The Newcastle Tab’s guide to making friends as a fresher

It’s less scary than it seems!

3 years ago

With a big move to a new city and the first time living away from home, making friends at uni can be rather daunting.

Its a big part of the uni experience and one of the biggest worries for any new fresher at uni. However, it doesn’t have to be something to be afraid of and we’re here to help you make some of your very best friends at uni with our guide to making friends as a fresher.

Say yes

With Fresher’s Week well underway, there are lots of opportunities on offer to make friends. The night-time events of freshers are usually a good start in making friends, for example nights out or press at your new accommodation.

However, day time activities are also a great way of meeting new people who have similar interests to you. There are lots of events held at both Newcastle and Northumbria campus, to stop you feeling so homesick during the day time.

Even though it may seem intimidating to put yourself out there and get yourself involved in freshers week, it is well worth it as there are so many opportunities where you can make friends.

Saying yes to more activities during Fresher’s will give you more of a chance of meeting new people. If you’re apprehensive to go on your own to an event, ask a flatmate to tag along with you. Remember everyone is in the same position.

Flatmates

Try making friends with your flatmates. You will be living with these people for a year and will be around them a lot, so the best thing you can do is try to make friends with them.

Keeping your door open whilst you move in and for the first couple of days and having pre drinks with them before a night out can really help with that friendly bond. If you’re not going out one night maybe have a flat meal, where you can all cook together and get to know each other on a more personal level.

However, don’t be worried about making friends if you don’t get along with your flat. Not everyone at uni is friends with who they live with and you don’t need to live with them again in second year.

There is this high level of expectation that you will go to uni, get along really well with all of your flat and then live together in second and third year, however this is usually not the case.

Join societies

A great way to make new friends as a fresher at either Newcastle or Northumbria university is to join a society. There are a wide range of societies available to students, meaning there is something for everyone.

Whether you join your course’s society or join a sports society, this is a great way of making new friends because you will meet people who have similar interests and hobbies to you.

The societies fair on campus should be something you go to during freshers week, as this allows you to look around all the societies and see which one fits you best. If you do miss the fair though, don’t worry because on both Newcastle and Northumbria unis website there is the full list of societies with detailed information given for each.

Joining a society as a fresher should definitely be something to consider!

Don’t put pressure on Fresher’s Week

Fresher’s Week is a great way to start to make friends at uni, but don’t put lots of pressure on yourself and think that you must meet lots of friends in this week and if you haven’t then you will never make friends at uni, because this is not true.

Fresher’s Week is the start of your uni experience and a time where you are just finding your feet. Throughout first year you will make friends so don’t go in with this huge expectation of making friends with so many people so quickly.

Over the course of the year and into your later uni years you will make deeper connections and find your closest friends, so just remember to relax and have fun during Fresher’s Week instead.

Talk to people on your course

Lectures and seminars can be a bit overwhelming at first, with lots of new people and a new form of learning to be introduced to, but talking to people after your lectures and seminars will help you make course mates.

When you talk to people on your course don’t just make it a general chit chat. After seeing each other in lectures for a while ask them if they’d like to grab a coffee together or do some work in the library together. This way you are able to make a proper friendship and before long you will have made a whole new bunch of friends on your course.

Meet your neighbours

Meeting your neighbours or people on your floor is a great way to make friends. There are so many people on your floor in halls and everyone is open to making new friends , so get to know your neighbours.

If you hear that they are going out the same night as you then invite them round for pres, or of you see them leave their flat to go to a lecture and they’re heading the same way as you, spark up conversation.

By making friends with your neighbours, it opens up an ample amount of opportunities to meet new people because you will be invited to more events with more people you didn’t know before.

Join group chats

Similarly to meeting your neighbours, you should join group chats. There are endless amounts of group chats at uni, and joining your accommodation or course chat is a great way to make friends.

Plus, joining things like a course group chat is perfect for those times you feel a bit stuck on your uni work and need some friendly help and advice – there’ll always be someone willing to help you in a course group chat.