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One university attendee spent most of his first week at university looking at social media, reading posts about other students' fun nights out.

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

The people he lived with seldom socialized, and his program didn't seem particularly social.

Although he tried by attending trial events for various societies, he was unable to locate people he connected with.

"I gradually lost my self-esteem," he says. "I believed others weren't interested to form friendships with me, or they didn't appreciate me."

Social Media Comparisons

Originally, Robert didn't plan of attending college and had a job offer for following college.

Yet he watched his acquaintances enjoying themselves as university attendees on social media.

"When you need to wake up for your job during the week at nine in the morning and you see someone's been out on the previous evening, you start feeling others have it better," Robert mentions.

University Expectations

Media content and social media can idealize the notion of college existence.

Lots of people come to university with high expectations for what they think could be the most wonderful time of their lives.

Some students begin their studies with "optimistic perspectives," says a mental health professional.

Study Outcomes

• According to research of new students initially, students' biggest concern was fitting in and finding acceptance
• Additional research through polling organizations, 17% of students said they lacked friendships at university
• A substantial portion mentioned they experienced concern frequently about building relationships

Individual Stories

Alisha Miah's online videos was populated with clips of students enjoying themselves while living together in college residences.

However when Alisha moved from London to Sheffield to study journalism, she found orientation period "overwhelming" because of how much alcohol it involved.

She avoids drinking and had never been clubbing before.

"I did spend a lot of freshers' week inside my accommodation," she says. "I just felt a bit alienated."

Mental Health Considerations

Through current studies of over ten thousand university attendees, a significant portion mentioned they thought about dropping out.

The most common reason was emotional state, followed by economic considerations.

"Concern over these various aspects is very widespread, and normal," explains a counselling expert.

Discovering Answers

Over periods, all three individuals all found their feet and developed friendships.

Alisha made friends during classes and through TikTok, while Christina felt happier once she was able to move in with friends.

Useful Suggestions

For Robert, presently older and in his concluding studies, it was participating in theater activities and working occasionally that helped him make friends.

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

"Following several weeks of continuous participation, people recognise your face," he explains, "you become familiar with them, and you start making friends."