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Sharing a room at uni, will it be a nightmare?

At Exeter or any uni really, what is it like being given a another person to share a twin room with. I am not used to sharing a room or really sleeping with other people around. How is it if your not best friends with the person? Is it annoying if they wake you up in the middle of the night all drunk with their friends?

its just annoying because applying to catered accommodation at Exeter their is a 50% chance I will have to share...

Reply 1

ageshallnot

My son managed fine at Exeter with that type of accommodation in his first year.

Reply 2

Bio 7

Who shares a room? What a horrible fate it sounds dreadful.

I couldn't even share a kitchen.

Reply 3

xoxAngel_Kxox

Tbh, it's like sharing a flat in general. You could be lucky and get a great roommate who you love spending time with, or it could be a living nightmare. Most likely, it will be somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. I know a couple of people who have been to uni and shared, and none of them had horror stories about it to be honest. You just have to make the best of it, be considerate towards your roommate, and hope they do the same towards you.

Reply 4

vicvic38

Original post by xoxAngel_Kxox

It's not really anything like sharing a flat. You don't get any space that is just yours.

Reply 5

xoxAngel_Kxox

Original post by vicvic38

It's not really anything like sharing a flat. You don't get any space that is just yours.

That's not quite what I meant. I meant that when you share a flat, your experience depends entirely on who you're sharing with. Same here. That's all.

You might get someone who never leaves the room. You might get someone who spends the majority of their time in the library and goes home every weekend.

Some people have never had their own space, so it wouldn't be much different. Some people thrive off having someone to talk to. Uni can actually be quite lonely.

Reply 6

1st superstar

Original post by Bio 7

Who shares a room? What a horrible fate it sounds dreadful.

I couldn't even share a kitchen.

yeah most people do in American unis but Exeter is a British uni so I am honestly surprised lol. yeah screw dat like I ain't sharing a bedroom or bathroom with a stranger if/when i go to uni sharing a kitchen is the max i'm afraid

Reply 7

Noodlzzz

You don't have to though?

At UCL you could tick a box saying you do/do not want to be offered a twin room. Not sure if something similar exists at Exeter.

Reply 8

Bio 7

Original post by 1st superstar

Yeah I was going to add "in this country?" but removed it. It's just a bad concept.

Reply 9

Student Roost - Edinburgh

Personal experience here - I shared a room with another girl while on my year abroad in Taiwan and it's honestly not so bad! We had a fairly middling experience and we got on well enough. We weren't best friends though and didn't have a huge amount in common.

Here's a short list of the Pros and Cons that I found in my personal experience. I'll get the Cons out of the way first:
- You don't have your own space
- It can be a bit awkward at first
- Sometimes your roommate will do annoying things like play mobile games with the sound on loud/take calls late at night/keep snoozing their alarm at 6am
- Sometimes you realise that you're being the annoying roommate and have to stop whatever it is you're doing
- Sometimes you want to stay up late and watch films or something, but have to either do it in another room or sit under the duvet with your headphones in so as not to disturb your roommate (this second option is actually quite cozy to be fair!)
- If you're a bit homesick and missing friends/family, you'll need to call them from another room or when your roommate is out

Now for the Pros:
- You get to meet someone new, possibly a new friend or even best friend
- Rent is probably cheaper
- You get to live in your preferred accommodation
- It can help a surprising amount with learning to be naturally tidy/organised
- If you're homesick, they may well be too. You can work through it together.
- Even if you're two completely different people with nothing in common, there's a certain amount of camaraderie that comes from sharing a room.

Despite not being best buds, my roommate and I would still have the occasional whispered conversation at 3am or have a bit of a giggle when we were supposed to be studying. She calmed me down when I experienced my first big earthquake in the middle of the night and woke her up completely freaking out. I'm honestly glad that I had the experience, and the reduced rent helped me pay for fun things that I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise.

If you do end up with a shared room, nobody can guarantee what your experience will be like. However, if that's the accommodation that you really want, I'd recommend going into it with an open mind and just seeing how it goes. You may well get a new best friend, or if not, perhaps some great stories that you can tell later down the road. If you do encounter any problems though, be open and honest with your roommate and try to be understand - like you'd want them to be with you. If you have any major problems, you can always contact the halls management who will be able to give advice, arrange a meeting, or may move your room, depending on the issues.

I do hope this helps and good luck for your first year! - Emma L

Reply 10

username402722

I wouldn't, but that's easy for me to say as someone who has gone to university from home. Different sleep patterns or snoring for starters.

Reply 11

Kutie Karen

I definitely could not share. It is so invasive and I need my own space and time. Are there any other options open to you?

Reply 12

vicvic38

Original post by Student Roost - Edinburgh

- You get to live in your preferred accommodation

Honestly, I wouldn't call it getting preferred accommodation if I have to share with someone, that would be v far down my list.

Reply 13

Rabbit2

I am an only child, so i have never had to share my bedroom with anyone. I also have never had to study/work in a 'boiler factory'. Today, some of me mates have 3 or 4 kids, and they all do homework after dinner with screaming, yelling, running up and down the halls going on (in their own house). I have never been able to function in that sort of environment. I got through uni either living at home (with me 'rents), or renting a bedroom from old retired couples, who were very quiet and went to bed early. We got along fine. I would eat on campus, and return to their house after they had finished dinner. They would watch telly for a while, whilst i repaired to my room & started homework. They would go to bed on their own schedule, whilst i finished my homework & went to bed. I work much better (and with fewer errors) by myself in the quiet. Best of luck!! Cheers.

Reply 14

eisb

I personally wouldn't share a room at uni. I'm a bit like you, never had to share a room when I was younger. I shared a room at school for a while, it was actually fine for a short period of time but I don't think I ever felt totally relaxed, not like it was my own place, it felt more like I was just staying over at someone else's house if you know what I mean? Also I imagine sharing at uni it would be totally different from school, since everyone's got much more freedom. For example, imagine if you want to get a lie in, and their alarm is going off at 6am, or you want to get an early night's sleep and they are studying with the lights on until 2am or coming home drunk in the early hours, or you're trying to study and they've got lots of friends round. I think if you're a very easy going person then these things might not bother you, but they sure would drive me mad! I'm perfectly happy sharing a bathroom and kitchen but I do feel like I need a little bit of my own space. I'm really surpised that Exeter has shared rooms, I didn't know that was a thing in UK universities. Do you not get to choose if you are in shared/unshared accommodation?

Reply 15

Bio 7

Original post by eisb

I thought the closest you got was a shared studio. Two bedrooms connected to a kitchen and bathroom. That's just a 2 bedroom flat though.

Reply 16

Rabbit2

Original post by eisb

I think it also matters whether you are at uni to get an education, or to 'party, party, party'. If the former - having your roomie partying to all hours would get old very fast with me - particularly if i was having problems passing one or more courses. Best of luck! Cheers.

Reply 17

fefssdf

I shared a room when I did a summer school in Hong Kong and I thought it could be awkward but tbh I was surprised at how quickly I got used to it and it wasn’t really much of an issue; we had different schedules anyways