The Truth About Uni | Accommodation

So it’s time for the second instalment of the Truth About Uni Collab I’m doing with a bunch of other student bloggers, revealing our open and honest opinions about different aspects of University.  This weeks topic: Accommodation.

So, the way that it works in most UK Universities is that you are given the priority option to stay in “Halls” – accommodation provided in association with the University – during your first year, and then you have to find accommodation for the rest of your time there.  Therefore, as a first year student I currently live in halls.

I had so many worries before I first came…

What if I didn’t get on with my flatmates?  

What if they were all really messy?  

What if they all hated me?

However, when I first got to Uni those all went away.  You find that during Freshers everyone is in the same sort of position; they all know no one, are away for home, and are just as desperate as you are so make friends, so everyone tends to start off nice, making it easier to adjust to the new surroundings.

This year I got put in a flat of 6 (so 5 people other than me): 2 International girls who were best friends from home, 2 guys, and another girl (who also came with her friend from home, however they lived in different flats).  The initial bonding was a lot smoother than I thought it would be; we shared info about our lives and funny stories (with the help of a little alcohol) and everything looked peachy.  However, I feel like you learn quickly in Uni that the friends you start off with are not always the friends that you end with.  Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t had any real arguments or big fall-outs but you learn who you fit in with and who you don’t, so make sure to make friends both in and outside of your flat as you never know what’s going to happen.

I was very lucky to be given an ensuite accommodation where I have to share a kitchen but get my own room and bathroom, which worked for me because I wasn’t prepared to share a bathroom with complete strangers, both for their sake and for my own.  However, sharing a kitchen has worked out pretty well for me, no one (in my flat at least) really steals food or plates/cutlery and if they do, you have the right to (politely) draw attention to it.  My only issue is that as much as I love to socialise, I also love my alone time and I’ve learnt that not all people are like that… Some people like to have people around 24/7 which I also enjoy from time to time but it can be a little tricky sometimes trying not to come off as rude when you just want to keep to yourself.  However, I was very lucky to quickly find people who loved me for me and completely understood (yet still check up on me if I disappear for too many days in a row), making life a whole lot easier.

I guess my main advice for moving in with a bunch of strangers is that keep an open mind – you never know the kind of people you’ll end up with, so remember that not everybody is going to like you/gel with you.  There are sooooo many people in your Uni that you can meet through your course, your building, clubs, societies… If you don’t find your people straight away you’ll find them somewhere.

Hope this helped in some way – I feel like it was incredibly rambly… Feel free to share your own accommodation stories in the comments, maybe we can start a little bit of a discussion! And don’t forget to check out Becky, Kate, Tori, Sophie, Saffron, Anna and Jen‘s blogs to find out why they chose their accommodation!

Lots of love,

Jas xx

 

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