We\u2019ve all struggled to connect with other people at one time or another, and university is usually the first step out of the bubble of school or college. Ironically, sometimes the more people you\u2019re surrounded by, the easier it can be to feel lonely! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The small, everyday interactions<\/a> you have all help build a sense of community and belonging. Connecting with people, in whatever capacity, supports your wellbeing – regardless of the number of people you consider friends. In fact, research shows that social connections are just as important to your overall health as exercise is.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n But how often do you wish you could skip the small talk and go straight to being friends with someone? It\u2019s easier to bond over shared interests or experiences, so if you\u2019re already signed up to events<\/a>, societies<\/a> or MOVE activities<\/a>, you\u2019re already on your way. If you\u2019re not, and your study schedule allows, why not try one?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t need to drink, go clubbing or attend a huge event to meet people. Quieter, low-pressure activities can make it easier to talk naturally and find people with similar interests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The art of small talk is important though, and a skill that will benefit you in your university, personal and professional life, so here\u2019s our top tips to help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Connections don\u2019t always develop into friendships, but it\u2019s not all or nothing \u2013 a variety of relationships of all different types makes life more fulfilling and interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good luck!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ve all struggled to connect with other people at one time or another, and university is usually the first step out of the bubble of school or college. Ironically, sometimes the more people you\u2019re surrounded by, the easier it can be to feel lonely! The small, everyday interactions you have all help build a sense … Continue reading “Making connections more meaningful”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":2661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":3,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,3,193,431,53],"tags":[129,430],"class_list":["post-2659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-living-in-bristol","category-start-of-year","category-student-life","category-welcome-2026","category-wellbeing","tag-student-experience","tag-welcome-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/student\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/student\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/student\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/student\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/student\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2659"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/student\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4799,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/student\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2659\/revisions\/4799"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/student\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/student\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/student\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/student\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Prefer something quieter?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Tips for small talk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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