You’ve probably read about how simple it is to make friends at university, but those friends usually come from three primary places: your first-year flatmates, the other students on your course, and the other participants in your favourite society. You might discover that your social circle is a tiny bit smaller, for instance, if you’re studying law, living with largely other law students, and spending a lot of your free time at Law Society events. Even though it can occur independently of your course and social environment, it is particularly common in large, all-consuming courses like Law and Medicine. Yet one of the best things about college is the chance it gives you to meet new people and try out new activities, and if you spend your entire three years or more with the same group of individuals, those opportunities may be limited. It’s important to make an effort to connect with people outside of your course because that’s when you’ll start to understand the opportunities that are accessible to you. You might attend events that the majority of your friends would never consider going to, learn about potential career routes that are unusual for students on your course, or simply encounter fresh ideas and viewpoints that your closest friends wouldn’t share. This is particularly true when it comes to socialising with people outside of your university, which most students don’t do frequently, at least during the academic year. However, there is a world beyond student nights and what’s going on in the halls, and you’re more likely to learn about it through non-university friends.
