Imagine this: it’s your first time on a plane, you fly 14 hours and you land in a country where you don’t speak the language, and need to Google Translate your way through the airport. This was the experience of Ray Wang, a fourth-year physics student from China.
Finding community at university is as important as having a place to live. Community is the epicentre of health and wellbeing, and approaching people in a new environment is nerve-racking, especially for folks who may not speak the language or have any idea about Canadian culture. After making the life-changing decision to leave everything they know and love, international students have the daunting task of finding or creating a community for themselves. Beyond the language barrier, there are cultural and social aspects that may never cross the mind of a domestic student. Let’s explore some of the creative ways these students have found their circles here.
Why Canada?
The first decision international students make is the decision to leave home. Wang wanted to break the cultural expectations and find his stride outside of China. “In my second year, I just kind of made a decision that I perhaps was not really enthusiastic about the career as a teacher,” he says. Combine that with a growing curiosity about living abroad, and leaving started to feel less like a risk and more like the only real option.
Rubee Kung, a fourth-year psychology student from Taiwan, was feeling stuck due to academic restrictions at home. “I went to Taiwan’s university first, and then I figured out that it is not what I want because I think in East Asia the academics don’t have that much freedom.”
They all chose Canada largely because of its perceived welcoming atmosphere. There are great schools everywhere, but Canada felt like the right choice for finding community.
All three students note that on arrival they sensed that welcoming environment, the polite and respectful people, and the encouragement to build community with non-Canadians.
Mohammad Alfadhel, a first-year mechanical engineering student from Saudi Arabia, followed his uncle’s footsteps to Canada: “Part of the reason that I felt Canada is more welcoming is because my uncle used to be an international student here in Canada as well.”
The academic reputation of Canadian schools was also a factor. “For psychology, I think North America is stronger than Europe,” Kung noted. Both Alfadhel and Kung compared the social environment to their time in the U.S., finding Canadians noticeably friendlier.
Cultural adjustments
Beyond language, Canadian culture can be very different, shocking even, for international students. Kung mentions the culture of small talk culture, where people are more engaging and “chill” than back home, leaving more opportunity to talk to people casually, something she didn’t find as much back in Taiwan. She also notes how openly expressive her Canadian friends are. “People won’t wonder ‘why are you talking to me,’ they will be happy to talk with you.” She notes that their expressiveness also extends to the small things, where they are open to talk about more than just school or careers. “It’s freeing,” she says.
Alfadhel found that making friends works differently here than in Saudi Arabia. Back home, he explains, friendship often spreads through existing circles. “Going with my friend to their friend and then that person suddenly becomes my friend.” In Canada, he found making friends is more intentional, “bonding over specific small talk and activities” with one person at a time.
Not every cultural difference is a pleasant surprise, though. Wang recounts bringing homemade food to St. Jerome’s church as a way of giving back to the community, only to find it wasn’t understood or appreciated. “Sometimes I bring a lot of food to church and most of the domestic people, they don’t really want to eat it. They don’t understand why I added this vegetable or cooked a certain thing a certain way.”
The friendship formula
Despite early challenges, all three students found their people. Alfadhel describes the process as happening naturally: “The more we interact with each other, I don’t know, it just clicks, and then [we decide], let’s do this together, let’s do that together. And then suddenly, you’re just friends.”
Kung, who met her very first friend at a Renison “speed-friending” session, puts it this way, “You have to spend a lot of time with that person, and you have to keep in contact, and then I feel like at one point people will feel safe enough with each other.” Whether it’s bonding at orientation or studying after class, spending time together is the most important ingredient; intentional effort matters.
Wang’s path to community was harder. For a long time he felt like an outsider, not just because he came from China, but because his reason for coming — wanting to see the world — felt less valid than his peers’ academic motivations. After two years, though, his perspective shifted.
“It doesn’t really matter if you have some differences, it’s kind of cool.” Embracing those differences opened his mind and gave him a perspective he never would have found if he’d stayed home.
What about clubs?
Campus clubs offer a different social dynamic than residence life. While Renison’s English programs and cafeteria fostered organic connections through daily proximity, clubs presented a steeper entry barrier.
Kung, Wang, and Alfadhel all tried joining cultural or interest-based organizations:
the Taiwan Student Association, CSA, WASA, the Taylor Swift club – but found themselves on the outside of pre-existing social circles. “I found it hard to fit into clubs at Waterloo because members already knew each other well and I didn’t feel included,”
Kung explained. The awkwardness of entering established groups proved difficult to overcome.
Alfadhel experienced similar challenges with larger organizations. “It’s difficult to jump in when everyone already knows each other,” he said, noting that friendships within clubs often start small and expand organically through mutual friends, a network newcomers don’t yet have. The very structure designed to build community can inadvertently exclude those who need it most.
The exception came through more intimate situations. Wang found lasting community at a Christian club, but notably through a personal dinner invitation rather than a large group meeting. “A Chinese person invited me to a free dinner at a church,” Wang recalled, describing how that single personal gesture led to meaningful friendships during their first year.
The pattern suggests that scale and structure matter; smaller, activity-based gatherings with personal invitations create openings that formal organizations sometimes don’t.
Advice for incoming students
I asked each of them for advice for incoming students, because making friends in university is intimidating, especially if you come from a different place or don’t speak the same language as everyone else.
Rubee: “Don’t force friends, they will come if you start with people you feel comfortable with and branch your way out slowly.” Rubee would know; she met her very first friend at a Renison speed-friending event. Colleges like Renison regularly put on social activities designed to ease students into exactly the kind of organic, low-pressure connection she’s describing. Other residences across campus do the same, giving students a built-in community from day one. It’s a reminder that you don’t have to go looking very far — sometimes the starting point is right outside your dorm room door.
Wang: “Go to on campus events! People are looking for friends there. Also, jobs are a great way to meet people.” UW runs programs like the International Peer Community, designed to help students connect before the wider university year even begins. Events like these are exactly what Ray has in mind: spaces where everyone is new, everyone is looking, and the awkwardness is kind of the point.
Alfadhel: “Engaging in small talk is key, forget the awkwardness. Also, get out there! Do that activity you’ve always wanted to do but been scared to do.” For students who find that easier said than done, UW offers English Conversation Circles, informal sessions designed to help international students practice exactly that: casual, low-stakes conversation with others. It’s a softer entry point for students who want to build confidence before diving into the social deep end Alfadhel is describing.
While making friends and finding community can be daunting, all three students agreed that stepping outside your comfort zone to interact with others and allow for opportunities is worth the effort. As Alfadhel puts it, “What’s life without friends?”
