Ensuite vs Single vs Home

Hey! So basically I don't know whether to live in halls or at home.
If I go to study at Birmingham Uni, my mother doesn't want me to live in halls, since i can live with her at home and commute to uni. There are benefits to this: no rent to pay (so lots of money saving, virtually free food, and living with my mum (we'd be living together for the first time 11 years!!)
However, I'm afraid I'll be missing out a lot on making friends, going out etc
If I live in uni accomodation, my parents would want me to live in an ensuite or studio so I can be independant and unbothered by noisy/dirty people... but that comes at a cost and I'm afraid we won't be able to pay for it and I don't want to worry about any debt
Any suggestions? Experience?

If you want the full university experience- that is meeting as many people as possible, going out clubbing, going to society events, play sport, then it is easier (but by no means impossible) to do this if you are in halls, and by halls I mean a room in a shared flat, not a studio. Don't be afraid about taking out student finance loans, its the best debt you can have- you only pay it back once you are earning enough.

Hey! So basically I don't know whether to live in halls or at home.
If I go to study at Birmingham Uni, my mother doesn't want me to live in halls, since i can live with her at home and commute to uni. There are benefits to this: no rent to pay (so lots of money saving, virtually free food, and living with my mum (we'd be living together for the first time 11 years!!)
However, I'm afraid I'll be missing out a lot on making friends, going out etc
If I live in uni accomodation, my parents would want me to live in an ensuite or studio so I can be independant and unbothered by noisy/dirty people... but that comes at a cost and I'm afraid we won't be able to pay for it and I don't want to worry about any debt
Any suggestions? Experience?

I would always encourage fellow students to live independently, either in halls or a flatshare initially, if it is financially viable. If the family home is easily accessible then that's all the better - nothing to stop you visiting when you run out of food!!!

Thank you, that's what I thought
But would you say an ensuite or a single with shared bathroom/kitchen?
Am I going to have to work though to keep paying rent?

Both have shared kitchens. Personally a lot depends on budget, needs and how fussy you are. No point going for an ensuite if you will struggle to eat as a result. As for whether you will have to work, that entirely depends on how much you will get from student finance (based on the income of the parent/s you live with) and the cost of halls at the universities you choose. All universities have pricing up and there is a student finance calculator which can give you an idea of how much you can expect to get.

Hey! So basically I don't know whether to live in halls or at home.
If I go to study at Birmingham Uni, my mother doesn't want me to live in halls, since i can live with her at home and commute to uni. There are benefits to this: no rent to pay (so lots of money saving, virtually free food, and living with my mum (we'd be living together for the first time 11 years!!)
However, I'm afraid I'll be missing out a lot on making friends, going out etc
If I live in uni accomodation, my parents would want me to live in an ensuite or studio so I can be independant and unbothered by noisy/dirty people... but that comes at a cost and I'm afraid we won't be able to pay for it and I don't want to worry about any debt
Any suggestions? Experience?

Halls really is the optimum choice while you have listed the benefits there are many disadvantages considerations and things that will just plain frustrate you about commuting.disadvantagesSocial life your social life will be severely impacted by living at home even if you don't plan on going out drinking or clubbing sociaitys and clubs often start around 7pm if your climbing or skiing or doing most anything competitively you'll need to be there at Weekends.Time no matter how close you live if it more than half an hour it's a real hassle to get in I mean are you really going to travel a total of an hour for a club night or for an hour in a club because your last train is at 10:30? no nor would I.Study your study will be affected one way or another weather it's because you can't get things done on the train (you really need a couple of hours to do anything meaningful on the train. or because the travelling and/or early mornings for 9am lectures tire you out. something will effect your study.Group work do I really need to explain this you'll find group work hard because all meetings sessions will have to fit around train time tables and your organisation must be merticulas and no student has ever or will ever be merticulas I mean people do it but it must be really really hard also the 11 O'clock sessions are out because of you know trains which you'll miss.Delayed transport This ties in to all of the above you'll miss lectures Labs even Exams if your train is delayed or cancelled.If after all that you still think home might be a good idea lets move on to the things to conceder.ConsiderationsCost this is the biggest consideration and often the deciding factor for people when it comes to deciding if your live at home or not. It's very easy to say oh it's only £20 a day so I'll save £30 that's not quite true though yes you may have 3 days in uni.But your bog standard room (non ensuite)with bills and internet included costs about £60so your actually saving £0 but what if you have 5 days on well that's £100 and you'd loose 40£ a week over a year that's £3000 and what about transport from the station buses can mount up.The route how tough is your journey could you do it in snow high winds heavy rain is it tiring or not this is easily solved do a dry run before deciding.Your timetable make sure your time table is free of these 2 things if tyou are commuting (both of which I experienced and made me glad I was in halls) days running from 9am-8pm and 8 hour breaks between lecturessure you can study but for 8 hours it's a bit extreme brutal days like these really confirms you made the right choice .do you still want to live at home? you do, well here's what will annoy youTravel can be boring and unpleasant especially in cold dark or stiflingly hot conditions especially with a heavy bag and the daily journey will start to grate when I was in uni I had 2 weeks when I had nowhere to live and even that began to grate after the first weekYour parents yes you love them and everything but even after a 9-8 day they will still nag you to work more no matter what you dohearing about thjat crazy night you missed because you live at home.have I convinced you yet?no well i just have a couple more things yetI have seen in university life loads of people saying I've got no friends a vast majority of these I've seen it turns out live at home at best your first 2 month might be a little lonely at worst your first 3 years might be lonely all because you can't get out as easily as you would in halls or a house share.I don't mean to put you off and it is your decission but I really would urge yo to go in to halls it's much better for you oh also independence.

