Make Best Friends For Life at University
The next academic year is fast approaching and thousands of students are feeling excited and nervous about their new life at university. In light of this, Yugo has conducted research to reveal how easy it is to make best friends for life at university across the UK, and what are the best strategies to form these long-lasting friendships.
We surveyed 1,500 students who graduated 5+ years ago across the UK to uncover what percentage of students stay in touch with someone they met at university.
What did we find out?
Of the students surveyed, on average, 85% are still friends with their uni mates, and 60% are still friends with someone they met on the first day of university.
What were the top ways these friendships were formed? 54% met their BFFs in their student accommodation, followed by 44% through their uni course, and 22% on nights out.
When it comes to advice for new students, 65% of respondents recommended talking to as many people as you can, 57% said to take part in freshers week, and 48% advised that joining societies is the best mingling strategy.
How did we calculate the city scores?
We number crunched the percentage of students who stayed in touch with at least one of their university friends. In the instance that a city scored the same percentage as another, a heavier weight was given to the city where those surveyed remained in touch with a larger number of friends.
But remember that whichever university or city you choose to study in, you can have a great time if you make the most of the people you meet and the experiences you encounter.
Yugo’s top tips for making friends
There can be a lot of pressure to make friends at university, and it might not always come easily. Try one of our following tips:
- Find opportunities to talk to your new flatmates: Offer to help carry their bags and belongings into their room as they arrive, or put on the kettle and suggest a cup of tea. Small gestures can make a big difference in those first few days of settling in.
- Hang out in communal spaces: it can be tempting to hide away in your room when you’re feeling nervous, but unfortunately it’ll only mean making friends is a little harder. Try spending time in your residence’s social area, whether that’s the movie room or kitchen. It will be a lot easier to start up a conversation with others who pop by.
- Sit next to people in lectures: turning up to your first lecture on your own can be pretty daunting, but be brave, don’t sit on your own. Try introducing yourself to someone as you walk in and sit with them. They’ll probably be just as nervous as you too!
If you’re heading to university in September, just remember that everyone is in the same boat as you. So make the most of it, and you never know, you could just end up making best friends for life.