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Students on campus at Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University Of London
London

What has been your experience of private accomodation in the first year of uni?

Hi guys,
I might be going to Queen Mary's in either September 2018 or 2019 but I doubt I'll get into halls because I live in London. I will most likely have to live in private accomodation.
I just have a couple of questions:
Can you find private accomodation with students from first year only?
Is private accomodation fun? How is the social aspect? Is it just as good as halls or better or worse? Is it more expensive? Did you feel isolated or lonely?

I keep reading posts about halls and the craziness and how you can't ifnd that in private accomodation but I mean I kinda want the craziness and the fun. But what have you found out from your experience?

*also if you're a first year looking to find Private accomodation with other first years pleasee PM me and let me know
Bumpp
Students on campus at Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University Of London
London
Hey, to be honest I'm starting QM in Sept and also live in London so I guess you've also been placed on the waiting list. I dont know if i can help you much but i thought i might as well just give you an opinion. I think the chances of receiving on campus accommodation at the uni are quite slim so if you're keen on living away from home i'd say get private accommodation.

From what i've heard from many other people who've attended uni its a real blast living on your own, even if its just for the first year because you're most likely going to be meeting new people and wanting to hang out with them so its best to find accommodation nearer the area so you don't need to worry about missing out on certain events or oppurtunities to meet people. Also, in student halls there are many common areas and other people from different unis that you will meet and be able to have fun with, however it all depends on the kind of people you live with. I, myself, have already booked a private accomodation at a more higher price than the ones on campus, only because I feel like the chances of receiving accommodation were slim. However, there are some accomodations that go around the same price as the ones QM provides, but without the luxury of an en-suite which is a shame. But i'd definitely atleast give it a try or maybe you might try and rent a flat with a couple of mates you meet in the first year if you're not feeling private accommodation fro the first year.

I'm sorry for the long post, but I hope this may have helped at least a little. Feel free to PM me if you wanna chat a bit more:colondollar:
Original post by justanotherchica
Hi guys,
I might be going to Queen Mary's in either September 2018 or 2019 but I doubt I'll get into halls because I live in London. I will most likely have to live in private accomodation.
I just have a couple of questions:
Can you find private accomodation with students from first year only?
Is private accomodation fun? How is the social aspect? Is it just as good as halls or better or worse? Is it more expensive? Did you feel isolated or lonely?

I keep reading posts about halls and the craziness and how you can't ifnd that in private accomodation but I mean I kinda want the craziness and the fun. But what have you found out from your experience?

*also if you're a first year looking to find Private accomodation with other first years pleasee PM me and let me know


Original post by fluffie
Hey, to be honest I'm starting QM in Sept and also live in London so I guess you've also been placed on the waiting list. I dont know if i can help you much but i thought i might as well just give you an opinion. I think the chances of receiving on campus accommodation at the uni are quite slim so if you're keen on living away from home i'd say get private accommodation.

From what i've heard from many other people who've attended uni its a real blast living on your own, even if its just for the first year because you're most likely going to be meeting new people and wanting to hang out with them so its best to find accommodation nearer the area so you don't need to worry about missing out on certain events or oppurtunities to meet people. Also, in student halls there are many common areas and other people from different unis that you will meet and be able to have fun with, however it all depends on the kind of people you live with. I, myself, have already booked a private accomodation at a more higher price than the ones on campus, only because I feel like the chances of receiving accommodation were slim. However, there are some accomodations that go around the same price as the ones QM provides, but without the luxury of an en-suite which is a shame. But i'd definitely atleast give it a try or maybe you might try and rent a flat with a couple of mates you meet in the first year if you're not feeling private accommodation fro the first year.

I'm sorry for the long post, but I hope this may have helped at least a little. Feel free to PM me if you wanna chat a bit more:colondollar:


Hey there!

@justanotherchica It's great to hear you're interested in studying with us! If you want to find out more about living in halls or about the courses, you can chat to some of our current students here on Unibuddy: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/unibuddy/

@fluffie Congrats on your place to study at Queen Mary!! We look forward to welcoming you in September!!!

Unfortunately our halls of residence are oversubscribed and we have to place all Greater London applicants on a waiting list to ensure those who live even further away are able to attend.

What I recommend is to contact the QM Residential Services department and they will be happy to help you in finding alternative accommodation. Please take a look at their website here: http://www.residences.qmul.ac.uk/alternative/

We are also running a 'Find a flatmate' event on Tuesday 4 September, 10am - 5pm and you are more than welcome to attend, but please register beforehand here: https://qmul.hobsonsradius.com/ssc/e...Ex6700kzxK.ssc

The aim of this event is to meet other students in a similar position and find a suitable rental property. Our team of housing advisors will also be on hand to help during the day.

There are also a number of private student halls nearby, you can find details of these on our residences website.

The University of London, which Queen Mary is a member of, also has its own halls of residence. You are also welcome to apply for waiting list for these. Please take a look at the following link: http://www.residences.qmul.ac.uk/alt...llegiatehalls/

I hope that helps and best of luck with finding somewhere!

Best wishes,
Ryan
(edited 5 years ago)
Have you looked at private halls at all? Many of these are no different to uni owned halls (except that the terms and conditions can be a bit less generous). The social side can be very similar, though.

In all honesty though, I don't think halls are the be all and end all of your uni social experience. And if you end up in a shared house, you often have more/nicer/larger shared spaces, which lend themselves to socialising a bit more. You'll probably get a nicer bedroom, too- which again, can lend itself more to socialising.

After the first few weeks, people tend to go for friends they have stuff in common with, rather than just live with.

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