the sooner the better. Im 4th year now and while I sometimes talk to one person I wouldnt consider him good friend. Didnt help that I entered the university at 2nd year and then lost 3 semesters of socializing due to lockdowns and now here I am 4th year and I've lost all hope of making friends there. I'm constantly surrounded by people that know and talk to each other, it sucks. I am extremely bad at remembering names and Im sure that has impacted many of my first impressions with others. Heres my tips: if you get the courage to talk to someone it will pay off, make sure to remember their name and talk to them often if you want to maintain friendship. Lastly luck plays a big role, I found very fast a good friend on my last school without putting any effort because we were in the same project and we had common things and in this university after countless team projects I havent met a single one.