Year One Newsletter

Student in classroom reading notes.

Year One Newsletter arrives to your inbox regularly during your first year to help you navigate being New to UB.

On this page:

First-Year Tips

Tips about life at UB for new first-year students. Check back in September!

Advice from Current Students

Current students tackle one topic in each newsletter about adjusting to life at UB. Check back in September!

Build Connections

Building connections with other UB students will take your proactive and continued effort. This section highlights our strategies for how to find a friend when you're New to UB.

  • Strike up a conversation with someone in class. Be sure to share your contact information so you can plan to meet up outside of class too!
  • Introduce yourself to one person individually and ask if they'd like to meet to explore campus or grab a bite to eat. Meet more people by joining a Group Me, Snapchat group, or Facebook group with other new students.
  • Review UBLinked events and select one event to attend. Log in to UBLinked see all upcoming events. Pick a different event or activity to attend each week to cast a wide net. 
  • Utilize a peer resource. Connect with your Resident Advisor (RA), Teaching Assistant (TA), or reach back out to your Orientation Leader (OL) to ask for their advice or recommendations. Chatting with someone who knows you can allow for a more personalized conversation and brainstorm. They’ve all been in your shoes before!
  • Reach out to some of your classmates before or after class, on social media, or through the Navigate app and see if they’re looking for a study buddy. You can make plans to do homework together! It’s always helpful to have someone to ask questions or figure out a problem together.
  • Change your scenery and explore campus. If you tend to study in your room, try going to a library on campus  to test out a new environment. Say hi to people nearby! The Student Union is another good place to meet friends, grab a bite to eat and to become familiar with the offices in the SU.
  • Message a group (club or organization) on UBLinked. Use the "search" feature on UBLinked to find groups that match your interests. Connect with a group that interests you by emailing the contact listed or select and "join" the organization on UBLinked to be added to their email list. Many organizations also use social media; look for their page on Instagram to supplement UBLinked. 
  • Say hi to the people around you. Introduce yourself while you're waiting in line to pick up food, waiting at a print kiosk, or passing by someone in a hallway or outside.  Keep your mask on as you engage with new friends.
  • Spend an afternoon outside. Take your homework, a book, or some type of outdoor activity (do you have a speaker and a solid playlist?) and get outside. Try to interact with someone and make conversation about your surroundings, your playlist or the nearby geese. 
  • Put yourself out there. Take your homework, a book, or some type of activity (maybe a puzzle or board game?) and hang out in a lounge or open area on campus. Try to interact with someone and make conversation about your schoolwork or invite them to join your activity.

It is different, a little weird, and definitely possible to build connections. Know that you don’t need to have your entire social scene figured out in the first month. 

Put yourself out there and take a risk, and be open-minded if others do the same.

Need Help?

Helping new students transition to life at UB:

Orientation, Transition and Parent Programs

Student Life

University at Buffalo
112 Student Union, North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260

Phone: (716) 645-6125