If you’re the average student, your friends will be spread around a good few different courses. You could be living with a medic, a historian and a student vet, even if you spend your nine to five Monday to Friday life socializing only with engineers. Of course, it’s hugely beneficial to make sure you keep in contact with your course mates – aside being polite, their futures could easily cross paths with yours. But there are benefits to keeping close with different course friends too.
Even though the likelihood is your career won’t follow the same path as someone on a different course, there is always the chance. Fingers crossed, you’ll graduate and transition smoothly into your desired field, and your friends will do the same. But sadly, as we all know, sometimes life does not go the way we assume and we are thrown in the deep end. Amongst your new, unfamiliar job, could be an old face. Or, someone who knows your old friend. The possibilities are endless.
Aside this, your networking opportunities become infinite. Whether your friendship declines to be a LinkedIn only affair, or a once a month coffee shop catch up, the ability to keep these relationships going will no doubt benefit you in so many ways. Having friends all over the place means you’ll always have someone to refer to if you find yourself in a new location, as well as the socializing aspect.
Sometimes it can be really refreshing to surround yourself with a new group of people, and catching up with an old university friend can be a perfect example of this. You never know, you could find a perfect contact just from meeting your old friend for a drink, and this could open even more career opportunities. There’s no reason why you should allow yourself to drift from old friendships, even if your catch-ups are only every so often.
If your friends have similar interests, this can be a great way to keep in contact with everyone post-university. This could mean starting up a netball group, or attending political marches together, or even something as simple as meeting up to bake cakes together. Finding other friends who share the same interests means an extended friendship group as a result, which will improve your mentality and ability to get on with different people. Employers will appreciate the fact that you’re able to mingle with various groups of people and it will put you in good stead for your future.
Photo: Jirka Matousek / Flickr
Do you have any network success stories? Let us know in the comment section below!
Hi! I’m a 19 year old journalism student at the University of Sheffield. I’m currently in my second year and am spending my second semester studying at Universidad Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona! I love writing about my thoughts and opinions, as well as travel and student matters. You can check out my personal blog at: https://auseve.wordpress.com
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