Should I stay at home or move into halls?

I am currently living in Birmingham with a rather large family, I will be living 2hr/1hr 30 mins on the train (depending on uni chosen). I find it very hard to concentrate on my work currently just doing A levels. I want to make the most out of my university experience so think halls would be the best on the social. But I'm worried that I will not be able to afford to live at halls, I am very close with family so I will miss them and would be around £50 cheaper a week to just travel.

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Reply 1

SophieSmall

21

Original post by flamigos123

I am currently living in Birmingham with a rather large family, I will be living 2hr/1hr 30 mins on the train (depending on uni chosen). I find it very hard to concentrate on my work currently just doing A levels. I want to make the most out of my university experience so think halls would be the best on the social. But I'm worried that I will not be able to afford to live at halls, I am very close with family so I will miss them and would be around £50 cheaper a week to just travel.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Make a full and realistic list of pros and cons of each side.

Also before you decide anything find out how much are entitled to from student finance both living away from home and living at home, as you say it's £50 cheaper a week to just travel but remember you're entitled to less money from SF if you live at home. Once you've found out the rough amounts you'll likely get each way make a well thought out yearly budget both for living at home and for living away to find out how realistic moving out would be.

Reply 2

Tombola

17

Always go halls for the first year in my opinion.

Unless there's a really pressing matter such as needing to look after someone at home.

You say it's £50 cheaper per week. But do take into consideration you will also be spending several hours on the train.

Reply 3

Tiger Rag

22

That seems like a fair way to travel. Especially if you're in at 9am and don't finish until 6/7pm.

Reply 4

username944192

21

I would choose home. Halls are always loud and unclean, you might not get on with everyone and that makes things awkward. Depends if you're the sociable partying type I guess but they sound like my idea of hell, and you pay a hefty price for the privilege of not getting much sleep, people taking your food, leaving the bathrooms in a disgusting state etc, waking you up at 5am when they come in noisily and banging on your door...plus they're usually cold. Stay home in the warm and clean!

Reply 5

Tombola

17

Original post by infairverona

I would choose home. Halls are always loud and unclean, you might not get on with everyone and that makes things awkward. Depends if you're the sociable partying type I guess but they sound like my idea of hell, and you pay a hefty price for the privilege of not getting much sleep, people taking your food, leaving the bathrooms in a disgusting state etc, waking you up at 5am when they come in noisily and banging on your door...plus they're usually cold. Stay home in the warm and clean!

The beauty of halls isn't necessarily the people that you live with but the fact that it allows you to be close to other like minded individuals. If you are living at home and it's around 9-10pm, you aren't always going to be able to go have a meal with your friends especially if you need to commute 2 hours.

The idea that halls must be a loud place where people can't sleep at all isn't true across all places. As an introvert, who barely socialises with most people, I would not be friends with my current friends nor my girlfriend if I weren't living at university during my first year.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6

SophieSmall

21

Original post by Tombola

The beauty of halls isn't necessarily the people that you live with but the fact that it allows you to be close to other like minded individuals. If you are living at home and it's around 9-10pm, you aren't always going to be able to go have a meal with your friends especially if you need to commute 2 hours.

The idea that halls must be a loud place where people can't sleep at all isn't true across all places. As an introvert, who barely socialises with most people, I would not be friends with my current friends nor my girlfriend if I weren't living at university during my first year.

I'd agree with this, although I was 50/50 on halls and hated how loud it was (though not everyone will have the same experience) it was the only reason I made the friends I have now. My anxiety was awful in first year and I didn't make a single friend on my course. But being in halls forced me to be around people and it's actually one of the main things that got me to handle my anxiety.

Granted my situation does not reflect everyone's, Just as Infairvernona's view on it doesn't reflect everyone's. It's a completely personal thing and people will have completely different takes on it.

Reply 7

username944192

21

Original post by Tombola

The beauty of halls isn't necessarily the people that you live with but the fact that it allows you to be close to other like minded individuals. If you are living at home and it's around 9-10pm, you aren't always going to be able to go have a meal with your friends especially if you need to commute 2 hours.

The idea that halls must be a loud place where people can't sleep at all isn't true across all places. As an introvert, who barely socialises with most people, I would not be friends with my current friends nor my girlfriend if I weren't living at university during my first year.

I'm sure you could stay over in halls with a friend if you wanted to stay out late. Then you get best of both worlds if you live at home most of the time. I had no trouble making friends on my course and societies but yeah if you're not really a people person and you need to be forced to be around people all the time to make friends then maybe halls were better for you. I would've loved to have lived at home during uni though.

Reply 8

jelly1000

21

Original post by flamigos123

I am currently living in Birmingham with a rather large family, I will be living 2hr/1hr 30 mins on the train (depending on uni chosen). I find it very hard to concentrate on my work currently just doing A levels. I want to make the most out of my university experience so think halls would be the best on the social. But I'm worried that I will not be able to afford to live at halls, I am very close with family so I will miss them and would be around £50 cheaper a week to just travel.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Honestly with that commute then I would go halls all the way- would you want a 4 hour round trip if you only had a 1 hour lecture? Plus you'd be much nearer the library when you needed to concentrate.

Reply 9

StressedMedic

I find it really hard to concentrate in my room so i spend all my time studying in the library, so living close to university is really important to me.

Commuting takes a lot of energy and waste a lot of time and it better to use it on other things like hobbies or studying if you can afford to not commute. Just think you are wasting 1/6th of your day on travelling.

Halls give you the option to meet up with people you meet in uni who you click with spontaneously, and spontaneously have movie nights and such.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 10

_Bright Eyes

14

I lived at home first time round and did not make any friends, eventually finding it so difficult to blend in that I dropped out. Second time, I lived in halls and had the best years of my life.

Reply 11

Desserts66

1

Original post by SophieSmall

Make a full and realistic list of pros and cons of each side.

Also before you decide anything find out how much are entitled to from student finance both living away from home and living at home, as you say it's £50 cheaper a week to just travel but remember you're entitled to less money from SF if you live at home. Once you've found out the rough amounts you'll likely get each way make a well thought out yearly budget both for living at home and for living away to find out how realistic moving out would be.

Oh my god Sophie, why give such nonsense advice??

OP, just stay at home man. Avoid all the annoying students

Reply 12

DrSocSciences

19

I lived 2hrs away for my Masters, and dropped out in first semester. Then I applied to a different Uni the following year, and did a Masters nearer to home. The killer issues for me were: not being able to access the library, the solitude inevitably triggered by the distance involved/travel arrangements, and the impossibility of spontaneity at that stage in my life.

Reply 13

SophieSmall

21

Original post by Desserts66

Oh my god Sophie, why give such nonsense advice??

OP, just stay at home man. Avoid all the annoying students

Excuse me?

No.

Reply 14

Jessicalw23

2

I moved into halls when I went to university and I lived 5 minutes down the road! The reason.... because I wanted independence. I'm not the type to party or be interested in that type of stuff, but the sooner you begin to grow up and become independent, it can help in various ways in your life.

I'm currently applying to universities again that I could travel to, 1-2 hours. Although depending on the course you're doing, some courses really do require your time and no doubt that from travelling so much you'll want to put your work aside and rest by the time you get home! It could work the other way though, if you live away, will you focus on work or think of family too much?

Have a good think, there's plenty of time yet.

Reply 15

Kevin De Bruyne

21

2h/1h30 each way sounds like a nightmare. You may feel tired and unmotivated, and you don't really get a sense of freedom.
The same time both ways... could be better I suppose.

It might feel difficult to not be around your family as often but you can always skype, or call, or go home every month if you wish. You could go home every weekend as a few people do.