The Student Room Group

Is studio accommodation worth it for 1st year undergraduates?

The studio at the university I'm going to is only £1300 more expensive than the ensuite, both look lovely and cosy and are affordable. The ensuite is shared between 6 people. I would love to have my own kitchen and cook whenever I feel like it, but I don't know if I want to miss out on the social aspect of sharing a kitchen, even though I'm not the most sociable and outgoing person.

I mean for that £1300 I could save up for a Master's degree or go on holiday.

This is just going to be the first year, then year 2 onwards I'll be renting privately. What do you think I should do?

Scroll to see replies

Original post by Mystelle
The studio at the university I'm going to is only £1300 more expensive than the ensuite, both look lovely and cosy and are affordable. The ensuite is shared between 6 people. I would love to have my own kitchen and cook whenever I feel like it, but I don't know if I want to miss out on the social aspect of sharing a kitchen, even though I'm not the most sociable and outgoing person.

I mean for that £1300 I could save up for a Master's degree or go on holiday.

This is just going to be the first year, then year 2 onwards I'll be renting privately. What do you think I should do?


If you're not the most sociable person then avoid studios for your first year. Moving to a new city is tough and it's very tempting for introverts to retreat into their own room and not find the energy to make friends. Giving yourself no reason to leave your room and socialise (even if just to make a cuppa) is not a good idea. Particularly if you'll be paying for the privilege!

A shared kitchen might come with some conflicts but it's worth it IMO (and IME) to have more contact with people.
Reply 2
Original post by PQ
If you're not the most sociable person then avoid studios for your first year. Moving to a new city is tough and it's very tempting for introverts to retreat into their own room and not find the energy to make friends. Giving yourself no reason to leave your room and socialise (even if just to make a cuppa) is not a good idea. Particularly if you'll be paying for the privilege!

A shared kitchen might come with some conflicts but it's worth it IMO (and IME) to have more contact with people.


Fair point, thanks for your advice. I'm scared that it's going to be chaos at 7 in the evening where 6 people fight for the cooking space at the same time. :afraid:
I have known a few people do studio. They all found the social isolation soul-destroying. It might seem pleasant at first, but my honest advice is that it is much better to put up with other people around you being loud, disruptive and general nuisances.
Original post by Mystelle
Fair point, thanks for your advice. I'm scared that it's going to be chaos at 7 in the evening where 6 people fight for the cooking space at the same time. :afraid:


That doesn't normally happen - everyone eats at their own times. I shared a kitchen with 20 people and there was rarely more than 2 people cooking at once (there were 2 ovens)...and when there was some people would use pans, others would shove a pizza in the oven and someone else would be using the microwave. If it starts to happen regularly with your flatmates then you'll work something out (either cooking and eating together or moving your timings a bit so you don't clash)
My personal advice is to avoid en suite as well if you can - sharing toilets/bathrooms isn't a big deal, they have cleaners (whereas if you have an en suite you have to clean your own toilet and buy your own loo roll!) and you save money and generally live with more sociable people.
Original post by PQ
My personal advice is to avoid en suite as well if you can - sharing toilets/bathrooms isn't a big deal, they have cleaners (whereas if you have an en suite you have to clean your own toilet and buy your own loo roll!) and you save money and generally live with more sociable people.


Well, I wouldn't share this advice! Yes, you have to Cillit Bang it now and again, but at least you aren't sharing bodily fluids with scruffy students. And often you want to be alone, after being around people all day; you don't want to have to have a conversation with someone every time you go for a shite.
Reply 7
Original post by PQ
If you're not the most sociable person then avoid studios for your first year. Moving to a new city is tough and it's very tempting for introverts to retreat into their own room and not find the energy to make friends. Giving yourself no reason to leave your room and socialise (even if just to make a cuppa) is not a good idea. Particularly if you'll be paying for the privilege!

A shared kitchen might come with some conflicts but it's worth it IMO (and IME) to have more contact with people.


