How to make friends at TMU: 4 students share tips for finding your people
Starting university is exciting. But it can also be challenging, especially when it comes to making new friends. We asked current TMU students to share their tips for finding your people on campus.
Some friendship hacks
Be yourself and find others who share your interests. This is key to finding your people. Roger Malcolm enjoys participating in hackathons with other computer engineering students.
Roger Malcolm, a second-year computer engineering student, says a shared academic interest is a great place to start.
He found friends through engineering conferences, events and student groups.
“It's not like high school,” said Malcolm. “Univeristies mean lecture halls and professors lecturing, which means little opportunity to socialize in class.”
His advice is to find a niche within your area of study.
“I’ve been to many engineering conferences and events where I can find common-ground with other attendees,” Malcolm said. “I could find someone who is struggling with the same course material, so we decide to study together and, boom, now you have a study friend.”
Friendships within your program can grow into shared interests outside of school, too. For Malcolm, that meant entering hackathons with other computer engineering students.
Try a team or varsity sport
Playing on a team strengthens co-operation and social skills. Carson Lloyd is a part of the men's hockey varsity team at TMU.
Carson Lloyd knows a thing or two about social dynamics. He’s a first-year Business Technology Management student and a member of the TMU men’s varsity hockey team. That gives him a built-in community.
“Being a part of the hockey team and part of varsity sports in general, there’s a lot of support from older teammates,” he said. “We’re connected to athletes from all the other sports teams and Athletics which provides academic support, like study halls.”
His connections go beyond the rink. Sharing the training gym with other athletes gives him plenty of chances to meet other students.
“Being involved in athletics makes the adjustment to university smoother,” he said. “There's a lot of wonderful people, and a fun and energetic culture here.”
Team sports also build social skills you can use every day.
“When you have 30 guys on a hockey team, you can't be best friends with everyone, but you learn to respect others and show up for your teammates,” Lloyd said.
Hockey has also taught him how to work with a group.
“It’s a very team-oriented sport,” Lloyd said. “It’s taught me how to rally people together to accomplish a shared goal, whether that’s on the ice or in a classroom during a group project.”
Lloyd has one more tip: speak up in class.
“Get involved in class discussions, ask questions in classes and connect with your professors,” he said. “It helps you get comfortable and will make you familiar to others.”
Hit the clubs (it’s never too late)
International student Gabby Look Tong has expanded her social circle and created a community on campus.
Gabby Look Tong is a fourth-year Environmental and Urban Sustainability student from Trinidad and Tobago. She recently wrote a blog post about making new friends at TMU to help other international students find community.
Her number one tip? Join student clubs.
“Student groups cover a wide range of interests, making them the best way to meet people with similar interests throughout university, not just in first year,” she says.
TMU has more than 600 student groups and course unions (external link) . They cover culture, hobbies and many other interests, so there’s likely space for you.
It’s also never too late to join. Look Tong joined her course union in her third year.
“I was a bit nervous at first, but it turned out to be a great way to meet people in my program and others who share an interest in the environment and sustainability,” she said.
The experience helped her build connections across different years. She also gained mentorship and leadership experience.
Joining her program course union was one way Gabby Look Tong was able to make connections on campus.
Long Took met one of her closest friends at Orientation Week after running into her at a few of the same events. That friendship, along with the ones she made in residence, lasted through her final year.
Now she’s in Norway on a field trip, as part of her final course requirements. She’s close with her classmates and has also met other TMU students.
“It’s been really easy to connect and bond with my friends in the program, but also meet students from the Geographic Analysis program,” she said. “It’s a reminder to get involved, try new things and make an effort to meet new people.”
Find your community, especially if you’re far from home
School of Medicine Student Council co-president Haris Ahmad cultivated close friendships through a student group aimed at building community.
If you’re new to the city, making connections can help you avoid feeling isolated.
Haris Ahmad is a second-year student at TMU’s School of Medicine in Brampton. He moved to Ontario from Calgary, Alberta, to study medicine.
“Medical school can become heavily focused on academics, making supportive friendships important for maintaining balance and remembering personal identity beyond school,” said Ahmad.
He suggests joining communities and projects that match your interests and passions.
Creating something together. TMU’s medical students share in building the foundations of a school that prioritizes advocacy and cultural awareness.
Ahmad joined the TMU Medical Student Council with 11 other students from his cohort. They are the first-ever cohort at the new medical school. The group meets every two weeks to create systems that improve student experience, both now and for future cohorts.
“When you're establishing a medical student council student society from the ground up, there's a lot of work that goes into building structures that no one's created before,” said Ahmad. “We’re the first med school in 20 years, so the challenge was to create systems that took into account the progress of the last two decades. And we bonded over this challenge.”
You belong! You’re part of a community at TMU.
Sharing responsibilities, juggling busy schedules and solving problems together helped the members form close friendships.
“Some of my closest friends I met through the medical student council,” said Ahmad. “We connected over our shared approach to medical education and sense of purpose.”
Ahmad also found community through the Muslim Medical Association of Canada of TMU’s chapter.
“When things get busy or challenging, I always turn to faith,” said Ahmad. “I would call these community members my brothers. We pray together after school, we talk and socialize, and help each other out, like when I need a ride to the airport to visit home.”