Should I live in a private student house or halls

I'm going to be a first year student in Queen's Belfast hopefully this September. Most of my friends in the year above me live in student house's really close to the campus, this allows them to have more freedom, go out more and have parties if they want. The only thing is, I feel like I won't make new friends in a private house opposed to halls where you would physically be living with other people who you've never met. There would be 6 of us living in a house btw. Any soon-to-be second years recommend one over the other?

It depends on whether you want to make new friends or still with your current ones. You can always visit your current ones and maybe live with them next year.

The 6 guys i'd be living with if really just met in upper sixth so i'd like to get to know them more but obviously I don't want to surround myself with lads I am comfortably with the whole time! Is it possible to go into halls on your second year??

Yeah we are planning on going out to clubs and bars etc and I want to join the football and track team so hopefully can still make some friends that way but who knows??

That for me was the best way. Others would say living in halls is the best way so it's up to you.

Just consider what it is you value about your uni time and whether some things affect you and if you can put up with things. I made more friends in my classes, on teams, and out in clubs and bars than I did in my halls, I just didn't find I was the same sort of person as the ones I lived with.

Just be sure where you want to live and remember that Uni is stressful at times and the last thing you'll want is things to be made worse by housemates who don't care

I'm going to be a first year student in Queen's Belfast hopefully this September. Most of my friends in the year above me live in student house's really close to the campus, this allows them to have more freedom, go out more and have parties if they want. The only thing is, I feel like I won't make new friends in a private house opposed to halls where you would physically be living with other people who you've never met. There would be 6 of us living in a house btw. Any soon-to-be second years recommend one over the other?

I wouldn't recommend living with home mates. I know people who did that and they kind of closed themselves off from everyone else and in the end only really had their home friends to hang out with. I think it's better to go into halls and and give yourself a chance to make your own friends. They don't even need to be in your flat, you can make good friends with people on your floor and in your block. Obviously course friends as well.
That way you'll have your own group of friends as well as your home friends.

Living in a house is a lot nicer than living in halls because you have bigger bedrooms and feels more like your own space. But the social aspect of first year halls is unbeatable, I really miss it. It'd be a shame to go straight into a house as you'll miss out on the freshers fun in halls.

Definitely recommend halls in first year if you want to make lots of your own friends. Your home friends will always be there. Plus when it gets to their third year and you're in second year, they probably won't be going out as much because there's so much work. You also have to think about what will happen when they graduate and you're still at uni. Will you have made enough of your own friends to live with?

yeah, I know there is definitely an increase in meeting people whilst in halls but; the halls in Belfast are very hard to get into especially Queens, they prioritise people living further away. I live about a 25 minute drive away from Queen's so for me to get in would be a very slim chance. If I did manage to get into halls I feel like I would have severe FOMO (fear of missing out) from the house with all my original friends in it. If I see snapchat stories and Instagrams. The guys i'd be living with our really popular so I know there'd be new people coming to the house a lot and we all have agreed to definitely part take in freshers week by going out to the clubs and bars

Yeah that's fair enough. Might get put in sh*t halls with unsociable people. Go for the guys you know then and just make sure you make an effort with people on your course and maybe join a society. Don't think just because you've already got friends you'll be sorted because I know a few people who made that mistake and then didn't have any other friends to turn to when there were issues in the friendship group.