Alone

BalletFreq

I'm sure many people have moved down here with no friends and had to make new friends etc..

I'm just wondering how you find/found it?
I'm in my second year and I still find it hard, because my friends are from the surrounding counties, and there's at least two more person from that county. I'm from Dublin, and yes, there's one more from dublin, but i never talk to him which is really a shame..

sometimes i wish that i'd been from the country to be part of things, even though i don't get left out..

it's just hard, but i suppose it was expected when i was the only one from my year in school to move away to college!

klong

I was practically the same as you, didn't know anyone down here. Know a few people now, not as many as I'd like. A few classmates. Clubs. Things like that. As people will no doubt suggest, go to a BULBS or even come to the study group thingy on Saturday. Still find it hard enough though.

ergonomics

I was the same as you, and it wasn't until this year (4th year!) that I started making friends. I know it's almost clichéd but the best thing you can do is get involved with a Club or Society. I also know that's easier said than done - I'm not currently in any Clubs. I was lucky that I have a housemate who I get along great with she started introducing me to her friends.

Have you heard of the Connect network? http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/Services/Student%20Affairs/Services/CONNECT/Home

It's basically a support service for students, by students. You contact Connect with you details/interests and they forward on the email to the supporters, also students, and someone with similar interests will be paired with you. You can then meet them once a week or so for a cup of tea or to get help with any problems! They'll also go to the pub/gigs/societies for you to help you meet people. I'm a member, I'm one of the supporters, so if you don't feel comfortable meeting someone completely random drop me a PM and I'll be happy to meet ya for a cup of tea! We never normally mention that the person we're meeting is from Connect if you do contact them, don't worry about that. When we bump into a friend we introduce our 'Connect student' as friend too which helps you make friends also!

DJCR

Do you like to drink???? If so I'll have no problem meeting up with ya at some stage - I'm suro Ergo will join us and everybody else.

Feck it lets have a Boards session!!!!!!

BalletFreq

Oh yes I like to drink! I do have friends, there's about seven or eight of us in the group, but I'm the type of person who doesn't text people alot coz I think i'll be bothering them, like my friend lives across the way, but i don't see her much in her house, or in mine because I'm afraid I'll feel like I'm smothering her.. I know it sounds stupid! Yeh, I'm in a society but unfortunately, I know all the people already! but i have done other things, that get me talking to people. it's also hard getting a four hour bus journey on your own when everyone else has a other person or a lift!

We should start a car-pooling society!

klong

BalletFreq wrote: »

Oh yes I like to drink! I do have friends, there's about seven or eight of us in the group, but I'm the type of person who doesn't text people alot coz I think i'll be bothering them, like my friend lives across the way, but i don't see her much in her house, or in mine because I'm afraid I'll feel like I'm smothering her.. I know it sounds stupid! Yeh, I'm in a society but unfortunately, I know all the people already! but i have done other things, that get me talking to people. it's also hard getting a four hour bus journey on your own when everyone else has a other person or a lift!

We should start a car-pooling society!

Only four hours?Pffffft I have just over 5 on my own! (Not that I head home much anyway) Maybe we should set up the Bus Society, devoted to people who "enjoy" loooooong bus journeys...

On a lighter note, did you get your passport stamped when leaving Dublin and entering "The Real World"?:pac:

BalletFreq

klong wrote: »

On a lighter note, did you get your passport stamped when leaving Dublin and entering "The Real World"?:pac:

five?
jesus!

oh i'd got it stamped years before :P

PeakOutput

im from dublin and started last year too although id been out of school a couple of years

i think i was lucky coz i got on with all my housemates straight away and they had quite a big circle of frends. sucks this year as im not living with them and working loads but the best thing is to join as many clubs or socs as you can go on a few weekends away and be ultra chatty. people dont say to themselves oh that person is a wierdo they are so friendly they just think your friendly so just go do it


also i dont know how you do the bus i tried it once and it took 6 hours never again train all the way

The Don

klong wrote: »

Only four hours?Pffffft I have just over 5 on my own! (Not that I head home much anyway) Maybe we should set up the Bus Society, devoted to people who "enjoy" loooooong bus journeys...

BalletFreq wrote: »

five?
jesus!

Try 7 hours on your own. Can't wait until I have enough for a car.

Mossin

The Don wrote: »

Try 7 hours on your own. Can't wait until I have enough for a car.

Awww my heart bleeds for ya :rolleyes:

The man working and earning plenty of €€€€€€'s bitching about taking the bus.

