Starting a PhD can be an intimidating journey. One of the things I heard most before coming to York was that it can be lonely. After all, you have to spend a lot of hours reading, researching and writing (and re-writing). But now that I’m here, I feel so happy with the friends I’ve made.
I consider myself a bit of an introvert, so leaving my books behind and going the extra mile to talk to new people takes a lot of conscious effort. However, I don’t think my 1st year here would have been as fun and rewarding without the friends I made when I first moved here.
Arriving in York
Because I am an international student, the University encouraged me to move to York in early September so I could familiarise myself with the city and attend all the events organised for other international students to meet and socialise.
Thinking back to those days, I just remember how nervous I was about meeting new people. While this wasn’t my first time living abroad and making new friends, it had been a while since I had put myself out there, and that made me anxious. But there was nothing to be scared of!
On the bus that picked us up from the airport, I ended up chatting with some of the people who were sitting around me. At some point I realised that everyone there was keen to make friends (and probably nervous about it, too), and I think we underestimate that a friendly smile goes a long way because that’s how I ended up talking to a lot of interesting people.
Student accommodation
One of the things that definitely helped me when I moved here was moving into Halifax College. My closest friends are my neighbours, whom I met at some of the Uni events. Before coming here, I tended to hang out only with people from my Masters or undergrad courses. But in York, I have had the opportunity to talk to students from disciplines so different from mine (literature), and I have learned so much from them!
I made some of my fondest memories during my first year here with these people. We organised international dinners where we all cooked dishes from our respective countries, movie and game nights, and afternoons drinking tea. We went on pub crawls and danced the night away on weekends. Around Halloween, we even went on a trip to Edinburgh, which was very atmospheric. I have had so many fun experiences and learned from so many cultures just by moving here. And it’s certainly convenient when most of your friends live right outside your flat!
My advice
The best advice I can give is to reach out to people, smile, and say yes to plans.
The University makes it very easy to attend all these fun events, and it’s great to discover York with your new friends.
I started small, making casual conversation with my neighbours, then talking to people from my cohort and getting lunch and coffee. Now, doing a PhD is not a lonely endeavour because I know I have my friends – and it’s always exciting to know there are still so many people out there to meet!
Leave a Reply