Own studio flat or halls for third year?

Hi!

I need a bit of help deciding where to live next year. I'll be in my third year and the last two years I lived in a private student accomodation with an en-suite. Living in a studio would be a bit cheaper and I would have my own kitchen.
The student accomodation where I lived is really nice, I shared a kitchen with some friends and a couple of people I didn't know before moving in. Everyone is moving out of halls so I would be staying with new people next year. On the one side I don't mind that, though I am a bit worried about how clean the kitchen will be as it was a bit messy this year and I had to wipe down the cooker almost everytime before using it. On the other side, I am afraid it could get lonely living in my own studio as it was actually quite nice seeing people around all the time. Both are just a 5 minute walk from uni and in the city centre.

So those who moved into their own flat after living in halls, do you find it gets boring easily? Any advice that could make my decision easier?


Thanks .

Hi!

I need a bit of help deciding where to live next year. I'll be in my third year and the last two years I lived in a private student accomodation with an en-suite. Living in a studio would be a bit cheaper and I would have my own kitchen.
The student accomodation where I lived is really nice, I shared a kitchen with some friends and a couple of people I didn't know before moving in. Everyone is moving out of halls so I would be staying with new people next year. On the one side I don't mind that, though I am a bit worried about how clean the kitchen will be as it was a bit messy this year and I had to wipe down the cooker almost everytime before using it. On the other side, I am afraid it could get lonely living in my own studio as it was actually quite nice seeing people around all the time. Both are just a 5 minute walk from uni and in the city centre.

So those who moved into their own flat after living in halls, do you find it gets boring easily? Any advice that could make my decision easier?


Thanks .

You are just going to have to do pros and cons. More likely you will get on with a few, but third year tends to be about exams and staying on top of your studies. If you dont cope well on your own and you dont socialise outside the flat, then stay. If you want somewhere quiet and need to work on your degree , then I would go for the studio and just socialise on campus. Degree should be priority imo.

Well firstly I'm surprised a studio is cheaper than a flat considering you get more.

For me my first year flat mates were awful at cleaning, made one girl move out because they were that bad so I hated living with them. That got me going to a studio for my last 2 years of uni and I loved it. I could cook / eat what I wanted and if anything was unclean it was my own fault so I couldn't get mad at anyone.

You sound like you like the social aspect of a flat though because in a studio there aren't people pottering about in the background and it can seem like more of a hassle having people over given that studio rooms generally have a bed and maybe a couple of chairs that might not be great for chilling on. I definitely had more of a solo lifestyle living in a studio but that was for me. All I needed was my computer and a place to cook and I am happy.

So in summary really I'd say if you don't mind being solo then studio but if you love the social aspect of a flat it has to be a flat. I will always defend studios though until the day I die.

2nd and 3rd, mine is £119 a week and is super luxury.

How much do you pay for bills if you don't mind sharing? Apparently it does get a bit expensive with an electric boiler and heating in the winter.

I'm going into a studio for my 3rd year. I'd imagine a decision depends on how introverted (or extroverted) you are. Even me being quite introverted and anxious, I'd imagine a studio would be very lonely at times for me, but can be mitigated just by going outside and meeting with someone or going on a walk (at least for me). For me it was a tradeoff between potentially awful flatmates or an isolating living situation, for me I find it very hard to concentrate if I'm constantly having to deal with flatmate drama/noise. For the sake of my grades, I choose the latter. Also unlike you my 2nd year experience in my house was downright depressing, it was dysfunctional because nobody spoke to each other except the odd time in the kitchen for 2 mins or on the facebook group. The two girls got very cliquey and made the house a downright hellhole to live in, which negatively affected my grades and happiness. I can't wait to move into a studio personally.

If you're the type to really relish having people around I'd personally risk a houseshare or new halls flat, but again, what if you get terrible flatmates or noisy first years? Only you know really.

Thank you. So did you find yourself being less social after living in a studio? It is really just the social side I think I would miss as there is always something going on. Obvs I usually hang out with my own group but it's just the overall atmosphere that I got so used to. I usually try to get my work done in the library anyway, but 3rd and 4th year students who lived in the student accommodation were doing fine.


Thanks for the insight! For some reason everything is cheaper than living in student accommodation. There is a difference of £35/week. So even after adding bills it would be cheaper. How solo was your lifestyle? Did it really just come down to you not meeting people in the corridor or did you find yourself more isolated?
Also, if you don't mind sharing, how much did you pay for electricity?

sorry for late response. i was in private halls at 105 a week, all bills included with 20mb internet. prices stayed same and now the internet is 100mb just after i totally move out haha im gutted.

life was very solo, never met anyone in corridors but if you go to societies / get on with people on your course it can make up for a lot of that. of course whrn you go home you wont have anyone else around but that was fine for me i liked the space and no pressure to socialise from others.

yeah i was in same boat but i came from placement. for me it was numbing being with freshers on campus (i lived on flat of final years) hated that. but at same time it meant i got to meet ppl and have friends

Best of luck with it I’ve just stayed in halls, and have reluctantly agreed to move in with a group into private halls for second year, seriously considering just moving out and getting my own studio in the accommodation, but I’m sure you’ll find halls fine, you can make great friends in them.

Best of luck with it I’ve just stayed in halls, and have reluctantly agreed to move in with a group into private halls for second year, seriously considering just moving out and getting my own studio in the accommodation, but I’m sure you’ll find halls fine, you can make great friends in them.