Stop your belly-aching :pac:


OT:

Just keep chatting to people, they wont think you are weird or anything.
Do what I did, and go to the Stables and just sit about drinking for 4 years, I know loads of random people as a result.

kaimera

I guess I got lucky the first day of college [or unlucky, I'm not sure] as I met rmacm then.

Can't seem to get rid of the bastard since! :pac:

@ Ballet: seriously, meet up with some boardsies here for some drinks sometimes or the study session etc and go from there

rmacm

kaimera wrote: »

I guess I got lucky the first day of college [or unlucky, I'm not sure] as I met rmacm then.

Can't seem to get rid of the bastard since! :pac:

If it makes you feel any better the feeling is mutual

Peteee

rmacm wrote: »

If it makes you feel any better the feeling is mutual

Ditto for all of you!

As for the OP, luck certainly plays a part in it (Else I would have never have met kai, rmacm and by extension Mossin etc), but definetly try to join some Clubs and Socs if you have the time and you aren't a lazy bastard like me.

ninty9er

I met one of my best friends in college randomy in trinity rooms. we were bitching about smokers or rain or something like that and himself and his housemate joined in, great friends 4 years on.

I don't have a big circle of friends, but those I do have I would be able to say that I'd trust 90% of them with my life. I wouldn't be too worried about not having MANY friends as long as you have GOOD friends.

Mossin

I'd have to agree with Ninty9er there.

I was lucky in that when I moved to Limerick I moved in with Kaimera, Petee, Rmacm, Otacon and Vuk...Its kinda weird that they all used boards, but hey I suppose thats the life of a comp sys student :P

I was then fortunate to meet 440, Sceptre, Fastmover and a few others from here within a few months, but my circle of friends was still quite small. Apart from those who I lived with and a few I met in my class [one of whom I actually went out with for a while], I knew feck all people, and that was the way things remained until well into 2nd year for me.

I got a job in Storm Cinemas, where I made some of my best friends. Most of them were students like myself, and now I'm living with 4 people who have either worked in Storm or are still working there. [And of course Vuk is still living with me...]

Now I have a larger group of friends, which is strange considering most of the people I knew for 2 years moved away, [Kai, Petee, the Don, Otacon, Rmacm] to name a few...

I like Petee was too lazy to join C&S so I never had the luxury of meeting people that way, but I am an alcoholic, and spend a huge amount of time in the Stables where I got to know all the staff by name, which has its perks too.

BalletFreq

So everyone knows everyone here?!

Yeh, this year, before I moved bck down, I vowed I was gonna join clubs or socs and even was going to join the LMS to know people from limerick, so i could meet up with at weekends!

my dad has said to me before to go to the stables to watch a match or something, but i'm like "nooo i can't go to the pub on my own!!"

hah

Mossin

Yeah most people know people here.
Although there are a good few new people whom I havent had the pleasure of meeting, including your good self

We try to organise nights out for people on this forum once a semester. They are called BULBS [Boards UL Beers]

We havent had one in ages...[makes mental note to organise another one soon]

Anyhow, your dad is right, and of course you can go to the pub on your own. Those are the times when *insert cliched guinness advert* you'd never know who you might meet

Funkstard

Another Dubliner here. I'm quite lucky in that my class is small so they became my circle of friends, but I'm very conscious that I'm not nearly involved in something extra-curricular as I'd like to be. I was more last year in second year, but this year anything but my course and my friends from the course has (unfortunately) kinda fallen by the wayside. I made great friends with my roommates in first year, don't see them nearly enough as I'd like to though.

The one club I did get involved with for a while was an absolute godsend, made lots of great friends straight away. Really saw the benefit of getting into the clubs and socs scene. I think that will be your best bet. People down here are really endlessly friendly for the most part, once you find something to make friends through you'll be laughing.

Oh, I think being from Dublin down here is absolutely hilarious too. There's about ten dubliners in the whole college and I'm treated as some sort of oddity down here. Love it. As long as you can give as good as you get it's great fun, kid

EDIT: Oh, I don't know any users here in real life. Only post the odd time.

klong

BalletFreq wrote: »

So everyone knows everyone here?!

Yeh, this year, before I moved bck down, I vowed I was gonna join clubs or socs and even was going to join the LMS to know people from limerick, so i could meet up with at weekends!

my dad has said to me before to go to the stables to watch a match or something, but i'm like "nooo i can't go to the pub on my own!!"

hah

Not quite true- I only know 3 of the boardsies to see, and I wouldn't say I "know" any of them particularly well.

