Whether you’re learning in a traditional classroom, workshop or online, making friends with the people you’re studying with can have lots of benefits.
For one thing, having study buddies in your class means you have people to turn to for advice. You can share resources, knowledge and ideas.
It can also be a great networking opportunity for the future, as your classmates of today could well be your workmates or industry contacts in future. You never know when you might be able to help each other out with career tips or job opportunities.
And, most importantly, having friends around you just makes studying more fun for everyone.
But meeting new people can be daunting. These tips will help get you started on your quest to make friends at TAFE.
Say hello and introduce yourself
It sounds simple, but if you’re feeling nervous starting a conversation with someone you haven’t met before can be tricky.
Chisholm Institute student representative Tim Julius recommends starting by chatting to the people who are sitting near you while you wait for your class to start.
Tim, who is studying early childhood education, says he felt daunted when he walked into his first class after previously having had a bad experience studying at university where he struggled to meet people in classes with 400 students.
But he soon found his TAFE class was a much more supportive environment. “We initially made friendships with people sitting close to us in class, based on proximity, until we got to know each other a bit better and felt comfortable broadening the circle,” Tim says.
If you’re studying online or remotely, you can introduce yourself in the discussion forums and make an effort to reply to others who do the same.
Join your classmates for lunch
As you’re heading out of your class at break time, ask a classmate to join you for lunch or a coffee. Or, if that’s too awkward, look for your classmates at lunch, say “Hi”, sit nearby and chat about your studies.
“Stick together with your class,” says Tim. “We’d often be sitting in a big group on the grass – all 20 of us.”
It’s true, your classmates might say they’re busy and they might ignore you, but you also might make a friend for life. It’s worth a try, you haven’t got anything to lose!
It’s also a good idea to stay off your phone during your breaks so you appear open and you don’t miss opportunities to chat to people in real life.
Start a group chat
Having a group messaging chat going throughout the term can help you to build connections with your peers.
If no one has set one up, you could be the one to take the initiative!
Tim says a group chat has helped to bring his class closer together and they often use it to arrange catch ups or to ask for advice. “Everyone is in that chat, if anyone needs help they’re flooded with opinions. We’ll ask questions like ‘Please help me with question nine! I’m going to fail’!”
Join in whenever you can
To make the most of your time at TAFE and increase your chances of meeting new people, make sure to take part in as many activities as you can. It could be logging in for digital events or workshops, coming along to a campus sausage sizzle or signing up for a club.
At Chisholm, all students receive a regular newsletter in their student inbox, which includes information about events and activities. You can also find out what’s happening by using the MyChisholm App, which is available for free on the Apple and Google Play stores.
If you’re feeling nervous about attending events or meeting people, Tim says to remind yourself that everyone is in the same boat.
“When it comes to study, everyone really wants some sort of mate to get through it, it’s a significant part of your life,” he says. “You’ve all got that same goal and when you have a similar goal it can form stronger relationships between people.”
