[missjessyrev]

Hey everyone, hope you're all OK..?

I am writing for some advice & opinions please..! OK so, I'm Jess, 22, starting university this September as a "mature" student, and I was wondering what living in halls is really like..?

I left home at 18 to work full time, and have been living with various other working professionals (strangers, friends, ex-boyfriend) for the past 4 years - unfortunately I can't say I had had many positive experiences from this. I've had nightmare housemates, friends who've let me down and nasty cheapskate landlords the whole time and I'm worried I've just signed up for 3 years of the same!!

I am a relatively tidy/ respectful/ considerate housemate and not a clean freak - I can deal with the odd dirty plate etc. But my current housemate, for example, seems to be the most useless annoying filthy cow I've ever met! She never empties the bins or buys toilet roll or cleans, helps herself to my food and milk (especially when she has guests round), uses MY kitchen stuff even though she has her own, uses it and doesn't wash it up properly and then puts it back in HER drawer dirty, leaves dirty washing up in the sink to fester in stagnant water for days (so I can't use the sink), leaves condoms and sanitary towels in the toilet, and has loud chav arguments late at night with her chav boy racer boyfriend who has recently got her knocked her up.

Now you guys have to believe me when I say I really don't want to be "that" anal person who goes mental whenever their stuff is touched... I want to be nice give people the benefit of the doubt and let people borrow things. How do I get over this? Has anyone else experienced something similar?

(Sorry this post kind of turned into a bit of a rant! )

[Spence_LJS]

As someone who has done the uni halls thing before (I completed an English degree 06-09) and is happily doing them again (I'm returning for my second degree this fall), I can honestly say you'll be fine! Living in halls is not the same as sharing a house.

Sure, you'll get the odd messy person, but you'll also get cleaners (at most unis) who empty the bins. In my experience, the tidier ones greatly outnumbered the messier ones and when the kitchen got really unmessy, everyone would chip in and help clean it. Of course it's different in each hall, but it's really not something you should be worrying about!

If you do find someone at uni is constantly stealing your stuff then you need to pull them up on it and confront them. If things get really bad, then talk to the uni. But again - this is very unlikely! Relax. It'll be fine

[chicagowonderland]

Hey jess

I understand you being nervous I am too. I'm sure things will turn out fine though.

[red_roses]

In my experience, I wouldn't hold your breath about amazing housemates, but some people I know have had awesome ones so crossed fingers for you the fact that you've had this problem before will be an advantage, as you'll know what to say and how to say it to anyone who's causing problems. Plus student halls do tend to be sympathetic if the situation is really bad by offering you somewhere else to stay, which is an advantage over private accom.