Befriend your flatmates.
At university, you will meet people and make friends on your course and through societies but first and foremost, you need to get to know your flatmates. It’s really helpful to have a base of friends to go back to after a long day, so I would really recommend putting the time in to make disputes over the dishes that bit more cordial. If you don’t end up being the best of friends with your flatmates, that’s okay, but make sure you give it a go becuase you'll be stuck with them for the year!
Have a ‘say yes’ attitude.
There are literally hundreds of opportunities for you to get involved with, from societies and sports teams to charity events and trips, from learning a new language to learning how to dance. Whilst I realise that it is unfeasible to ‘say yes’ to everything, why not challenge yourself and get involved with something you’ve never heard of or something you think you’ll be awful at? Get out of that comfort zone!
Be open.
When you join university, you will meet people of different ethnicities, different backgrounds and different sexualities. You will be thrown into a huge mixing pot – the likes of which you’ve probably never experienced before – so it is incredibly important that you stay open in your outlook, accept people for who they are and treat everyone with respect. Having friends from all over the world, friends with completely different opinions to you, will help you to challenge your own ideologies and grow as a person.
Look after yourself.
University is a unique and amazing experience. It can be the best years of your life, where you make lifelong friends. However, it can also be difficult, challenging and at times overwhelming - so you must look after yourself, as well as others and make friends who will do the same. There are many services at universities to give you support – such as Nightline and counselling. You must not be embarrassed about using these if things get too much and you need to talk to somebody. Remember, someone has probably gone through the same issues as you.
Stay positive.
Your first term at university will be hectic but can be the best time you will ever have. However, if your social life doesn’t quite pick up or you struggle to find people who you really get on with: DON’T WORRY! You will make friends and meet people every day of your time at university so if your first term passes you by, it isn’t the be all and end all of your social life. Stay positive and put yourself out there! You won’t regret it.
- By Dominic Lam
