With a lot of people moving away from their home towns and leaving their friends and family, making friends is a main priority. This can definitely be a nerve wracking thing to do especially if you’re coming alone, but don’t worry, you’re certainly not alone in this situation and there are many ways to make friends! 

Before moving

One way I made friends was by talking to my soon-to-be classmates and flatmates on Facebook through the official University of Salford groups. This allowed me to speak to who I was living with before I even moved down to Manchester and into my accommodation, so it felt like I already knew a little bit about them, making the small talk a LOT less awkward- I felt much less nervous about meeting them properly! Being able to talk to my soon-to-be classmates was great too, because it meant I knew who I clicked with before my first lesson so I had an idea of who to sit with, so I 100% recommend getting in touch with people a few months or weeks before arriving.

Photo of person holding a smartphone with folder open showing all social media apps

Whilst moving

Another thing I did was speak to people as I was moving in. If you’re moving into your first year accommodation, you’ll most likely be moving in at the same time as everyone else. You’re all in the same boat, so just make some small talk about moving to uni as you’re bringing you’re stuff in, waiting for the lift and unpacking. Not only will it make you feel more confident about moving away from home and having to speak to new people, you might even become good friends and make plans once you’ve moved in so it’s a great way to feel more settled! 

Four students are talking and laughing in student accommodation.

After moving

Attending Welcome Week events and nights out during the first weeks of moving in was also a good way to speak to people and make some friends. Again, everyone is in the same boat and is wanting to meet new people and make friends, so you’ll definitely be getting involved in a lot of small talk! Not only are Welcome Weeks great for seeing all the other new university students, you can also sign up for societies here where you can apply to a club that’s fun and interests you! This is an amazing way to meet new people and make new friends, as they will often have the same interests as you if you have applied to the same society, so just really get involved in as much as you can and you’ll make friends in no time.