The Student Room Group

Should I live at home or in uni halls?

Poll

Did you move out for uni, even though it was in the same city?

Edit: New megathread here! http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2405506
When applying to UCAS.. Sheffield was the only uni which I said I wouldn't accommodate at (it's 10 minutes away on the train, 20-30mins in the car).. but now I'm having second thoughts.. should I commute at home or in halls?

My actual question is: How much will I ACTUALLY miss out? If I were to live at home..

The way I see it.. travelling to the uni will be cheaper which means I can pay for other things such as driving lessons and possibly get a decent car (I've been saving up for a while..) and my parents won't charge me rent..they even said they'll support me financially if need be.. But I'm just confusssseed... I couldn't possibly be the ONLY person who doesn't live within the uni during th first year???


:frown: Thanks
(edited 10 years ago)

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I guess you don't have to miss anything if you don't want to.
Reply 2
i live at home :woo:

i prefer it to be honest.

but i guess it depends on the person. but one thing, are your parents liberal, can you tolerate them, etc? my parents are cool and stuff so i dont have a problem with them. but i know people who cant wait for uni because it means they get to move out. thats a critical issues id say.
Reply 3
It would probably be easier to get to know people in halls, I know I wouldn't have made friends at Uni if I had been off campus, but it really depends on the person.
Reply 4
Halls. No one knows people that live out.
I'm in same boat but I decided to move out for Uni ? I need a change, to learn how to live and interact with others on adult level. If I stay at home I will be still like school kid despite my age and my parents are quite strict... no alcohol, going out etc....
Move out in your first year definitely.
Reply 7
lulz-kay
When applying to UCAS.. Sheffield was the only uni which I said I wouldn't accommodate at (it's 10 minutes away on the train, 20-30mins in the car).. but now I'm having second thoughts.. should I commute at home or in halls?

My actual question is: How much will I ACTUALLY miss out? If I were to live at home..

The way I see it.. travelling to the uni will be cheaper which means I can pay for other things such as driving lessons and possibly get a decent car (I've been saving up for a while..) and my parents won't charge me rent..they even said they'll support me financially if need be.. But I'm just confusssseed... I couldn't possibly be the ONLY person who doesn't live within the uni during th first year???


:frown: Thanks


Don't go for halls, they have many bad points, you don't know what people you'll accommodate with, you've to cook, go shopping, clean, etc. More responsibilities and more costs. Buy yourself a decent car or go for a trip outside the UK, that will be better, in my humble opinion.
Reply 8
If you're OK being a shy, reclusive and generally anti-social weirdo who either has to leave early to get a train home, stay sober and drive home, or get a taxi far away from all the other students, then stay at home. You will end up with lots of money at the end of this, but you will have no-one to spend it on aside from yourself.

Going in Halls and being really close to everyone else is part of being a student, and it's well worth the expense. Easiest way to make friends is being forced to live close to them, and drawbacks in terms of responsibilities (oh no, I need to cook for myself, what is this, independence?) can be resolved by growing a pair and being an adult.
Chose to stay at home because friends were there and parents were cool. Never regretted it. Made friends at uni as well and crash with them whenever we go out. Has provided a nice balance between uni life and time away.

Depends on the person but I am really glad that my debt is not too big in comparison to what it could have been and I have experienced most of the benefits anyway.

Don't be put off by what everyone else is doing - do whats right for you! :smile:
Reply 10
DCDJ18
If you're OK being a shy, reclusive and generally anti-social weirdo who either has to leave early to get a train home, stay sober and drive home, or get a taxi far away from all the other students, then stay at home. You will end up with lots of money at the end of this, but you will have no-one to spend it on aside from yourself.

Going in Halls and being really close to everyone else is part of being a student, and it's well worth the expense. Easiest way to make friends is being forced to live close to them, and drawbacks in terms of responsibilities (oh no, I need to cook for myself, what is this, independence?) can be resolved by growing a pair and being an adult.


:rolleyes:
Just total rubbish...

I know quite a few people who commute and they still have a good time at Uni. I guess you wouldn't know because to you they're all 'shy, reclusive and generally anti-social weirdos'...
I live at home about fifteen miles away from my university. Personally, I think it's the better option for me; I'm pretty asocial (I get on well enough with most people, but prefer to keep to myself) and was never particularly interested in the 'student life'. I'm close with my parents, they've let me do my own thing since my early teens, a lot of my friends haven't gone to uni so I stay close to them and I'll admit, it's quite nice not scraping by on a student loan. :wink: At ten minutes away by train, I don't imagine it'd make much difference at all - I know people living 'at' uni more than ten minutes away from campus.

