🔗 Share this article

A student named Robert used up much of his first week at university looking at online platforms, reading posts about peers enjoying evenings out.

"I remained in my room," Robert remembers, depicting those days as the loneliest time of his life.

His housemates seldom socialized, and his course didn't feel especially friendly.

Despite putting himself out there by participating in sample activities for various societies, he couldn't find his people.

"I began losing my self-assurance," he says. "I believed people didn't want to become my friends, or they weren't fond of me."

Social Media Comparisons

Originally, Robert had no intention of going to university and received employment offers for post-secondary education.

But then he observed his peers enjoying themselves as students on Instagram.

"When you must rise for your job during the week at the morning hour and you observe peers partied on Wednesday night, you start feeling the grass is greener," Robert mentions.

University Expectations

TV shows and online platforms can glorify the idea of student life.

Numerous students come to university with high expectations for what they imagine could be the greatest period of their lives.

Various learners begin their studies with "optimistic perspectives," notes a mental health professional.

Survey Findings

• Through surveys of new students initially, the main anxiety was fitting in and finding acceptance
• Further studies conducted by analysts, 17% of students said they were without companions at university
• Over one-third reported they worried daily or weekly about building relationships

Personal Journeys

Another student's TikTok feed was filled with content of peers socializing while cohabitating in student houses.

Yet when Alisha moved from London to Sheffield to pursue media studies, she found initial days "daunting" because of the drinking culture it involved.

She abstains from alcohol and had never been clubbing before.

"I utilized much of orientation inside my accommodation," she says. "I merely sensed slightly disconnected."

Emotional Wellbeing Factors

In a 2025 survey of more than 10,000 college learners, nearly one-third reported they thought about dropping out.

The primary factor was their mental and emotional health, accompanied by economic considerations.

"Worry regarding all of these different things is extremely prevalent, and normal," explains a counselling expert.

Finding Solutions

With time, Robert, Alisha and Christina gradually adjusted and formed relationships.

Alisha made friends via her studies and via social media, while another student became more content when she could to move in with friends.

Practical Advice

In his case, presently older and in his final year, it was joining his university's drama society and getting a part-time job that helped him make friends.

The suggested approach to first-year students finding social interaction difficult is to venture outside your living space and go to club and society taster events.

"Following several weeks of regular attendance, people recognise your face," he mentions, "you recognise theirs, and you start making friends."