.
Despite this, if you don’t manage to gel with anyone you live with or on your course, all hope is not lost. The University of Birmingham has hundreds of societies, ranging from A Capella to Wine, so there is something for everyone. Regardless of the activities available at these societies, it is impossible to not meet someone who could become a friend. Go in with an open mind (and a talkative one) and you are bound to find a friendship group. I don’t know a single person at university who has struggled to find a friend once they have put a little bit of effort in and just been themselves.
