Making new friends at uni: Events with Fethr and iQ

For a lot of us, university is the place where we find lifelong friends. Sometimes we find them in classrooms, other times it’s in the bathroom of our student lounges. Often, meeting the right people can come down to chance. But what if you want to expand your network right as the new year starts?

We know how important it is to have a solid group you can rely on, so we’ve partnered with our wellbeing partner, Fethr, to help deliver events that put “making friends” at the centre of it all.

About Fethr

Fethr is a matchmaking app designed to build meaningful friendships. By connecting individuals with shared interests, Fethr brings together communities through in-person events tailored to these groups.

At the moment, the Fethr app is free for the first 5,000 founding members. You can download the app from either Google Play or the App Store. Or, if you’re an iQ resident, you can make the most out of our partnership with Fethr by joining one of our onsite mingling sessions.

SpeedFriending at iQ

Kick off your year right by making new friends to enjoy the ride with. At SpeedFriending, you’ll have the chance to make your best first impression with other residents on your site. Whether you want to spend five minutes talking about your dog or the whole evening listing off your latest gigs, the time is yours to put yourself out there.

With fethr, we’re hosting a number of SpeedFriending socials across our properties throughout September. Need some conversation inspiration? There’ll be plenty of ice breakers and prompts to help you.

To welcome our new residents this September, we’ve planned 19 events planned across 10 cities:

London (Shoreditch, East Court, Haywood House, Will Wyatt, City)
Sheffield (Century Square, Knight House)
Coventry
Manchester (Fletcher and Hollingsworth, Lambert and Fairfield)
Nottingham (Newton and Newland House)
Brighton
Lincoln (Pavilions, Hayes Wharf)
Bradford
Huddersfield
Leeds (Leeds, Marsden House)

Want to see what it’s all about? Check out how things went down.

What to expect at Speedfriending

Speedfriending starts with the Fethr team introducing themselves – usually, that’s the co-founders, Julian and Miguel.

To get everyone in the right mindspace, they’ll lead some light meditation where you can take a breather before walking out of your comfort zone.

The event starts off with everyone as a group and there’ll be plenty of ice breakers to get you talking, including games, activities and prompts from the Fethr team. Expect a bit of walking around and lots of using your imagination.

You’ll then be broken up into smaller groups based off of your interests – that could be a ‘foodie’ group, movie lovers or a band of adventurers. It’ll be easy to find something to talk about and you’ll quickly find yourself loosening up.

Then the real Speedfriending begins. You’ll sit in pairs and have about a minute to 90 seconds to chat to your partner about anything you want. You’ll rotate partners after each chat until you’ve had a chance to mingle with everyone.

Clicked with someone? The final moments of the event are spent adding your new friends on socials and inviting them to your upcoming parties. Then, it’s up to you to make the most of your new social circle.