Photo by Megan Verhey

Make friends in university by going outside the typical social circle

Mike Treadgold

So, you’re a week into your university career and in your opinion, your roommate, close neighbours and everyone else in that first group of acquaintances just don’t meet the standards and expectations that you had for social interaction on campus.

Are you judgemental? Perhaps, but, to each their own, and all hope is not lost. And with that in mind, you begin your hunt for new friends, that group of individuals who will ultimately comprise your support network throughout your four-plus years away from home. With a campus of upwards of 20,000 students, the opportunities are endless and the abundance of personalities is reassuring. It will, however, take some initiative on your part.

Your residence is a great place to start. Just because the individuals in closest proximity to yourself didn’t meet your needs doesn’t mean that the whole residence is a complete write-off. Floor parties and academic clusters are great ways to make new connections and find fellow students who share your love of ultimate Frisbee, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Justin Bieber

Beyond your residence, there are other options worthy of consideration and these are also viable alternatives if you elected to live off-campus in first year. Got a part-time job? Work buddies are usually good for a laugh. Perhaps you’re a workout fiend? Maybe you’ll find a good spotter. And just about everyone in first-year classes has seminars or labs, right? These are great opportunities to interact with other wide-eyed students if you are anything like I was, being completely and totally intimidated with the idea of talking to a random stranger in a lecture hall of 400 political science students.

Beyond these obvious examples, there are also a number of campus clubs to fit your interest, as well as the country’s most comprehensive intramural sports program, as well as a host of other local events: varsity sports games, concerts, rallies and protests.

“Getting involved with a club or team is one of the best things you can do. I met so many people with similar interests when I joined the cycling team,” said second-year student Dan O’Keefe, an avid member of the university’s talented cycling team which welcomes participants with any level of experience. “The team is really a big group of friends who all have each other’s backs.  Every member looked out for me, gave me advice, helped me with my bikes, went on training rides with me, and even sent me an e-mail if they hadn’t seen me in a while, just to check up.  We went to four events where we shared great stories and built strong relationships. Many of my best university memories involve the cycling club.”

A major thing to consider and remember is that even if you don’t channel your inner Van Wilder and make a ridiculous number of friends in your first few weeks as a university student, that all is not lost and you shouldn’t throw logic out the window and immediately consider transferring to another university. Give yourself a chance and recognize that in addition to being academically enlightening, university is also an incredible social experience.