How did you make friends as an international student?

My experience in making friends abroad proved to be quite straightforward. I always present a friendly demeanor and approach others with ease, and I am consistently delighted to forge new friendships with individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds. To facilitate these connections, I regularly attend and actively participate in various activities and events organized both within and outside the university setting. The Gold Coast and Brisbane, being multicultural cities, offer a plethora of events and communities to explore. The key, as I see it, is to be kind, smile, engage in conversation, and, most importantly, respect personal boundaries by refraining from asking overly personal questions. By doing so, individuals feel more at ease in conversing with you, making it easier to establish friendships.

When I first came to Australia to study, making friends honestly wasn’t as difficult as I initially feared. The good thing about university is that there are so many new students starting at the same time, and everyone is trying to connect and build their own circle. People are generally very friendly and open, which made it easier to start conversations.

I found that the university’s events—like orientation programs, welcome lunches, and introduction sessions—were some of the best places to meet people. Joining clubs and attending activities also helped me connect with students who had similar interests. Living in student accommodation was another great advantage because it gave me the chance to bond with people right away, and that really helped me feel at home.

Of course, adjusting wasn’t without its challenges. The environment was completely new, and I did experience homesickness. But I quickly realised that most students around me were going through the same thing. In a way, that shared experience made it easier to relate to each other, and over time it started to feel like I had created a home away from home.

My advice to new students would be: don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Everyone feels nervous in the beginning, but taking that first step to introduce yourself or join an activity makes all the difference. You’ll be surprised at how welcoming people are, and before long, you’ll find yourself part of a community.

Hi there! For me it wasn’t too hard to find some friends as I started at De Montfort University International College on a International Year Zero course where I was with all the other international students who just came to the UK and did not know anyone. We quickly made friends with each other as we were working in small groups everyday.

I got really lucky because there weren’t too many people who were speaking my first language. That is a good thing as I did not get locked in one small group of people speaking my language and therefore advanced my English. My main advice is to avoid getting into a bubble and socialise with lots of different people from different cultures.

When I started my first year – making friends also wasn’t too hard of a task, as I joined a student society and started attended their socials. I quickly found people I liked being with and we became friends.

The key is to be open to others, not lock yourself in the language bubble and be polite and helpful towards others. University is a great place where you live and study alongside brightest young people with similar passions as you. All you need to do is to be open to other people and opportunities a university gives you.

Friends are different versions of ourselves, for me making friends abroad and at home are quite similar, sincerity and empathy are always the key. I started by making friends in church, and then I reached out a little bit to local communities via social media, then student clubs, part time jobs, etc.

In general, universities are the most inclusive places, so you don't have to worry about cultural disagreements or disputes around the campus. When you meet others outside the campus, some of their ideas might be shocking you, but after carefully listening up, we can always find our common grounds.

My advice is to be yourself and don't set limit to what you can do. When someone invites you to a hiking activity, don't say "wow, I'm not an outdoors person", when someone proposes to visit you someday, don't say "emm, I'm afraid my place is a little bit messy". Let me assure you, opening up to new things will not fail you! Let us not only broaden our academic horizons, but also life perspectives.

Moving abroad can be so challenging, new place, new people, and in some cases even a completely new language. Making friends can be daunting and difficult at times specially for an international student.

Making friends in a new country is different for everyone. You can make local friends as well as other international students. Through university clubs, living with other students, by working in team projects, or even through lectures.

Of course making friends takes time it sometimes does not occur right away. It is importat that you are willing to learn about other cultures and try other kinds of food, which usually turns out to be delicious.

But also look to make friends through hobbies, even though being an international student can be expensive always take care of yourself by doing things you love like video games, sports, art, music, etc. By attending local clubs or taking up a new hobby can really open doors to making friends.

I was seriously lucky as I was able to make friends in the same class, they kind of took me under their wing, and suddenly we became friends.

When I first arrived in Australia, making new friends wasn’t too difficult. I think this was partly because I had already experienced being far away from home as an exchange student in Belgium when I was 16. Being a bit of an ambivert also helps. I enjoy meeting new people and I’m not afraid to start a conversation.

Living in a residential college made it even easier to connect with others. Since many of us came from different countries, there was a natural curiosity to learn about each other’s cultures. Food, in particular, is always a great way to start a conversation!

I also asked the residential college admin if they could connect me with other students from my home country, which helped me feel more comfortable and supported. On top of that, I joined volunteering activities at uni, which gave me another great opportunity to meet new people and build friendships.