I disagree. I'm a bad introvert and spent four unhappy months in a shared flat before moving to my studio. Seven weeks later and I'm not regretting the decision one bit.
Original post by Notorious_B.I.G.
Well, I wouldn't share this advice! Yes, you have to Cillit Bang it now and again, but at least you aren't sharing bodily fluids with scruffy students. And often you want to be alone, after being around people all day; you don't want to have to have a conversation with someone every time you go for a shite.


It's a lot of money to pay for a shy bladder (or colon)
Reply 9
Original post by Bio 7
I disagree. I'm a bad introvert and spent four unhappy months in a shared flat before moving to my studio. Seven weeks later and I'm not regretting the decision one bit.


how many people did you share a flat with?
Reply 10
Original post by Mystelle
how many people did you share a flat with?


About 8. We had a couple join us throughout the months as well.
Original post by Bio 7
About 8. We had a couple join us throughout the months as well.


Why was it so bad to share a kitchen?
Reply 12
Original post by Bio 7
About 8. We had a couple join us throughout the months as well.


So after you moved into a studio by yourself, did you ever feel lonely in one room? Or did you have people from other rooms coming over every now and then?
Reply 13
Original post by PQ
Why was it so bad to share a kitchen?


I just didn't like being around so many other people. When I'm at home I like to have peace and not deal with others. I see enough people at Uni or shops during the day. Also I like having my own kitchen which stays clean.
Reply 14
Original post by Mystelle
So after you moved into a studio by yourself, did you ever feel lonely in one room? Or did you have people from other rooms coming over every now and then?


Just me in my studio. My social life is at Uni and online so I get plenty of interaction and the peace that I need. It has all balanced out well.
I would not recommend a studio, your kitchen will be in your sleeping and living space and just having one space could become quite dull. It can be difficult to make friends at university and I think flatmates are a good place to start. I think that university accommodation is a really good way of testing if you like living with other people. With university accommodation you will more than likely have a point of contact to sort out issues if they arise, and the options to move if you hate it. You won't get this safety net if you try living with people outside of university accommodation at a later date. I think living with other people helps with friendships, communicating and sorting issues out with others and can be a really positive experience. Also as you say £1300 is a lot of money. It is normal to be worried about living with other people but, the majority of students live in shared flats so you are not alone.
Original post by Bio 7
I just didn't like being around so many other people. When I'm at home I like to have peace and not deal with others. I see enough people at Uni or shops during the day. Also I like having my own kitchen which stays clean.


To be fair, most people are not like you. Even self-professed "introverts".

Not that your being a weirdo introvert is bad. But it does taint your advice somewhat, assuming OP is not a weirdo introvert but just an introvert of the standard order.
Reply 17
Original post by Notorious_B.I.G.
To be fair, most people are not like you. Even self-professed "introverts".

Not that your being a weirdo introvert is bad. But it does taint your advice somewhat, assuming OP is not a weirdo introvert but just an introvert of the standard order.


Fair enough, I am a wierd introvert. It really depends if living alone will be possible as it may be too expensive for people or they may need different levels of social interaction. I may be rambling.

It really just depends how you feel as I did try out sharing a flat first before knowing what I needed, and that is an important part of learning how you get on with others.
Reply 18
Yeah I think I'm going to go with the ensuite. Maybe I've just been overestimating the problem of sharing a kitchen.
Our cleaners used to just bin any dirty dishes (well they confiscated them, washed them and gave them to the charity shop). We were warned on moving in that it would happen :moon: it worked quite well at getting people to tidy up after themselves

...noise and smoke is a pita though. I sleep better with noise personally (although I prefer the radio to a bunch of ******ed flatmates)....I think I would have got a water pistol to deal with the smokers :ninjagirl: (although I found yelling at them to **** off to the smoking shelter worked quite well...not everyone is happy shouting expletives out the window :wink:)

I do wonder why so many halls have such small flats - 4 is a really small group to expect people to get along....6-10 would be much better (although you'd need a bigger kitchen with more equipment).

A lot of halls don't really have any social space aside from the kitchens in the flats either which is ridiculous - a proper tv/cinema room and a cafe/bar should be the bare minimum.

Quick Reply

Latest