But come to the study group tomorrow or go to a BULBs, you'll find that most of us aren't that weird :cool:

PeakOutput

i dont know any of them iv probably seen them all over the place maybe even talked to some but not knowingly

BalletFreq

Yeh, i'm the only person from dublin in my group of friends!

yeh sure, have ye all got the bebo or do ye post it on this etc...!?

Are the study sessions good?
Where are they held?
And do you actually get study done, or do you all chat!?

This thread has been really helpful though, thanks

The Don

Mossin wrote: »

Awww my heart bleeds for ya :rolleyes:

The man working and earning plenty of €€€€€€'s bitching about taking the bus.

Stop your belly-aching :pac:

If I had that much money I'd have a car.:p

Peteee wrote: »

Ditto for all of you!

As for the OP, luck certainly plays a part in it (Else I would have never have met kai, rmacm and by extension Mossin etc), but definetly try to join some Clubs and Socs if you have the time and you aren't a lazy bastard like me.

*Waves. First day....

Mossin wrote: »

Now I have a larger group of friends, which is strange considering most of the people I knew for 2 years moved away, [Kai, Petee, the Don, Otacon, Rmacm] to name a few...

So its the brother of a friend (who also has moved up in the friend rankings) that recognises me :rolleyes:

klong

BalletFreq wrote: »

Yeh, i'm the only person from dublin in my group of friends!

yeh sure, have ye all got the bebo or do ye post it on this etc...!?

Are the study sessions good?
Where are they held?
And do you actually get study done, or do you all chat!?

This thread has been really helpful though, thanks

Its the first one, anything could happen. We might even study!

Peteee

The Don wrote: »

*Waves. First day....

And how I rue that day...

Well I was talking about people I met on the interwebs (Sort of) and not luck of the draw with orientation groups and such

*clears conscience*

The Don

Peteee wrote: »

And how I rue that day...

Well I was talking about people I met on the interwebs (Sort of) and not luck of the draw with orientation groups and such

Peteee wrote: »

*clears conscience*

If only it were that easy

Funkstard

My this thread has descended into cliqueyness

Peteee

Funkstard wrote: »

My this thread has descended into cliqueyness

On the UL forum... surely you jest!

ergonomics

Funkstard wrote: »

My this thread has descended into cliqueyness

How so? What I see is a group of people trying to help someone who feels on the outside. If cliqueyness where at play then they wouldn't be trying to help. I only know ninety9er, DJCR and bluedolphin, so I'm not part of this clique you allude to.

Funkstard

kaimera wrote: »

I guess I got lucky the first day of college [or unlucky, I'm not sure] as I met rmacm then.

Can't seem to get rid of the bastard since! :pac:

@ Ballet: seriously, meet up with some boardsies here for some drinks sometimes or the study session etc and go from there

rmacm wrote: »

If it makes you feel any better the feeling is mutual

Peteee wrote: »

And how I rue that day...

Well I was talking about people I met on the interwebs (Sort of) and not luck of the draw with orientation groups and such

*clears conscience*

The Don wrote: »

If only it were that easy

The Don wrote: »

If I had that much money I'd have a car.:p

*Waves. First day....

So its the brother of a friend (who also has moved up in the friend rankings) that recognises me :rolleyes:

ergonomics wrote: »

How so? What I see is a group of people trying to help someone who feels on the outside. If cliqueyness where at play then they wouldn't be trying to help. I only know ninety9er, DJCR and bluedolphin, so I'm not part of this clique you allude to.

I was only joking and no malice intended, but you're blind if you can't see how the thread went OT into a group reminiscence/pat on the back!

kaimera

Funkstard wrote: »

I was only joking and no malice intended, but you're blind if you can't see how the thread went OT into a group reminiscence/pat on the back!

it was making a point tho albeit some of it was unnecessary natter.

rmacm

kaimera wrote: »

it was making a point tho

Yep some of it did make a point, I suppose to add something vaguely on topic I knew no one when I moved down either I moved in with four other people that I didn't know and I didn't know anyone in my course either before I started.

Met kaimera on the first day and as he said above I still haven't been able to get rid of him (despite my sincerest of efforts )

Never really did the whole Clubs & Socs thing myself but I found that going out with housemates and going to class parties was a good way to get to know people and make friends.

kaimera wrote: »

albeit some of it could was unnecessary natter.

I think the forum has always had an element of "unncecessary natter" and I think it'd be a shame if this were to change. I find at least it tends to lend some light heartedness to the forum and adds something to it (although I can't really put into words what that something is).