Halls really is the optimum choice while you have listed the benefits there are many disadvantages considerations and things that will just plain frustrate you about commuting.

disadvantages

Social life your social life will be severely impacted by living at home even if you don't plan on going out drinking or clubbing sociaitys and clubs often start around 7pm if your climbing or skiing or doing most anything competitively you'll need to be there at Weekends.

Time no matter how close you live if it more than half an hour it's a real hassle to get in I mean are you really going to travel a total of an hour for a club night or for an hour in a club because your last train is at 10:30? no nor would I.

Study your study will be affected one way or another weather it's because you can't get things done on the train (you really need a couple of hours to do anything meaningful on the train. or because the travelling and/or early mornings for 9am lectures tire you out. something will effect your study.

Group work do I really need to explain this you'll find group work hard because all meetings sessions will have to fit around train time tables and your organisation must be merticulas and no student has ever or will ever be merticulas I mean people do it but it must be really really hard also the 11 O'clock sessions are out because of you know trains which you'll miss.

Delayed transport This ties in to all of the above you'll miss lectures Labs even Exams if your train is delayed or cancelled.

If after all that you still think home might be a good idea lets move on to the things to conceder.

Considerations

Cost this is the biggest consideration and often the deciding factor for people when it comes to deciding if your live at home or not. It's very easy to say oh it's only £20 a day so I'll save £30 that's not quite true though yes you may have 3 days in uni.But your bog standard room (non ensuite)with bills and internet included costs about £60so your actually saving £0 but what if you have 5 days on well that's £100 and you'd loose 40£ a week over a year that's £3000 and what about transport from the station buses can mount up.

The route how tough is your journey could you do it in snow high winds heavy rain is it tiring or not this is easily solved do a dry run before deciding.

Your timetable make sure your time table is free of these 2 things if tyou are commuting (both of which I experienced and made me glad I was in halls) days running from 9am-8pm and 8 hour breaks between lectures
sure you can study but for 8 hours it's a bit extreme brutal days like these really confirms you made the right choice .

do you still want to live at home? you do, well here's what will annoy you

Travel can be boring and unpleasant especially in cold dark or stiflingly hot conditions especially with a heavy bag and the daily journey will start to grate when I was in uni I had 2 weeks when I had nowhere to live and even that began to grate after the first week

Your parents yes you love them and everything but even after a 9-8 day they will still nag you to work more no matter what you do

hearing about thjat crazy night you missed because you live at home.

have I convinced you yet?no well i just have a couple more things yet

I have seen in university life loads of people saying I've got no friends a vast majority of these I've seen it turns out live at home at best your first 2 month might be a little lonely at worst your first 3 years might be lonely all because you can't get out as easily as you would in halls or a house share.

I don't mean to put you off and it is your decission but I really would urge yo to go in to halls it's much better for you oh also independence.

lol. This is quite possibly the most dramatic reply I've ever read when people have been discussing halls versus home.

While living in halls is great for getting the full university experience, living at home isn't a barrier in any way to this, it just means you'll have further to go home after nights out. While the guy I've quoted has pained a picture of you using a rickety old train travelling halfway across the Arctic tundra to turn up late for an exam, in reality public transport in Birmingham is pretty good, the university has it's own train station outside of one of the main entrances to the place by the medical school. Chances are, come the second and third years you'll be living in a house share with other students that will require an element of using public transport or a lengthy walk to get into uni, most students manage to make it in on time, just as those of us who work manage to get to work on time, even when it's been snowing or is a bit windy.

lol. This is quite possibly the most dramatic reply I've ever read when people have been discussing halls versus home. While living in halls is great for getting the full university experience, living at home isn't a barrier in any way to this, it just means you'll have further to go home after nights out. While the guy I've quoted has pained a picture of you using a rickety old train travelling halfway across the Arctic tundra to turn up late for an exam, in reality public transport in Birmingham is pretty good, the university has it's own train station outside of one of the main entrances to the place by the medical school. Chances are, come the second and third years you'll be living in a house share with other students that will require an element of using public transport or a lengthy walk to get into uni, most students manage to make it in on time, just as those of us who work manage to get to work on time, even when it's been snowing or is a bit windy.

Yes, his reply was quite dramatic
Thank you for your input I've been commuting to my school for nearly 3 years now (which takes more than an hour) and it's not bad but halls seem like a good choice, now. Like, living in halls for the first year and then live at home/in a shared house with people during second and third year?

That's what most students do, while in halls accommodation allocate rooms, when you find a group of friends you get on well with you'll be able to decide who you live with. House sharing usually works out a bit cheaper than halls too.

Yes, his reply was quite dramatic
Thank you for your input I've been commuting to my school for nearly 3 years now (which takes more than an hour) and it's not bad but halls seem like a good choice, now. Like, living in halls for the first year and then live at home/in a shared house with people during second and third year?

TBF school is completely different beast to uni it's like comparing a cat and a dog they both are warm blooded have fur and four legs but you'll have fonder memory's with the dog(uni) than the cat (School)

it will be the time of your life. let us know what your Mum says.

Ok, she's still reticent but I think she'll give in