I think we can all agree that one of the main concerns we can have about moving or returning to university is making friends. I pretty much clung on to anyone who said hi 👋 to me in first year and at times found settling in a little stressful. However, it doesn’t have to be that way! The University of Salford and the Students’ Union have teamed up with Umii, a social app that gives you the chance to create friendships with other students based on your hobbies and interests! Find out everything you need to know about Umii below.👇
Umii understands students
Something I find really inspiring about the Umii app is that it was designed by a student who had a hard time making friends and wanted a platform to help students in a similar position.
Umii knows that making friends is much harder than it used to be, especially since our generation (Gen Z) is dependent on modern technology. We can online date using our phones, manage our bank accounts and do all our shopping in one place. It’s no wonder that when we are in a new environment without a screen we can feel anxious. It really feels like Umii get students on that personal level.
Umii takes the edge off
You don’t have to approach someone and strike up a conversation hoping you’ll connect. Umii finds students who have similar if not exactly the same, interests as you. Once you’ve created your profile (details on this below), Umii sends three to five daily matches based on your interests and course.
When you’ve made that initial connection and had the chance to talk over the messenger feature, you can kiss the Umii app goodbye and meet your new friend face to face (there’s a meet-up for Umii members during Welcome Week September 2024). I wish I had something like this when I was a first-year.
The set up is straight forward
Get started by downloading the Umii app from Google Play or the App Store, select ‘University of Salford’, add in your course and interests, build your profile and verify your university email or enrollment.
Umii works as your standard messaging app with features such as image sharing, facetime and the option to share your interests. When you create your profile you can put as little or as much information about yourself on there – whatever you feel comfortable doing. Umii is really what you make of it!
It’s already helped students feel less lonely
Now for some stats, because I know what you’re probably thinking: “how is an app going to determine whether or not I make friends at uni?”. Well, let me tell you this. After doing a fair amount of research on the app I discovered 62% of students said Umii helped them feel less lonely and isolated at university!
The key to making new friends and great life experiences is to put yourself out there, so why not take a chance on an app like Umii? Plus, during September 2024 Welcome Week you can join UMEET – a safe place on campus where you can meet students you’ve met via Umii. See UMEET details on our Welcome Events site.
