Moving into university halls is a very exciting time when starting university. I remember that one of my biggest worries was that I wouldn’t get on with my flatmates. Obviously, you´ll want to try and get along with the people you live with – and perhaps your flatmates will become some of your closest friends at Uni (check out the linked blog for more tips)!
So here is a list of 10 things to do to bond with your flatmates!
I was extremely lucky in first year. My flatmates and I got along like a house on fire (excuse the pun – although at one stage someone in the flat below actually did start a fire!) and we spent a lot of time together! Sadly, most of them were exchange (ERASMUS) students, so they left at the end of the year which was very sad.
In second year, I stayed in two different university halls again (King Street Exchange and the Student Roost, follow the links if you want to read my reviews.). In the first one I got on well again with my flatmates, the second one was not a particularly great experience. I was sharing with 8 other people and didn´t really get along well with anyone apart from 1 boy. I think it was mainly because the other people weren´t my age (they were a lot older postgrad students), some of them hardly spoke any English, they stayed in their room most of the time and they were extremely messy which I found quite annoying.
Of course, it can be awkward at first, but everyone will most likely be eager to get to know each other and get along. There are a lot of things you could do together to bond with your flatmates, as well as things you can do to avoid getting off on the wrong foot with anyone.
To help you bond with your flatmates at university – and avoid any major fall-outs – I have come up with this list of 10 things/activities you could do together to bond.
How to Bond with Your Flatmates
10 Things To Do
1) Go to Fresher´s Events Together
There are SO MANY events in Fresher´s week that you can go to, and there are bound to be things that everyone wants to do/see (for events at Aberdeen University click here). For example, you could all go to the sports and societies fayre together.
For one, it´s always more fun going as a group and secondly, it gives you the opportunity to find out more about each other’s interests. Maybe you even have something in common and/or want to join the same sports club or society!
2) Be RESPECTFUL
The number one rule for getting along well with your flatmates is to be respectful. This is a really obvious point, but I feel like I have to mention it, after having lived with people who don´t seem to know these things:
For one, don´t ignore people. If someone is in the kitchen when you come in, at least say hi.
Secondly – clean up after yourself! Tidy away your things as soon as possible and don´t leave your dirty dishes in the sink for 5 days!
Another important flatmate-rule is: Don´t take peoples´ things (especially food!) without asking. People are usually happy for you to borrow things, but it´s always polite to ask them first!
Also, try and be considerate towards others – don’t start practicing the trumpet at 2 am.
3) Go Shopping for Food/Kitchen Equipment Together
This is the perfect activity to do together when you first move in. Most likely, you will have to buy some bedroom items or kitchen equipment when you first move in, so why not all walk to the shops together?
It gives you the opportunity to chat and get to know one another, plus you can start exploring the city.
You could also use the opportunity to discuss if there are any kitchen items you all want to buy together so that you can all share it. I suggested some good kitchen equipment for sharing in my post about University Kitchen Essentials.
4) Don´t Stay in your Room all the Time
The only way to bond with your flatmates is by actually interacting with them! No one gets to know “that person down the hall who never leaves his/her room”.
Of course, everyone needs some time to themselves, but especially in the first few days you should try and make an effort to go out and speak to people. Trust me, you don´t want to be the person no one ever sees. Also, if you aren´t trying to involve yourself in the “flat life”, you might start feeling left out, which is something you want to avoid. If you don´t show up, the others will think you´re not interested.
So, leave your room, join people in the living room, cook some dinner at the same time as others or ask to go out and do something together.
5) Spend the Evening in the Living/Common Room and just Have a Chat
I think I spent almost every single night of first year in the living room with my flatmates. As I said, we got along really well and loved to just hang out and chat. Make a cup of tea, crack open a packet of biscuits or a box of chocolates and just talk. The perfect night in!
6) Go Out for Dinner
During Fresher´s week, there are a lot of promotions for restaurants going on. I remember in first year, for example, my flatmates and I all got a gift voucher at one of the Fresher´s events, to have a free burger at a restaurant in town. So, we went out for dinner one night and had a great time. It took us a while to find the place, as no one knew their way around Aberdeen yet, but getting lost together also helps your bonding!
It could also be fun to make going out a regular thing, for example, you could try and go out for dinner together once a month. Try out different restaurants and bars in town and find your favourite one to go to!
7) Have a Games Night
This is another thing you could do in the evening – why not have a games night?
Play some cards or maybe someone has even brought a board game with them! This is also a great way to learn new games from everybody – I learned so many new card games in first year from other people that I had never played before!
We also used to play monopoly a couple of times – but beware of some bad feeling that could be created! Haha, things can get heated when money is involved – even paper money! 😊
8) Cook Together
Even if everyone is making dinner for themselves, this is a great time to bond with your flatmates! I absolutely loved cooking dinner in the evenings, with everyone bustling around the kitchen and chatting about their day. Or why not get your speakers, turn up the music and have a little kitchen dance party? We used to do that all the time – it was so much fun!
Another great thing to do that gets everyone in the flat involved, is to cook things for each other that are typical for your home countries. It´s great for getting to know new foods and cultures. For example, I had 3 Chinese flatmates last year who cooked us a full-blown meal for Chinese New Year. In return, my other flatmates and I cooked a variety of our favourite foods from our homes for them to try. One of my flatmates was Turkish and showed me how to cook bulgur properly (unlike the way my dad makes it, which I don´t like). Now it has become one of my absolute go-to meals! I make it at least once a week and it always reminds me of my flatmate and all the great times we had together.
9) Have (Surprise) Birthday Parties
Now, the whole surprise thing only really works for the first person who´s birthday it is, because after that everyone else just expects a party. 😊 But it´s still great fun every time!
What we used to do is bake a cake and hang up balloons and banners etc in our living room. Then, we´d get up really early that morning and set everything up, so that it was ready for the person when they came out of their room. SURPRISE! Cake for breakfast??? Yes, please!!!
*Don´t forget though, most halls don´t allow candles. So either blow them out really quickly or leave them out altogether – you don´t want to accidentally set off the fire alarm…🤣*
10) Decorate the Flat Together
This is also a great activity to help bond with your flatmates. Often, university halls can look very dull and boring, so why not go and buy some home décor together and make the flat a bit homier. You could also decorate the flat for the holidays. At Christmas, for example, we hung up a lot of tinsel in the hall and even bought a miniature Christmas tree for the living room!
All in all, I would say it is very important to try and bond with your flatmates at university. It just makes living in halls so much nicer and really fun experience! As long as you behave in a respectful way and make an effort to interact with people, you will be in a great position to become great friends! There are so many fun things you can do together, like going out for dinner, having cosy nights in or decorating the flat in a way you like!
I really wish you all the best for moving into university halls and bonding with your flatmates and hope you spend a great time in halls! For more tips on moving into university halls, why don´t you read this post about 10 Tips for Moving into University Halls.
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