Starting university is a big step
in anyone's life, no matter how prepared they think they are. However some
people may find it more daunting than others, and that's ok. Before I started
university my parents used to tell me that it was my opportunity to be myself,
come out of my shell and make new friends. For an extroverted person that may
seem like the easiest thing in the world, but my socially inept, introverted
self felt sickened by the very idea.
The first couple of weeks were a
challenge to say the very least, however I soon found my feet and did in fact
make new friends. The best friends that I have ever had. So, here are my tips
for starting university as an introvert:
Find your flatmates on Facebook
Before we moved into halls, we
made a group chat on Facebook for our flat. This meant that we already got to
find what our flatmates were called, which made learning names a lot easier.
(And who doesn't like a good internet stalk anyway?!)
Keep your door open
I'm sure you've heard people tell
you this a million times, however as tedious as it sounds I can tell you from
experience that it actually works. Just having your door open indicates that
you are willing to let people in, without having to actually verbally invite
them inside your room. This way you might find it easier for people to come to
you, rather than you going to them. It's also a way of convincing people that
you appear to be sociable, no matter how you may be feeling inside.
Make an effort on the first night
The first night in halls is your
main opportunity to make a good impression and get to know your flatmates.
You'll probably end up sitting in the kitchen playing drinking games like I
did, or going out to a club or something. Don't feel pressured into doing
anything you don't want to do, but set yourself a goal like trying to learn
everyone's name, and introduce yourself to as many people as possible.
Explore campus and the local area
with your new flatmates
You are going to have absolutely
no idea how to get anywhere or find anything and neither are your new
flatmates, so go on a little adventure with everyone. On my second day at
university, I joined some of my flatmates on a trip to Asda, even though I
already had a fridge full of food. I'm so glad that I did because we all bonded
by tackling the traumatic bus journey and trying to find the right stop to get
off! (I also offered to hold a travel adapter that one of my new flatmates had
just bought, in the hope that she might potentially like me. This story has now
become a joke amongst my friends, however she ended up being my best friend
ever, so my master plan worked after all!)
Cook and eat with your flatmates
It can be quite easy to hide away
and try and avoid the people you are living with if you are scared of
socialising, however spending time in the kitchen or communal area is a great
way to bond with people early on. If you are in catered accommodation, try and
eat at the same time as your flatmates, and if you are in self-catered, try to
cook at the same time as a few other people. Loads of people also have no idea
how to cook anything other than toast when they first move to university, so it
is a learning curve for everyone. You can all struggle with making pasta together!
Watch TV or Netflix with people
If you are anything like me, you
find it really daunting to start conversations with people you hardly know. A
fantastic way to spend time with people without having to say a lot is to just sit and watch TV. I watched the
Great British Bakeoff and loads of Harry Potter movies with my flatmates in the
first couple of weeks. Being able to chat about what you're watching is a great
ice-breaker or conversation starter, especially if you can't think of anything
else to say.
If I can
do it anyone can! Good luck fresher, you got this.
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