Ah, university. The time to meet new people, make lifelong friendships, and build meaningful connections. Except, perhaps, when your university experience coincides with a global pandemic.
If this is your first year at McGill and you’re feeling a little let down by losing out on the chance to chat with folks after class or make fun memories during orientation, you’re not alone. If you’re a returning student whose blossoming friendships were cut short when campus (and the world) essentially shut down in March 2020, a lot of people are feeling it too. And when these very friends encourage you through long nights of studying, or debrief with you after an awkward debate in class, or become your support system when you miss your people back home, it’s pretty common to feel like that’s something you’re missing this year.
Studies have shown that strong friendships in university not only improve adjustment during your first academic year, they can also correlate with stronger academic performance, better resilience, and more. But for many of us, it doesn’t take a study to know just how important a good friend is to our everyday sense of happiness, connection, and fun.
So how do you meet people when most of us aren’t on campus, and can’t strike up a conversation while waiting to grab samosas, or connect after class because we’re wearing the same band shirt? Why isn’t there a Tinder for friends at McGill?
Many folks reported having success with two programs set up by International Student Services for this very purpose: The Buddy Program and First Friend, which is a collaboration with Campus Life & Engagement.
The Buddy Program pairs new international students with a returning student who can walk them through day-to-day life at McGill and/or in Montreal. This might include language support (what the heck is add/drop?), cultural guidance, McGill life tips (helloooo hot dog guy), and more. If you’re not a first-year student, you can still benefit from the program by volunteering your time as a Buddy. And they’re still accepting applications to find a Buddy until Monday January 25th! If you’re interested in being a Buddy volunteer, you can sign up at any time.
The First Friend initiative was thought up during the pandemic, when it became clear that students living in different time zones from Montreal were probably finding it especially hard to connect with others. Open to first-year students anywhere in the world, you’ll be paired with a friend in your time zone and, whenever possible, in your faculty so you can benefit from shared experiences. Much like the Buddy Program, you can apply until Monday January 25th.
Past users of the program have plenty of positive things to say about it:
“My experience with the First Friend program turned out to be invaluable. My assigned First Friend is now one of my best friends at school. I was able to connect with a Canadian prior to being on campus, which was nice since I am from the United States.”
“I subscribed to this program for the Fall term. I have been matched with someone who has become a very precious friend. I will strongly recommend to every new student to enrol with this program.”
“I signed up for the first friend program in the fall semester. Since the semester was online and I could not travel to Montreal, I was really intimidated to make new friends, but this program helped me a lot. I am still in touch with my first friend. We exchanged our social media accounts and chat regularly. We have also interacted with each other on several video calls. This program has really made the transition to university life easy for me.”
And if you miss the application date, or if these programs aren’t the right fit for you, McGill has a bunch of other options to help you meet new people:
- Take part in a support group:
- First Year Support Group
- PhD Support Group
- Quarantine Support Group (for students who are under quarantine orders after arriving in Montreal from abroad)
- Join a club!
- Participate in remote workshops
- Connect with your faith community at McGill
Have you had success making new friends this year while studying remotely? Any great stories or tips to share? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!