That said, my advice to anyone asking this question is think about what you really want from uni, and which option would be best for you. Try not to pay too much heed to the opinions of assorted people on TSR when they vast majority have only experienced one of them.

DCDJ18
If you're OK being a shy, reclusive and generally anti-social weirdo who either has to leave early to get a train home, stay sober and drive home, or get a taxi far away from all the other students, then stay at home. You will end up with lots of money at the end of this, but you will have no-one to spend it on aside from yourself.

Going in Halls and being really close to everyone else is part of being a student, and it's well worth the expense. Easiest way to make friends is being forced to live close to them, and drawbacks in terms of responsibilities (oh no, I need to cook for myself, what is this, independence?) can be resolved by growing a pair and being an adult.

What rot. :rolleyes: You can be a shy, reclusive and generally anti-social weirdo living in halls, or an outgoing, life-of-the-party kind of person living at home.
Reply 12
i spent two years in halls and i will just say i wouldnt recommend it to anyone
most people you find at university will NOT get on with their flat mates, its very rare that will.
its cheaper to live at home, im in so much debt at the moment i live in a house with my bf which is great but i cant afford it and ive got another year left.
Reply 13
HALLS!

I've made so many friends at uni, been able to get up 10 mins before class and arrive early :smile: It's brilliant fun and rember if it isn't your cup of tea you can move back home if you dont like it :p:
Reply 14
hello all
I am starting university in september and am a bit confused about what to do about accommodation.
I live in a town which is very close to the city where the university is based (about 10 minutes away in the car), however I've always had it in my mind to move there and live in halls to gain the whole uni experience and make friends etc.
Now that I've done my student finance and everything, i'm unsure whether to or not due to the money situation. My student loan will not cover the costs of living there, let alone the rent in itself. i am planning on keeping my job which is in my town and travelling by bus to halls and back when i'm due to work.
I want to gain the whole experience, but now i'm thinking whether it's worth it with the costs. What would you do?
Thank you
I didn't move out to uni, because I only live twenty minutes away from it and, frankly, didn't see the point and couldn't justify the expense to move fifteen miles down the road to a city that I've gone to practically every weekend since I was thirteen.

At ten minutes away, you're really very close to it - I have friends at uni further away from campus than ten minutes (I have friends further away in time than me, as a matter of fact.) Just make sure you put yourself out there, speak to people in freshers' week and your lectures, join societies ... and I don't see living at home making much difference at all to you. :smile:
Reply 16
If you decide to stay at home you shouldn't worry. You will make a few good friends on your course. With only living 10 minutes away its not too bad either if you go for a night out you could get a taxi back to yours or one of the friends your with may allow you to stay at theres.

It shouldn't make it any different though. I currently live in halls and many of the friends that i have made on my course live a few miles out of the area and still live at home, if anything, i am much better friends with them than the ones that i'm living in halls with! It is a much cheaper option to do too so if you can save the money its completely worth it! Plus you don't have to deal with the hassle of dealing with noise and having your doorbell rung at 5am and stupid things like that!
Reply 17
Ronar
HALLS!

It's brilliant fun and rember if it isn't your cup of tea you can move back home if you dont like it :p:


If you decide to move out, what do you do with paying? I know that sounds stupid :|
hello everyone
i know this question has been asked a million times but i wanted to ask again myself:frown:
I live in london and will be starting uni next year. My uni (LSE) is about 50 minutes away from home by train...I am in a big dilemma whether to move out or not. Main thing I am worried about is that i might end up making no friends. I am sociable and stuff so will be joining loads of societies. Sorry for the rant so i halls worth it ??:s-smilie:
Reply 19
hard to say. lots of pros and cons.
I only live 30 mins from my uni so i just stayed at home. I graduate next month and i've made like no friends. I'm not a loner or that, at uni there's lots of nice people who i know, go to class with, chat to, have lunch etc. Problem is i wouldn't class them like as proper friends bcos we don't do anythin outside uni. As i near the end of my time at uni i really wish i'd moved into halls and had a proper uni experience, u no drinking, taking drugs, not washing, political protesting, chlamydia, the usual student stuff. But bcos i stayed at home my exposure to that type of life has been very limited. i still go on nights out and stuff but i don't really feel as tho i'm living the student life. and i wish i had done.
But on the other hand, i'm so much better off financially, i'm set to move into a good full time job the minute i graduate bcos i was able to get a good job, get a brand new car etc.
so there's pros and cons for both. but going from my experience i'd say go to halls, at least for your first year.

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