Starting uni can be stressful, especially when you don’t have your high school friends around to brave your first year with. Making a new friendship group is part of everyone’s uni experience. Here are our top five tips to help you find your uni squad.
- Go to O-Day
Orientation Day is your perfect introduction to uni life and the students that will become your peers throughout your time at Notre Dame. With activities like silent discos, speed friending and free food to bond over, you’re sure to meet some great new people. You can check out all the clubs and societies, go on a campus tour and finish the day at the student association run after party. For more details, click the link below.
- Check SAUNDA for upcoming social events
SAUNDA are your one stop shop for everything student life. Keep an eye on their Instagram and Facebook channels for updates on everything that is happening on campus in 2020. They host parties, networking events and free lunches on campus, which are the perfect places to meet new people. Check them out @sydney.saunda
- Get involved with clubs and societies
Joining a club or society is a great way to meet like-minded people. We have discipline societies to help you meet people studying your degree, sports societies if you want to get fit after class or even hobby societies (we recommend joining the Up Top Toasties club if you have a passion for grilled cheese). If there’s nothing that piques your interest, start your own!
- Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself
Uni is all about taking chances and having new experiences. Step outside your comfort zone and introduce yourself to new people. We know it can be scary but finding someone to sit next to in your two-hour lecture makes it all worth it. If speaking to a stranger really isn’t your thing, set yourself a challenge and steps to meet someone new. It could be as small as sitting next to a stranger in a lecture or asking them to hang out during a lunch break. Take the chance!
- Remember that everyone is in the same boat
The beginning of your time at uni can feel lonely, but you have to remember that everyone is in the same boat. The person next to you in class is probably feeling the exact same way you are. Nothing bonds people like good old shared anxiety. Start with a smile and the rest will fall into place, soon you’ll be #studybuddiesforlyf (just kidding).
We hope these tips help you to get out there and mingle this year. Uni friends can be a great support group to lean on when the studying gets stressful, so go and seek your crew. Before you know it university will be over, but you will still have the great memories and lasting friendships that endure long beyond your uni days.
Tag your uni squad below!
Photo: Sophie Finney