The best ways to meet people and make friends at uni
Let’s talk about meeting people and making friends where you get here . . .
If you're moving into rented accommodation, the first people you'll meet when you arrive at Trent (apart from our fabulous Freshers Team, who will help you move in—feel free to ask them to carry a bag or two) will be your flatmates.
I will share some tips in another article on being a good housemate so you can get along with everyone and avoid any house-sharing drama. So, for now, I'll just say this… if you want to start meeting other NTU freshers and the people you'll be living with before you get here, join the official Trent Freshers WhatsApp community and your halls group chat.
Once you're here, you'll have lots of ways to meet new people and make friends because it will be Freshers Week.
There are no classes during Freshers Week (yay!). You'll have a couple of timetabled welcome talks and registrations to attend, but apart from that, the focus is on settling in, having fun, and meeting people.
There are hundreds of events and activities during the week, making it easy to make friends, get to know your new surroundings, and have a good time.
My advice (and the most common advice other students share) is to step outside your comfort zone and get stuck in. Try as many new things as possible—even things you think you might not like— because you have nothing to lose and might just be surprised. And, the more you get involved, the better your chance of finding people you click with.
Freshers Week is (literally) a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You're not going to do it again. So make the most of it; if you stay on the sidelines, you'll regret it later.
Our Freshers Week events range from small meet and greet sessions (usually with yummy food) to big club nights. Try a bit of everything and see what works for you.
You can see all the official night-time events and get your tickets on our Trent Freshers website.
(Note: any events you see listed on websites or social media channels other than ours or NTU's are not official events. They typically offer poor value for money and are often promoted misleadingly, so steer clear of them to avoid disappointment.)
The best other way to meet people is by joining a society. Societies are groups of students who come together for activities and events linked to a common interest, such as gaming or dance. Joining one (or more) is probably the number one thing you can do to get more out of your time at uni.
We have over 100 societies, and you can join them before you even get here. See the full list of societies and sign up today.
If you're into sports or fitness, you can join a sports club, become a gym member, or take part in play-for-fun sessions. They're all great ways to find fitness buddies. Sport at NTU is run by the university, not NTSU. You can learn more about sport at Trent on their website.
That's probably enough for today. But I will say one more thing: You can meet current society and sports club members and discover plenty more to get involved in at our Freshers Fairs. Don't miss them; they're one of the highlights of Freshers Week. See when the fair at your campus is here.
In the meantime, if you want to know more about what your Students' Union has to offer you, take a look at our socials:
P.S. We asked current students for advice on starting at NTU. Here's one of the most common things they said: "Join a society. It's a great way to meet people outside of your course or year."
