How to Win (Uni) Friends and Influence People

How to make friends at university is a question that is on many Fresher’s minds, so here’s a quick “how-to” on helping you make friends at uni.

You arrive at uni…you unload your things…your mum gets all emotional…you get embarrased and rush your parents off before anyone sees them…Now what? Don’t sit there twiddling your thumbs or even do something productive like unpack (you have all year for that!) Go and make friends!…sound daunting? Here are a few tips to help you on your way to becoming the uni’s newest BNOC (Big Name on Campus).

First off.. break the ice! Props help.. try these hilarious Face-Mats – A brilliant ice-breaker when meeting new people and a great photo opp! Simply clip on to your nose to change your appearance. Or wow your new flatmates with your (secretly rehearsed) quick wit – these corny one-liners are good place to start.

Don’t eat alone in your room, try and arrange it so you’re eating with people, or even better cooking with people – it’s a great way to socialise! If you are catered then arrange for you all to go down to dinner as a corridor. And don’t forget your wacky crockery gear, it can be a great talking point whilst you cook (better than discussing GCSE results anyway!) Your Mum won’t want to hear this, but Pizza will be a staple of your diet and no one ever remembers to bring a pizza cutter, let alone a pizza cutter/retro motorbike hybrid! – Pizza Chopper Motorbike Pizza Cutter. You know what else is cheap and easy to cook? Eggs. And everyone always has the argument of ‘who makes the best eggs’, so stay out of that one and sit there blissfully in the knowledge yours are the trendiest – Mr Egg Head will make you want eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Fresher’s love to drink, do your part in organising the fun by bringing drinking games to play. Drinking games will become second nature to you at university and you will want as many games in your dossier as possible. You’ll find you can do a lot with a set of playing cards, they will become a centre piece to your kitchen and grow character and memories throughout the year that you will not want to lose. So make sure your choice of cards is special – The Player’s Playing Cards have a chat-up line on each card, a great laugh for everyone and a challenge for the Casanovas in the flat to test them in action. Pre drinks are a university must, and when you don’t know anyone yet (and with the magic of cleaners, there are few repercussions to having your messy antics in the comfort of your own flat) you want the party to come to you. But you have to make it worthwhile, you already have the brilliant chat-up line cards, but now you need to bring out something (besides your wicked cool eggs) that no-one has seen before. This is when you bring out Wheel of Misfortune – This shot based drinking game is a great way to get you and your new flat mates out of your shells! and will differentiate your flat from the rest.

Even if you don’t drink, there are lots of brilliantly fun games that will suit the party mood. Plenty of people don’t drink at uni and still have a great time going out all the time, Red Bull will give you the caffeine boost to keep you going till the early hours in clubs. And there are plenty of games you can play beforehand which everyone will love regardless of sobriety. This one is not for the fainthearted – Cards Against Humanity is truly horrible but laugh out loud humour is a brilliant way to get to know your new flatmates. Why not take advantage of your silly drunken flatmates by getting them to play Lightning Reaction Reloaded – it’ll make the beginning of everyone’s university life more than just a figurative shock to the system.

Keep your door open when you are in your room, even while you are working. You can’t make friends locked away in your room, a small gesture like that is much more sociable and you will enjoy people popping their heads in every now and then.

Spruce up your room – You have been there a few days now so it is probably time to unpack and make your room look a bit more inviting. With your new open door policy a few nice touches might make your room the social hub of the flat. A gaming console is a great way socialise with people and give you something in common straight away. Make sure you invest in some great multiplayer party games like Worms – easy to pick up and play, and a great laugh. Decorate your walls with posters, show off what films or bands you like, it’ll make conversation points and provide a nicer atmosphere. You’ll remember your first uni room for a long time, so make sure everyone else remembers too by making it unique; try the Scrabble Light – it hangs like bunting and is fully personalisable, a special personal touch to your new pad!

Don’t forget to keep yourself clean! It may seem obvious.. but people don’t like smelly people or a smelly room. This ingenious Arse/Face Soap will help you avoid any embarrassing arse/face mix-ups and will add another talking point to your new room. And buy a plug-in air freshener to keep that smell of pizza and pot noodles at bay.

Hopefully this has given you some ideas of how you can make an impression in your first few days of uni, and inspired you to bring some great party toys and gadgets along with you.