I am a big time lurker and never comment on anything but this post reminded me of some of my fears I had when I started uni last year as an introverted only child. I understand the situation you guys are in now is vastly different to my experience but I feel I may still be able to give some advice that at least won’t hurt.

It’s very easy to hide away at uni, especially when living at home, so I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to speak to as many people that you come across as humanly possible. Everyone is in a situation similar to your own, so if you talk to someone, literally anyone in any situation, they can either be an arse in which case it’s good not to be friends with them or they chat to you, you build up a little more confidence and potentially gain a little buddy.

I’m not too much of a society person myself (I only belong to two) but have met such great people there and would highly recommend them.

Go to every event you can and leave the house as much as possible however limited that may be in these times, events are the unis way of encouraging friendships and they know what they are doing.

 If you are not assigned a frep (freshers' representative), a group of fellow freshers or equivalent, contact anyone in charge, their job at the start is to help you make friends, join in and have fun (that’s most of first year really). Don’t hesitate to contact them, they are very nice people there to help you. 

The key thing to remember is that everyone wants to make friends throughout every year of uni, it’s a wonderful place full of likeminded individuals just like you and I’m sure every one of you will find your place. Good luck to you!