The Student Room Group

Would you share a room in halls in return for free food?

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Original post by H0ls
Wouldn't be that bothered about sharing a room that was meant for two people, but I wouldn't want to have a bunk bed in a room designed for one person.


Haha it would be bad if 2 people would have to squeeze into a tiny room
For me the issue would be not being told beforehand and given the opportunity to find alternative accomodation.

If you're made aware when applying that its a possibility, or you're told a few weeks before starting so you have the option to find somewhere else, fair enough, but if you get there and find you're sharing when you don't expect it, I'm make hell
Reply 22
My uni has a few shared rooms, although they are 'divided' with a part wall into a storage and study side with a bed in each so you can't see each other when sleeping.They are much cheaper than any other option. Some people get placed in them every year and most sign up for a room exchange as soon as one becomes available. However, usually when one becomes free they decide they'd actually rather stay and save the money. I think it's one of those things that sounds awful to some people but once you do it it's not as bad.

xxx

EDIT: Having said all that the students know when they get an accept their accommodation offer that it's a shared room. If someone accepts an offer for a single room and then turns up to find someone else there too that's a different matter, and obviously a mess up on the part of the uni involved.
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 23
whenever i watch american films or porn, they always share rooms at 'college' and it actually looks quite fun, so yea I'd do it
I wouldn't want to share-I shared a room on my year abroad with a friend from uni (although she moved out part way through the year) I appreciate my privacy much more. It'd be especially awkward if one of us wanted to have the boyfriend over
I don't know why this is suddenly news. In my first year at Southampton (2008) there were people on this situation too. I'm sure they'll cope, just as they did back then.
I share a room and I love it. The room used to be a fairly large single room, but has now been made into a room for shared. The rent is only a little bit less (60 pounds down from 88) but I still wouldnt change to a single. I would love to share in return for free food aswell :P
Original post by Charlzi
I share a room and I love it. The room used to be a fairly large single room, but has now been made into a room for shared. The rent is only a little bit less (60 pounds down from 88) but I still wouldnt change to a single. I would love to share in return for free food aswell :P


Seems a rip off tbh! £120 in rent as opposed to £88. No wonder why the uni are doing it!
Original post by WelshBluebird
Seems a rip off tbh! £120 in rent as opposed to £88. No wonder why the uni are doing it!


Yeah exactly, its a lot more for the uni :P
hell no!

If I turned up to have to share with someone i'd create hell that i hadnt been informed beforehand.
Nope. I like having my room to myself. I'm rarely in my room at uni, but when I am, I'd rather not have someone else there. I imagine it would be pretty awkward, and I'm also waaay too untidy and would probably drive the other person mad.

Were these people warned that they'd be sharing beforehand?!
Don't think I'd mind that much with the half price rent. That'd be about a grand back in my account.
Original post by shooks
The BBC is reporting that a number of first-year students have turned up to uni, only to find out they have to share a room in halls.

At Bristol University, first-years who were expecting a room of their own are instead sleeping in bunk beds with another fresher. To make up for it, they get free food and reduced rent.

What do you reckon? How important is your privacy? If you were told you could get all your meals for free and pay half the rent, would you be happy to share a room?


I'm already in a shared room, and have none of these benefits. :frown:
I'm sure I'd cope with it, sure. Going by American films alone, it doesn't seem like an out of the ordinary situation to be in. It would be a bit **** though if you weren't given any warning that it's a possibility it could happen..

If given the choice, of course I'd take my own room - being independent and being able to be in your own space outweighs free food imo :dontknow:
Reply 34
Reading the article and looking at the numbers involved it hasn't affected many people and I think the likelihood is that with there always being drop outs they'd probably get single rooms quite quickly (assuming they're made priority). But with student number caps being lifted this may become a more common problem and the private market might step in.
Sure, I share a room just fine :wink:


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Reply 36
Reading the article, it states that it's a temporary measure. If it was temporary, I guess I'd put up with it if it meant I would be moved into a room of my own.

In my first year, one of my flatmates was put up in a local hotel by the University until a space opened up in our flat after a guy dropped out. So it's not exactly new, they wait for the drop outs to free up the space.
Original post by shooks
The BBC is reporting that a number of first-year students have turned up to uni, only to find out they have to share a room in halls.

At Bristol University, first-years who were expecting a room of their own are instead sleeping in bunk beds with another fresher. To make up for it, they get free food and reduced rent.

What do you reckon? How important is your privacy? If you were told you could get all your meals for free and pay half the rent, would you be happy to share a room?


i had to live in a shared room at uni, and i hated it. there was no time taken by the uni to match people up, the girl i was sharing with was about the polor opposite to me, and i hated it.
i know she went through my stuff when i was not in the room (she was seen by one of my mates that lived in the flat, stood in my wardrobe threatening to basically **** in it)
the only saving grace was that her boyfriend lived in the city so she stopped at his 5 or 6 nights a week, but it was still horrible knowing i had no say in who walked into my room and not, and i was also locked out a few times.
rent was slightly cheaper i agree, but we didnt get free food.

Original post by WelshBluebird
Why does the cynic in me say that the uni would probably make money out of having students share rooms? Even taking into account the discounted rent and free food, I am willing to bet the uni get more money than they would do from a single person paying rent for that room.


at my uni i think i paid £56 a week rent for my double room (other person paid the same) so £112 a week rent for 1 room. the other rooms in my flat were around £80 a week.
yes my room was slightly bigger, about half the room would have been about the same size as a single room, and we had to share a sink, so didnt even get an extra sink for this.
so yes they actually made more money on a double room!
They did this in first year and the year before my first year in my uni because there wasn't enough halls accommodation. I didn't have a bunk room but I know people that did, it's a good way to save money if you have a choice about getting one!
Also I think it depends on the room, some were twin rooms and had two of everything - wardrobe, desk etc, but the bunk rooms just had bunk beds in an ordinary single room, like my housemate's room next door now used to be a bunk room. The uni were just like 'people can go to the library to use a desk'. That's not enough space for two people.
Original post by KJane
Reading the article, it states that it's a temporary measure. If it was temporary, I guess I'd put up with it if it meant I would be moved into a room of my own.

In my first year, one of my flatmates was put up in a local hotel by the University until a space opened up in our flat after a guy dropped out. So it's not exactly new, they wait for the drop outs to free up the space.


Very different situation. I'd be fine with a hotel but not this.

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