When you chose your degree, you probably spent a long time researching courses and universities. Did you spend any time looking into your student accommodation options though? You’re going to be at university for at least three years, so where you live is important.
Below are some considerations to take into account when you’re choosing your student accommodation.
Student halls of residence
Most first year students choose to go into halls for their first year. These could be halls owned by the university either on-campus or outside the campus or, alternatively, there are student halls owned by private companies, such as this private student accommodation in Southampton.
The advantage of living in halls is that even if the halls aren’t actually on the campus, you can be sure they’re located conveniently for the university and you’ll be living with other students so there’ll be plenty of people you have things in common with.
In the case of private halls, although you won’t be on-campus, you won’t be far away and there’s also the possibility you’ll be living with students from other universities, which will widen your social circle.
Another advantage of student halls is that they’re all-inclusive, so you don’t have to worry about paying extra for wi-fi, gas or electricity. If you’re lucky, you may even get a cleaner included in your rent.
On the downside, living in halls means you don’t get to choose who you live with and halls of residence can be noisy and crowded.
Private accommodation
Living in student halls is a good halfway house between living at home with your parents and independent living. But perhaps you want to take that big step and be fully independent. Or maybe you don’t want to share with anyone and you want to live on your own.
In that case, renting private accommodation is for you.
With private accommodation, you can choose wherever you want to live and with whoever you want to live with (if anyone – you may choose to just live with a cat or dog if your landlord allows pets).
Although the flexibility of private accommodation means you have more choice, you’ll also be responsible for all the bills and all the cleaning. There’s a good chance you won’t be able to afford anything central either and may have to live on the outskirts of town.
Living a bit further out may not seem like a problem at first but wait until you’re on the way home from a night out and you’ve missed the last bus. You’ll soon think differently when you find yourself faced with either a very long walk or an expensive taxi fare.
Living at home
If your university is in the same town or city as your parents, you may decide to stay living at home. After all, it’s cheap (or even free, depending how generous/well-off your parents are) and you probably get your dinner cooked for you and your washing done.
However, a big part of university life is leaving home, being independent and making new friends. You’ll be missing out if you decide to stay at home, no matter how comfortable and convenient it is.
How to choose student accommodation
As you can see, when it comes to choosing student accommodation, there’s a lot to consider.
Make sure to find out what’s included in your rent, how much the rent actually is, where the accommodation is based and, along with how many people live there, how many people you’ll be sharing the kitchen, bathroom and other communal areas with.
Remember, you’ll be spending a lot of time over the next year in your student accommodation, so you need to be sure you’ve picked the right place.
