The following was written by a current Student Ambassador at the University of Reading. 

Student: Abigail
Degree: BA Art and Philosophy
Country of origin: United States

Freshers week is a time at university where if you want to make friends you need to put yourself out there. Before arriving at the University of Reading I was extremely nervous about this, as I am not an outgoing person myself. Hence I decided it was a good idea to buy the Fresher’s ticket package offered by the university. Buying this ticket package early and cheap may be a good idea, but there are other ticket packages offered by other clubs outside of the university. So it might be a good idea to wait and see what your flatmates have purchased in order to join them.

What one tends to forget when attending university is that there is a whole year group just like you, scared, excited, and wanting to make new friends. An easy place to start would be your future flatmates; just going outside and knocking on doors is a great first step when meeting new people, considering you will be seeing these people quite regularly for the first year. There is no need for these people to become your best friends but it’s a stepping stone you can use to meet those people you want to be your friends.

Another thing I would recommend doing is attending university events; your Home@Halls app will advertise a lot of events taking place on campus. Attending one of these events will ensure that you have fun and meet new people.

Lastly, joining a society is always a good idea. There, you can instantly find people with similar hobbies as you, guaranteeing you a good time. Not to mention there are multiple fun events you can attend that will be hosted by the society.

So just remember to put yourself out there when you can, and don’t forget there are plenty of people out there feeling the exact same way.

If you are interested in speaking with Abigail about their experience then you can do so through the University of Reading’s unibuddy platform.

If you would like to know more about study options in the UK or for more information on individual courses and for free application assistance please get in contact with your StudyIn Consultant. If you do not yet have a Consultant then please register here and one will be assigned to you.