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Robert Medhurst passed the majority of his freshers' week scrolling through online platforms, viewing updates about peers enjoying evenings out.

"I stayed indoors," Robert recalls, describing the week as the most solitary phase of his life.

His housemates seldom socialized, and his course didn't feel particularly social.

Although he tried by going to taster sessions for various societies, he was unable to locate his people.

"I started to lose my self-esteem," he says. "It seemed that individuals didn't desire to become my friends, or they didn't like me."

Social Media Comparisons

Originally, Robert wasn't considering of attending college and was offered positions for post-secondary education.

Yet he watched his acquaintances living it up as university attendees on social media.

"When you've got to get up for employment on weekdays at nine in the morning and you observe peers partied on the previous evening, you start feeling others have it better," Robert says.

University Expectations

TV shows and digital networks can idealize the notion of university living.

Lots of people come to university with great anticipations for what they believe could be the most wonderful time of their lives.

Some students begin their studies with "optimistic perspectives," says a counselling manager.

Study Outcomes

• Through surveys of first-year attendees early on, the primary worry was belonging and being accepted
• In another survey through polling organizations, nearly one-fifth of attendees said they were without companions at university
• Over one-third reported they felt anxious regularly about forming friendships

Personal Experiences

A different attendee's TikTok feed was full of videos of students enjoying themselves while cohabitating in university housing.

However when she relocated from London to Sheffield to study journalism, she found initial days "overwhelming" because of how much alcohol it involved.

Alisha doesn't drink and had not experienced nightlife before.

"I did spend a lot of freshers' week in my room," she says. "I simply experienced slightly disconnected."

Emotional Wellbeing Factors

In a 2025 survey of more than 10,000 college learners, 29% said they thought about dropping out.

The main cause was emotional state, accompanied by monetary worries.

"Anxiety about all of these different things is massively common, and normal," explains a counselling expert.

Identifying Resolutions

Over periods, the students eventually adapted and developed friendships.

Alisha made friends through her course and through TikTok, while another student became more content once she was able to relocate with companions.

Useful Suggestions

In his case, currently in his mid-twenties and in his concluding studies, it was joining his university's drama society and employment during studies that helped him make friends.

His recommendation to new attendees finding social interaction difficult is to venture outside your living space and attend organization sample activities.

"Subsequent to periods of continuous participation, others notice your presence," Robert says, "you become familiar with them, and you start making friends."