"Hi"

And there you have it - your first step to saying hello. The second? Simply say it with a smile and be yourself. After that, you'll find that friendships just tend to happen. There's no real science behind it.

In fact, you'll soon start to notice everyone asking the same questions: Where're you from? What course are you doing? What A-levels did you do? Prepare yourself with some different ice-breaking lines (as long as they're gems and not the ones that are followed by tumble-weed!).

You're going to have more opportunities at meeting people than you can shake a big stick at. Below are just a few of them.

1 Halls of fun

Halls of Residence. The clue's in the name. Halls (and corridors) are where you'll bump into a lot people. Especially when everyone's moving in. There'll be clowns to the left of you, jokers to the right, and there you'll be - in the middle. As soon as you've unpacked, pop next door, introduce yourself and offer to get the first round in at the SU Bar.

 
2 To the bar! To the bar! To the bar!

Oh, the joys of the SU Bar! No Students' Union would be complete without one. Think of ours like a watering hole where students gather. A pretty big watering hole actually. The country's third largest! Whatever you're into, you're guaranteed to meet packs of people with similar interests right here.

With four venues split over two campuses, we're always up to something. Whether it's hosting gigs, fancy dress, themed nights or quiz nights - it's always thriving. It's the perfect place to hangout, relax and get to know your newfound friends. Whether you're discussing work over a coffee and a bite to eat between lectures, or chatting the nights away with a pint or a cocktail, there's plenty to do. And, if you're suffering after one too many, get one of your 5-a-day down you with a smoothie from the Juice Bar.

3 One week (that lasts a lifetime)

Whatever you've heard about Fresher's Week - it's true! Well, most of it, anyway. It's one week where every student can let their hair (and wigs) down and bond before they knuckle down to study. And, because everyone's involved, you'll soon discover you'll be doing very different things with very different people - great for widening that circle of friends, hey?

Here at Staffordshire University we've got what we like to call our secret weapon. Just a little something we like to keep up our sleeve. Something no other University can offer. That's right; hold on to your hats, we've got ALTON TOWERS! Whoo Hoo!

But that's not all. There's paint balling, bowling, an events fair and probably one or two pub-crawls along the way! There's a load on offer, so try and squeeze in as much as you can, but go easy on the dollar. Don't get too carried away and spend a whole terms budget in one week. You'll only regret it!

4 Hands up...

...those who've got a few hours spare? You do? Jolly good. Volunteering to do something different is the perfect way to meet new people, experience new things and develop new skills.

Our schemes, like Sponte and Lifetools, help you brush-up on event and time management, team leadership, teaching, marketing, managing stress, all sorts! And it's these skills that will help you while you're here, and the ones you'll take with you when you leave. It's win/win!

The good news? There's plenty of activities available to choose from. Skydiving, charity beach cleans, organic gardening, the lot! The other good news? Whatever you decide to volunteer for, most of it's free and you'll get all the training and support you need to make the most of your experience.

Oh, and before we forget, there may be a club or society you're interested in joining. This is another great and easy way to mingle with people from far and wide. To find out what's on offer, click here.

5 Students' Union

Most people get the Students' Union (SU) confused with the bar. Yes, there's an SU bar, but that's not all the SU's involved in. There's more. Much more.

Every year our SU strive to ensure each and every student gets the absolute most from their time here. Whether that's funding student activities, organising societies or providing professional services, the SU is on hand to help you any way they can. They're sort of like your personal bodyguard -  they'll take care of you when you need it most. To find out more about the clubs and societies run by the SU visit the Getting Involved section.