How to make new friends at university

Making new friends is difficult. Especially when starting a new year at university and you do not know anyone.

However, it is not as difficult as you think it might be! Most people would love to meet someone new, and while it can be scary to start a conversation with someone, I guarantee it will work out for the better. For this article, I decided to compile a list of tips to make new friends at university!

• Orientation week: I met some of my closest friends to this day during Orientation week. During your particular degree's introduction day, you will have the opportunity to meet other students doing the same degree as you. Everyone else at Orientation week is there for the same reason as you, to meet new people and learn about the University. So, I encourage you to start up a conversation with someone new and I guarantee you will make a few new friends.
• Clubs: Clubs and university events are a great place to meet people with the same interests as you! There are over 130 clubs at the University of Adelaide, so there is definitely something for everyone. Go to their next event and start up at a conversation with someone about the club’s interest.
• Workshops: While meeting new people in lectures can be very intimidating, workshops and tutorials are a great place to make new friends.  These are much smaller classes of people doing the same or a similar degree to you. In the next workshop or tutorial, make it a goal to sit next to someone new and start up a conversation! Something as simple as ‘Hi, how are you?’, or ‘How are you finding the course so far?’, are great conversation starters.
• Compliments: Compliments are another great conversation starter. If you see someone with a cute outfit, or a pin of your favourite movie character on their backpack, go and compliment them on it! Compliments can not make someone’s day, but you can also meet someone new in the process.
• PASS sessions: Many courses at the University offer PASS sessions (Peer Assisted Study Sessions). These sessions are great ways to study, and also meet new people doing the same course.

I hope this list of tips helps you meet someone new as you transition into a new year of university. I know that meeting new people can seem scary and impossible, but just know that it is definitely not impossible, and everyone else is in a similar boat as well. The worst outcome is that you don’t talk after meeting for the first time, but the best is that you make a new friend! There is nothing to lose, so you’ve got this.