Your Simple Guide to Making Friends with Flatmates!
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Moving to university is a fun and exciting time, but we also understand that you might have some worries before you move away from home. You’ll be going out of your comfort zone, moving to a new town, city, or country, without your friends and family there. The best thing is, everyone will be going through the same thing, including your flatmates and course mates, who you’ll want to make friends with. Once you settle in, you’ll soon be out exploring your new surroundings and wondering why you ever worried about how to make friends with flatmates in your student accommodation!
We’ve put together 8 handy tips on how to make friends with flatmates when you first move to university. There’s no pressure, just some simple things you can do to showcase who you are and to make friends!
1. Connect with your flatmates in advance
These days it is much easier to connect with the people you’ll be living with before you even move to university. It is easy for you to join a group through your university and social media to meet your new coursemates and your flatmates. Getting in touch and connecting with people helps you get to know a little bit about each other before you meet in person and takes the pressure off the unknown when you arrive.
2. Make the most of Freshers Week
One of the highlights of the start of university is Freshers Week. It helps you to get to know the different societies and clubs that are available to you, allows you to find like-minded people who could become your friends, and is also a chance to make the most of the day and night to get to know your new flatmates.
Freshers Week is the perfect time to go on a night out with your flatmates at one of the big events that will be on. You are all in the same boat the first few days, and a few pre-drinks in your new student flat, followed by a night out at student night in your new town will help you bond and immediately feel comfortable in your new surroundings.
3. Have an open mind
It’s good to remember that every person you live with is in the same position as you, meeting new flatmates for the first time. Always have an open mind, be respectful of others, be open to learn more about different people and be warm and welcoming to everyone. Having an open mind and not falling back on stereotypes will help you to grow as a person and to make friends with your flatmates and new coursemates.
4. Cook for each other
Is there a better way to work out how to make friends with flatmates than sitting down at the kitchen table and eating with each other? Bonding with your flatmates is much easier if you buy your groceries together, cook together and always try to sit down and eat together like a ‘flat family’ whenever possible. A takeout night every week is also a brilliant idea to bring everyone together, and you can have some fun taking it in turns to each choose your favourite takeout food, finding out more about each other whilst you eat delicious food from all different types of cuisine! Curry, pizza, Thai, or maybe a roast dinner? You can travel the world from your kitchen!
5. Keep your door open
Wondering how to make friends with flatmates brings up a few different ideas, but often the simplest ones are the best. Keep your bedroom door open when you feel like speaking to people and you’ll find that it is much more likely that you’ll get chatting with your flatmates and it’ll be much easier to get to know them than if your door is closed most of the time.
6. The cup of tea
A good cup of tea is a warm hug when you need it most. Find out if your flatmates drink tea or coffee, and if you’re going to the kettle to make yourself a hot drink, make one for your new friends too.
Sitting down with a cup of tea, maybe some biscuits and just chatting away will be one of the best ways to bond with new people and to make tea friends for life! Making a cuppa for your flatmates is such a simple act, but it’s an act of kindness that can go a long way.
7. Binge-watch shows together
Watching your favourite TV shows and films with a group of friends is entertaining. It brings you together, with popcorn, snacks and other treats being shared around, and much like with cooking for a group, you can take it in turns to choose the film or show you watch.
8. Be respectful of space
Your downtime is so important when you’ve been studying hard all week at university. There will be times when you want to just close your door and have time on your own. You might want to get lost in a book, stick your headphones on and turn up the music, catch up with friends and family back home, or just nap! Remember, that your flatmates will feel the same at times, so as much as you should be open and welcome to group activities, always be respectful of other people’s personal space and allow them to switch off and be alone when they need to be.
How to make friends with flatmates
Getting into the swing of things as early as possible after moving into your new student flat is the best way to approach how to make friends with flatmates. You spend a lot of time at home so it will make your life better to have a good relationship with the people you live with. There are some simple things that you can do, such as getting in touch online before you meet in person, having a night out together during Freshers Week, cooking together, offering to make a cup of tea every day, and leaving your door open as a sign that you are welcoming and want to talk and get to know people.
