Things to do if you are new to Huddersfield
Liberty Matheson
Computer Science with Games Programming BSc(Hons)
Hi, I’m Liberty, a first year student from Leeds studying Computer Science. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music and finding food related hidden gems.
Worried about starting university?
In this blog, I will give you my tips on how I got over my initial fear of starting university, making new friends, and settling in. I’ve also added a little section for honorable mentions at the end of the blog where I tell you my favourite places to get food or a hot drink in town.
As I prepared for university, I was the most nervous about struggling to make new friends. Maybe you are also preparing to go to university, and you also feel nervous about making friends and settling in? Here are my tips.
1) Make the most of fresher's week!
Fresher‘s week is the first, student orientation week of university where different activities take place. One of these activities being the fresher’s fair!
If you’re interested in some of the societies that Huddersfield has to offer or you want to experience new interests, you can go and meet committee members and collect some free goodies!
I recommend saving the date and time of the society activities you are interested in, especially if it is a paid society. This way, you can try out the society before you purchase a membership and make sure you’ll enjoy it, as sessions in the first couple weeks are free, especially if it is something new and you haven’t tried before.
Although it can seem really nerve wracking to join something new in the first weeks of starting university, remember that loads of people are in the same boat as you, in their first year trying to find friends with similar interests.
2) Participate in your accommodation activities!
If you choose to live in halls, there is a high chance that your accommodation will host activities for you to meet other people. Try to find which activity you would enjoy the most and attend it, this is a great way to make new friends. I am staying at Digs, Storthes Hall for my first year and one of the activities I attended was the walk to Castle Hill. I was able to make friends with people who shared the interest of walking, and what better time to have a conversation with new friends than whilst doing this kind of activity!
Whilst we are on the topic of accommodation, it is also a good idea to befriend your flatmates. They could be first years like you, so you can figure things out together. If they are in a different year of university, you can ask them for help and advice as it’s likely not to be their first time living in halls. It might also be fun to go to the accommodation activities as a flat.
3) Talk with your course mates during induction week!
During the induction week, you may experience lectures full of students on your course. The advice I would give during this, is to sit with people (not alone) and introduce yourself to those around you. You can chat about which exact course they are studying or if they commute or live in halls. If they do live in halls, you can ask them which one! There could be a chance you are at the same one, which means you’re likely see them around. It is great to have these conversations before the lecture begins but you can also introduce yourself to course-mates when you have a break.
During induction week, I sat next to someone who I found was staying at the same accommodation as me, we were also the only ones on the row studying the same course. We see each other everyday as our timetables are very similar and have become very close friends. There may also be activities that can help you to socialise with your course mates, for example, they did a group ‘kahoot’ for my induction.
The tips I have given are about the first few weeks of university. If you’re struggling to settle in and make friends within these weeks, don’t worry at all. You will get more opportunities to make friends throughout your university journey in different or even unexpected ways.
Honourable mentions (food related)
Before, after or even between classes, you might be craving a hot drink like a latte or a cold refresher like an iced fruit tea. Here are some of my recommendations for drinks!
But don’t worry, I’ve also got you sorted for food! The best part about this is that all the places I mention are also halal!
Espresso Corner
A café I really like in town is Espresso Corner. The interior is nice if you want to stay in there to do some work, but the hot drinks also taste fantastic like their Spanish latte.
AI tea
Another place I recommend getting drinks from is AI tea. If you like bubble tea, AI tea is really the place to go. I personally like their luxury cream milk tea. You can also get your drinks made warm, which is great for when the weather is colder.
Rice and Noodle Café
One place I recommend is Packhorse shopping centre. If you go up the stairs, you can grab a flavourful Thai meal at Rice and Noodle Cafe. There's also a newly opened Ethiopian restaurant called Ahadu.
Rice and Noodle Café
Outside of packhorse, I also recommend Sham Spice for affordable doner kebabs and shawarmas for lunch. Pan Asian Street food is also a great place to sit and eat with friends, serving all sorts of tasty Asian meals and sides.
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