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Robert Medhurst passed the majority of his first week at university scrolling through online platforms, reading posts about other students' fun nights out.

"I stayed indoors," Robert recalls, depicting those days as the most isolated period of his life.

His housemates rarely went out, and his studies didn't appear very sociable.

Despite putting himself out there by going to taster sessions for various societies, he was unable to locate like-minded individuals.

"I started to lose my self-assurance," he says. "It seemed that others weren't interested to become my friends, or they weren't fond of me."

Social Media Comparisons

At first, Robert wasn't considering of attending college and was offered positions for after sixth form.

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

"When you must rise for your job during the week at 9:00 and you notice others went out on midweek, you begin believing situations appear superior," Robert says.

College Anticipations

TV shows and online platforms can romanticize the concept of university living.

Many individuals arrive at college with great anticipations for what they think could be the greatest period of their lives.

Some students come to university with "optimistic perspectives," says a mental health professional.

Survey Findings

• Through surveys of new students initially, the primary worry was fitting in and being accepted
• In another survey by market research agencies, 17% of students said they were without companions at university
• 37% said they worried daily or weekly about forming friendships

Personal Journeys

Alisha Miah's online videos was filled with content of girls having fun while sharing accommodation in university housing.

However when she relocated from London to Sheffield to pursue media studies, she found orientation period "daunting" because of how much alcohol it involved.

Alisha doesn't drink and had never been clubbing before.

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

Psychological Aspects

In a 2025 survey of more than 10,000 undergraduate students, nearly one-third reported they had considered withdrawing from studies.

The main cause was their mental and emotional health, succeeded by financial concerns.

"Concern over these various aspects is very widespread, and normal," adds a support specialist.

Finding Solutions

Eventually, Robert, Alisha and Christina all found their feet and developed friendships.

She formed relationships via her studies and through TikTok, while the individual experienced improvement after being able to relocate with companions.

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 assisted in relationship building.

Robert's advice to beginning learners experiencing connection challenges is to just "get out of your room" and participate in group trial sessions.

"Following several weeks of regular attendance, individuals become familiar with you," he explains, "you notice their presence, and you start making friends."