How to make friends in student dormitory?  Practical guide for real connections 

In books, student accommodation is often described as a place to live. Right, of course, but in reality, it is where a large part of your student life happens. Your routines, your first independent decisions and very often, your first adult friendships. 

If you’ve just moved in, it can feel uncertain. New city, if you’ve moved to Gdansk, it might also mean a new country, new people, different habits. That’s normal. Almost everyone around you is figuring things out at the same time. This feeling is actually helpful to say just hi and ask about typical first questions. So the difference between “just living somewhere” and actually enjoying student life usually comes down to one thing: safety and connection. So we made a quick guide how to go through it with less stress. 

There’s a reason many people say their closest friendships started in a dorm or shared apartment. It’s not accidental. Student accommodation makes it easier to build friendships because students share spaces, routines, and everyday moments. 

You live close to each other. You share spaces. You see each other in ordinary, unplanned moments like making coffee, coming back late, crying on harry potter movie or stressing before exams. These small interactions build familiarity faster than in almost any other environment. 

At the same time, it’s not always immediate. Many students feel unsure at the beginning. Some are more outgoing, others need time. Both are fine. The key is not personality, it’s participation. 

Well… start early: the first days matter more than you think. The first week living in student accommodation or your first days as a student in Gdansk often set the tone. 

Welcome events, informal meetups, or even casual gatherings in common areas are designed for one purpose: making it easier to meet people when everyone is still open and curious, and also a little bit scared of being in a new place alone. 

You don’t need to attend everything. But showing up even for a sec – helps. It gives others a chance to recognize you, and that familiarity makes future conversations easier. Many long-term friendships don’t start with a deep conversation. They start with something simple:
“Hey, weren’t you at the welcome dinner?” 

For many international students living in student accommodation is not that easy. Game nights are one of the easiest ways to break the ice. You don’t need to be outgoing. You don’t even need to talk much at the beginning. The game does the work. 

Board games, card games, even casual video games these situations naturally create interaction. You laugh, react, compete a little. And without realizing it, you start remembering names, faces, personalities. Over time, these small interactions often turn into routines: weekly meetups, inside jokes, a sense of “your people.” 

Events help you meet people. But friendships usually grow outside of them. In shared living, the most important moments are often the most ordinary ones: 

• cooking in the same kitchen  

• watching something together in the evening – making drinking not drinking games during movies  

• sitting in a common space doing nothing in particular  

• Doing some Pilates or yoga together  

• Trying to understand Gdansk and learning about places to go and eat.  

These situations don’t require planning. They require openness. So you can always just ask simple “Do you want to join?” or “I wanna watch a movie, maybe someone wanna join?” can go a long way. 

Cooking with flatmates is sometimes one of the easiest ways to connect. It’s practical, you need to eat anyway, but it’s also social. You can make a theme night like pasta rave, dumplings jazz etc. People share recipes, habits, small cultural differences and also with music you can explore more similarities. So this creates space for conversation without pressure. Cooking together isn’t just about learning new recipes, it’s also a chance to build teamwork and communication skills. You’re doing something together, which makes silence comfortable and talking natural. Over time, it can become a routine: shared dinners, occasional group cooking, even small traditions like Sunday breakfast with pancakes. Good thing in Gdansk is that you can have almost every kind of products from asian soy souse to proper Parmigiano Reggiano – thanks to that is even easier to learn different recipes.  So could cooking with your flatmates become a simple tradition that brings you closer over time? 

One of the simplest and most effective ways to improve communication in shared housing is by creating group chats. These everyday digital spaces make it easy to coordinate plans, share updates, and stay in touch without much effort. 

Group chats often become the informal “hub” of student life where flatmates plan dinners, organize outings, or just share something funny from their day. Even small interactions like these help maintain a sense of connection. 

For busy students, this kind of ongoing, low-pressure communication makes a real difference. It helps relationships grow naturally, even when everyone has different schedules. Over time, these small touchpoints can turn into stronger, lasting friendships. 

Student accommodation is only one part of your social environment. While it’s where many connections begin, it doesn’t have to be the only place where they grow. 

Joining university clubs, sports teams, or interest groups adds another layer to your experience. It gives you the chance to meet people who share specific interests -whether that’s music, sports, art, or academic topics. Conversations often flow more naturally when you already have something in common. 

What’s interesting is how often these different environments start to overlap. Someone you meet at a club might turn out to live nearby, or eventually become part of your everyday group. 

Not everyone enjoys loud events or big groups and that’s completely fine. Making friends doesn’t depend on being outgoing. More often, it comes down to consistency and small, everyday steps. 

If large gatherings feel overwhelming, it’s worth looking for quieter ways to connect. Smaller meetups, shared study sessions, or one-on-one conversations can feel much more natural and comfortable. Even something as simple as spending time in a common area regularly can make a difference. Familiar faces become familiar people and that’s often how connections begin. 

Remember It’s not about how many events you attend, and it’s not about being the most outgoing person in the room. What matters more is how you show up over time and if you have something in common. 

Friendships tend to grow through small, repeated interactions like watching movies, playin games etc. Being open to a quick chat, sharing everyday moments, or simply being present from time to time is totally okay. Respecting other people’s space and differences also plays a big role in building trust, and it’s helpful with future stress during your exams or just hard time. 

In student accommodation, friendships rarely happen instantly from day one. They develop gradually, through routine and familiarity, random funny moments. And often, without even realizing it, the people you once only exchanged a few words with become the ones you spend most of your time with. The best but hard advice is just try not to focus only on stress  – most of you are on the same first days in a new situation.  

Not all student housing creates the same conditions. Smaller communities, shared spaces that are actually used, and a balance between privacy and interaction all make a difference. Places designed with community in mind tend to make social life easier not forced, just more natural. That’s why student housing in Gdansk like all.inn is focused on people and good common areas for natural ways of connecting.  Making friends in student accommodation in Gdansk doesn’t require being outgoing. It comes down to showing up, staying open, and sharing everyday moments with the people around you.