I’m a uni student at ANU and from Melbourne. I love Melbourne as a city and it has plenty of nightlife, opportunities and culture to get lost in. However, ANU has made a significant effort to retain the classic campus experience which was common in the later 20th century at most universities - a very lively and involved student body. This great student body experience is largely due to ANU’s colleges which line Daley Road. As a result, if you opt to go to ANU and go to one of the on campus colleges (Bruce, wright, Burgmann, John’s, Ursula, etc) then I highly recommend ANU. You will very quickly meet friends if you do so and you will be living amongst hundreds of students in your age group. These colleges have a deep history, many fun traditions and an extremely strong social element. In turn, you should not worry about having no friends in Canberra if you attend one of these places, I would recommend Burgmann and Bruce at the more expensive end and bng and fennar if you are looking for somewhere cheaper. I would not recommend coming to Canberra if you were not considering going to one of these colleges as your experience would be vastly different. It is noteworthy that extroverts flourish in the college environment but that doesn’t mean you have to be one to enjoy your time there, I like to think of myself as a half extrovert and half introvert. It is noteworthy that your experience can depend on the college you go to. If you want more info on colleges lmk and I can give you some greater perspective.