If you went away to university...

[PrincessTuna]

Did you make friends with anyone local to the uni?

I went away and stayed in halls first year, shared house for the rest. I don't remember meeting anyone from the local area on my course. All of my friends were from all across the UK.

And I guess the other question is "if you stayed at home for uni, did you make friends with non-local students?"

I went to London for university, I had friends there who were from London. I didn’t make any friends who weren’t at university but just happened to live in London, if that’s what you mean?

I mention London because I suspect it’s probably got a higher number of students who are from London than other cities?

I’m from a popular university city but I can’t remember any of my friends from school staying there for uni.

Yeah I meant local students rather than the general population @skeggycaggy

I'm just thinking it was odd that I lived in a city and never really met someone from that city (beyond superficial meetings).

I lodged with a family for my first year and got friendly with them. Even went to their daughter's christening.

I used to go to a local pub with a group of student friends, and we got really friendly with the locals. Joined their pool team.

This was well over 30 years ago.

Yes, I met plenty of people who had always lived there. Two in particular, one owed a shop in the town and one was at the local art college.

I made one friend in his early twenties who happened to live and work in my university city and joined one of the student societies because it was the easiest ways to pursue his interest, but that was more him coming into my university bubble than me going out into the town IYSWIM. Also made a few friends who had stayed in the city after graduating and continued attending society meetings but again I’m not sure that really counts.

No, except for one of my friends who went to university in her home city. I think the only way you might meet local people as a student is if you worked in, say, a local shop or bar.

I went to university 30-odd years ago. I knew one person who was 'local'. It was a bit weird, as we would be having a fantastic time in crappy student houses, and she would be going back home to her parents and her younger sister. People liked her, but she was definitely regarded as 'different'.

My DC have not gone to our 'home' university, though I'd have tried to talk them out of it if it had been on the cards.

Yes because I went to a local church.

I loved getting out of the student bubble and mixing with people who were doing different things. Some, but not all, were graduates who'd stayed there.

Still in touch with some, 25 years later.

I did actually. I went to Oxford, and got friendly with the landlord of the house my friends were renting. He introduced me to a group of his friends, so I ended up with two friendship groups - town and gown.

Yes because I got a part time job in a local pub which was great. I also had a fling with a local bloke who sort of became incorporated into the student circle, also had a fling with one of the pub regulars

Went away. One local girl on my course I ended up chatting to. She was nice and I made a big effort as felt bad on her missing out. It's quite hard as most socialisation happens in halls. I invited her to the halls stuff.

Oh but she was also a student.

Didn't know any non students, nope!

I'm such an introvert it's amazing I made any friends. I think if I'd stayed at home I'd have been even less likely, I'd have done the lecture then headed straight home without mixing with anyone.

Both. My closest girl friends ended up being from fairly close to where I come from originally- it was just who I was in halls with.
But the boys were much more spread out and some were local. My DH was a local and I married him!!

Yes - I had friends who were local and non-local (and even some non-students, because I had a part-time job in a bar).

I had one friend from my course who lived at home locally. Everyone else was in student accommodation.

No I didn't, and most of my friends didn't.

I think there was a real 'them and us' at my university between students and locals, so no mixing going on.

There were 15people on my course. A couple were local students. A few were overseas. A couple were mature. We all made friends. Knowing the local students was handy as they knew better pubs and restaurants away from the student areas but still cheap.

My boyfriend (now husband) was a student at the other university. I ended up with friends at both universities. That was considered unusual..

I did because I worked in a sandwich shop. Was a real mixture of locals and students, old and young. I'm still in touch with most of them now, 18 years later.

What an interesting thread. I hadn't ever really thought about this before. I didn't make any local friends in the town of the College of Higher Education I went to in the 1980s although one of my college friends did because she attended a local church.
My DS2 did a year abroad at the University of Adelaide and played on a couple of local Ultimate Frisbee teams. He noticed that there was a lot more mixing of university students and local people there. He wondered if it was because there was more of a trend for students to attend their home state university, whereas in the UK students often move to a new area. I realise this is a huge generalisation and doesn't reflect all circumstances!

Yes, I think about 10% of my course lived at home with parents. (Dundee in mid 1990s)

I didn’t make friends with any “locals”

I did make friends with a couple of students who were from that town - but they’d chosen to move into college rather than live at home

Like you OP if I’d stayed living at home with my parents I might not have met anyone at all... one of my reasons for not going to uni in my home town

Of course some don’t have the choice financially and have to stay living at home

There were a few local students on my course, including 2 of my friends. They still lived in college during term time though but that was in the days before tuition fees.

I remember when I was applying to university that Kings College, London had such a shortage of accomodation that there were priority places for London students who would agree to live at home, possibly a lower offer even. It didn't tempt me.

Some of my DC's friends chose to live at home and attend local universities to save money. Nearly all of them decided the debt was worth it and ended up leaving home after the first year! Even my DS's very introverted, studious friend who never went to parties, not even prom, nor dated girls at school moved out (and in with his new girlfriend) for the second year.

Yep both uni friends from the uni city and other friends outside of uni.
It probably helped that I fairly early on met a local lad (outside of my uni course but in the same subject field) and started dating him so didn't just hang out with people on my course or in my uni flats.
In 2nd year (of a 7yr course) I bought a house (this was when northern cities were dirt cheap so mortgage & deposit was cheaper than rent) and quickly made friends with one of the families next door.