Hey Guys!
Now that I'm in my second year at university I live with my friends in a student house but last year I spent my first year in university accommodation. It was very bitter sweet. There was so much I loved about being in university accommodation, being there was such a great experience and I met some of my closest friends so I'm so glad I chose Bowsden Court but we also had a lot of problems with the flat above us. They were so rude and disrespectful and just people in our building were awful! But I wouldn't have changed anything, my first year was great!
Here are the pros and cons to living in university accommodation in your first year:
Pros
Meeting People Is Easy - It is so easy to meet people from your university and to make friends when you are living in halls as you are constantly surrounded by different people. Being a first year can be quite scary as a lot of the time you don't really know anybody and everything is so new but living in halls helps you so much when it comes to meeting people who do the same course and you can go on nights out as big groups, there will definetley be someone in your accommodation that will share the same interests as you.
Communal Area is Cleaned Once a Week - At most accommodation options there are cleaners that come in every week to clean your communal area. In Newcastle I stayed at Bowsden Court and on a Thursday we had a cleaner who would come in to hoover, wipe down all the surfaces and just ensure the living room and kitchen was clean and hygienic. So, even though we did clean our flat and tried to keep up with the washing up every Thursday we had a spotless flat which helped out loads! Especially if your really not into cleaning like a lot of us haha!
You Won't Get Bored- You will rarely get bored at your accommodation as there are always people around, events and activities going on that there will always be something to do. When my flatmates and I were bored we either had a movie night, games night, went out for dinner or would just go for a night out and see where the best place was to go! And if not go and explore the new city your in, go adventure and explore your new home! I didn't when I first moved to Newcastle and I wish had now.
Rent and Bills are All Included - This is a huge bonus! Coming from someone who now has to pay separate bills it is an absolute minefield, as all the bills are under other people's named and your having to set up loads of different standing orders, so having all your rent and bills included in one payment at uni halls is so much easier and as long as you pay it on time you literally have nothing to worry about! One thing I loved about having all your bills paid for as well is that you can use as much water as you like and you don't have to worry about how long the heating has been on for. Make the most of it!
Your Independence - Now that your not at home and you technically have your own place you will have so much independence! No more asking permission to have people over and no more curfews and rules, you can stay out for as long as you want, you can eat whatever you want, refuse to wash your clothes for 8 weeks and buy pointless things like samurai swords without your parents nagging you for making bad decisions haha! It is great having your independence as you really learn how to look after yourself. I definetley grew as a person after living away from home for a year!
There Is Always Someone To Help You - There are so many official university staff members to help you out at your accommodation. All university accommodation will have staff on site within the day at the reception and they will have certain open times. If not there are always contact numbers to call if you have any problems within your accommodation. Within our first two weeks our oven broke and within a day the caretaker Keith came to fix it all for us! We had a great team of staff at Bowsden Court who were so helpful and the security team were great too! They are always happy to help!
Cons
More Expensive Than Home - It is more expensive than living at home with your parents! Way more expensive as your having to pay rent, bills, buy food and for most accommodation you have to pay a damage deposit so it isn't the cheapest option. But for most of you accommodation is essential as you'll be moving away from home and won't be in a reasonable distance to travel to university so it is hard to find a solution to having to spend so much money!
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) - For first years this is something a lot of people experience! I experienced it in my first year as well. There is always so much going on and so many events to go to that you feel like you have to go to everything otherwise you'll be missing out on something huge! I remember I didn't want to leave the living room where my flat mates were watching TV or a night out with all my friends because I didn't want to miss out on anything! But once you get into second year the fear of missing out goes as you know that there will always be another night out, there will always be more fun to have! Also in second year we have to prioritise our work a lot more so there are other worries and stress!
People Are Filthy - You'll be surprised how dirty people can be! We had a flat above us who were absolutely disgusting I'm surprised they didn't attract rats! Some people are just very lazy and aren't capable of cleaning up after themselves, so don't be surprised if you find food lying in the corridor that has been there for three weeks, rubbish on the floor, people not cleaning communal showers and sick in communal bathrooms. Prepare yourself for some filthy flatmates!
Prepare For Constant Fire Alarms - We had 8 fire alarms in one week when I was in my university accommodation because the fire alarms in the kitchen we extra sensitive, it was an absolute nightmare considering every fire alarm was at either 2am or around 4am! There were so very unhappy students. So, be prepared to be woken up by fire alarms quite a bit, a lot of students living in your halls will most likely burn something or set something on fire so it will become a regular occurrence. Tip: Make sure to have a pair of shoes and a coat handy as you'll be outside for a while before you are allowed back in to your flat!
Going Home is Expensive - Buy a railcard! This will help you out so much! Travelling back home will be so expensive so a railcard will save you loads! I go to Newcastle University and my family home is in the East Midlands so it is a 2 hour 45 minutes journey and a £90 train ticket but with a railcard I can get a great discount! If you wanna travel home I recommend getting tickets 12 or 8 weeks in advance, definetley not a few days before!
You Will Feel Homesick - You will feel home sick at some point as it is quite a change from living at home and being away from your family. At first I didn't feel homesick at all as I was so pre-occupied and excited about starting university that I didn't feel very homesick but there were times throughout the year that I really just wanted to go home and just have a hug from my mum :) but don't worry they are always at the end of the telephone!
What has been your favourite thing about staying in university accommodation so far?
See you on Sunday! ♡
Amy xx
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