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One university attendee passed the majority of his orientation week scrolling through online platforms, seeing content about peers enjoying evenings out.

"I was just in bed," Robert recalls, characterizing that period as the most solitary phase of his life.

The people he lived with didn't go out much, and his program didn't seem very sociable.

Although he tried by attending trial events for different clubs, he didn't discover his people.

"I started to lose my confidence," he says. "It seemed that others weren't interested to form friendships with me, or they didn't like me."

Online Network Judgments

Originally, Robert didn't plan of going to university and received employment offers for post-secondary education.

But then he observed his peers having great fun as students on Instagram.

"When you must rise for your job during the week at the morning hour and you observe peers partied on the previous evening, you do start thinking the grass is greener," Robert mentions.

Higher Education Assumptions

Media content and social media can romanticize the concept of college existence.

Lots of people come to university with high expectations for what they believe could be the greatest period of their lives.

Some students arrive at college with "rose-tinted glasses," notes a counselling manager.

Survey Findings

• Through surveys of new students initially, the main anxiety was belonging and being accepted
• Additional research conducted by analysts, 17% of students said they lacked friendships at university
• A substantial portion mentioned they worried daily or weekly about building relationships

Personal Experiences

A different attendee's TikTok feed was populated with clips of peers socializing while cohabitating in student houses.

Yet when she transferred from her previous location to campus to learn reporting, she found initial days "intense" because of the substance involvement it involved.

She avoids drinking and had avoided party scenes before.

"I did spend much of orientation inside my accommodation," she says. "I simply experienced somewhat isolated."

Emotional Wellbeing Factors

In a 2025 survey of over ten thousand university attendees, a significant portion mentioned they had considered dropping out.

The most common reason was their mental and emotional health, followed by monetary worries.

"Concern over these multiple factors is massively common, and typical," explains a counselling expert.

Discovering Answers

With time, all three individuals eventually adapted and developed friendships.

She formed relationships through her course and via social media, while the individual experienced improvement when she could to relocate with companions.

Practical Advice

Regarding his experience, currently in his mid-twenties and in his final year, it was participating in theater activities and getting a part-time job that supported social connection.

Robert's advice to first-year students experiencing connection challenges is to just "get out of your room" and go to club and society taster events.

"Following several weeks of regular attendance, individuals become familiar with you," he explains, "you notice their presence, and friendships begin forming."