Where to live when you’re studying at uni.

When going to university, accommodation can be a big worry for many people but it doesn’t need to be; here are a few tips that I would’ve appreciated when I was looking for a place to stay.

First and foremost make sure the place you are staying is safe. This is quite straight forward but it is such a necessity. For a lot of universities they have on campus halls and halls which are specifically for the university, these are pretty much as safe as it gets but make sure they have 24-hour security and people available in case you might need help.

Secondly, I would recommend to always go and view the place you want to stay in before you put down a deposit or start signing contracts. Nowadays sites post pictures of the rooms that are available online and a lot of the time they don’t exactly match the reality. It is vital you go and see the place in person if that option is available because you need to be able to see what you will be moving into in person rather than online. When visiting the places make sure you ask lots of questions. Things like are bills included in the price? How long is the contract? What are the prices for the washing machines? What’s the Wi-Fi like? These are all important things to know so don’t be shy about asking loads of questions, after all you will be living there for the next year.

The location of your accommodation is vital as well, having local food shops, doctors, and leisure facilities are always good to have close to your halls. The worst thing you could do is get accommodation that is miles away from any supermarkets because then you’ll have to cart your heavy food shop all the way back to your halls. Having a doctors close by is quite self-explanatory and always good to have, and when it comes to the leisure facilities being active is so important and by having them close it encourages you to actually go.

For some universities they have a limited number of halls for their students so living off campus might be the way to go, and for me this was the case. Living away from campus is not such a bad thing, it does mean you have to wake up earlier for your lectures but all in all it isn’t as bad as a lot of people think. If you are thinking of living away from your uni there are things you need to take into consideration. One thing is the distance away from your university and how much it will cost to get a travel pass or an alternative. You don’t want your travel time to be much over an hour especially if public transport doesn’t run very often in your area, and you need to see how much more you’ll be adding to your weekly living price, so keep this in mind when booking a room. You also need to make sure that the company you are renting through is legit and has good reviews.

One thing I haven’t spoken about is people commuting in from home. People that do travel in from their homes can be worried about missing out on the ‘uni experience’ but this is so not the case. I know so many people who come in from their family homes and they aren’t missing out on anything. To begin with it might seem lonely but as soon as you start making friends, bunking with them begins to be the norm. Not only are you not missing out on much, but it is also much more affordable for a lot of people. Along with this if you were to move out and into student accommodation you are inevitably going to get home sick but if you’re already at home you won’t have to go through this.

But most importantly don’t forget to have fun when you’re there!

©Lucy Roberts 2022