Finding it hard to make friends after graduating? Bumble BFF's got you sorted.
You may have heard about Tinder, Hinge and Bumble, and you might even be using them, but have you heard about Bumble BFF? It’s one of the lesser-known sections of the popular app, designed to help you make friends in your local area.
After graduating from university, it can be hard to connect to people when you’re not thrown into social settings like societies, halls or freshers’ events. Bumble BFF is a great tool to help combat loneliness by getting out and socialising, or just making friends virtually.
Since discovering Bumble BFF, I’ve used it in a couple of cities in the UK and am yet to have a bad experience. Here’s why you should give it a whirl.
How does Bumble BBF work?
If you’re familiar with online dating apps, you’ll have no trouble using this one. It’s simple; you’re shown profiles of people in your area who are interested in making friends. They’ll write a little bio about themselves so you can see if you’ve got common interests, and you can see other details such as where they live, their age and what they’re looking for in a friend (could be party-goers, or someone to grab lunch/play sports with… Brunch is also another popular one!).
Once you’ve found a profile you resonate with, simply swipe right to let them know you want to say hi. Then, when they swipe right on you too, you’ve essentially ‘matched’ with them. We know it sounds cringey, and far too similar to dating apps, but at least it makes it easy to remember which way to swipe for yes and which way means no. Then, you’ll have to be brave and send a message. You could talk about your common interests or where they’re from. This is your chance to figure out whether you would make good friends or not before you meet up. This helps to avoid any awkwardness.
One thing that might surprise you about Bumble BFF is that Bumble’s main USP, being that the woman has to send the first message, goes completely out of the window in the friend version. This is because, oddly, they only allow you to match with those who identify with the same gender as you… But we know that guys and girls can just be friends, despite Bumble BFF perpetuating the stereotype that they can’t… Sigh…
Anyway, apart from that one negative, the app is a great way to easily find people in your area who are in the market for some new pals. My advice is to not leave it too long until you ask to meet up. At the end of the day, you’re on the app to make friends, and connect with your community. Once you feel comfortable enough to meet up with people, meet up for coffee, a dog walk or for some exercise. Remember, always stay safe by meeting in a public place during the day.
The great part about Bumble BFF is that you don’t even have to move from your sofa to find friends, and you’ll already have something to talk about because you’ll have found some common ground before you meet them. Give it a shot - what’s there to lose?
Prospective student? We want to hear from you! Join the Student Hut Forum and earn £s by taking surveys.
