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Feeling lonely? Top tips to find your community

Starting University brings an overwhelming mixture of emotions. Some may experience anxiety from leaving home and living independently, others may feel a sense of freedom and excitement about starting a new chapter and being able to do what you want, when you want!

Beds SU

By Beds SU

Monday, 21 October 2024

In 2023, the Government published a press release discussing Loneliness at University.  43% of students aged 18-34 were worried that their peers would judge them if they said they were lonely and nearly all students reported feelings of loneliness at least once in the academic year.

We understand that starting university can be a challenging, especially when feeling lonely or isolated. 

Top Tips

Making new friends in new environments can be challenging, so to support you we have complied a list of top tips which can help you make new friends:

Join a society – Beds SU has a wide range of societies you can join and they are a great way of networking with students across our campuses. We have academic, faith, hobbies and games societies but  if you can’t find a society you are interested in, speak to us about creating your own one.

Attend events – As a registered student you are an automatic member of Beds SU. We put on events across our campuses and they are all FREE! Last year we had 10,000+ attendances at over 240 events!

Socials, Socials, Socials – why not join the Beds SU social media channels? This is a great way of networking with other students but also keeping up to date with what’s going on.

Flat mates – if you are living in student accommodation make an effort to speak to your flat mates. You may want to plan a fun night in, host a games or quiz night or watch a film together.

Represent! – Have you ever thought about becoming a Course Rep, Network Champion or Volunteer? This can be a great way of starting conversations with fellow students and looks great on your CV!

Stronger together

Please keep an eye out for your fellow students who you may notice are often alone.  Small acts of kindness can go a long way. A smile or offer to join your group for lunch can make a huge difference to someone.

If you are struggling at University, we understand it can be difficult to speak up but please do get in touch with us at Beds SU or contact the University's Student Support Team