The Student Room Group

What's it like to live at university?

I was wondering what's it like to live at uni, what the costs are, how big the room is and what responsibilities you have. I would also like to know what the internet speeds are like at uni (i know this is a bit dumb but it's super important to me) and if there are blocked websites/downloads (like YouTube or Twitch, or apps like Steam)
The universities that I am applying to are:
City, University of London
Kingston University
London Metropolitan University
Info from these universities would be great, but anyone who lives in another uni is also welcome to give info.

Edit: if also like to know if I will have a roommate in 2021, knowing that covid and social distancing is a thing and all that
(edited 3 years ago)
I assume ur a twitch streamer or gamer lol but the costs depends if ur self catered which is cheaper than catered and the speed is pretty decent u could definitely game fairly smoothly and watch youtube videos smoothly too
Reply 2
Original post by Anonymous
I assume ur a twitch streamer or gamer lol but the costs depends if ur self catered which is cheaper than catered and the speed is pretty decent u could definitely game fairly smoothly and watch youtube videos smoothly too

Yeah I game a lot and stream from time to time, that’s why lag and speeds are a worry for me as usually in London, they aren’t great
Original post by Anthony813
I was wondering what's it like to live at uni, what the costs are, how big the room is and what responsibilities you have. I would also like to know what the internet speeds are like at uni (i know this is a bit dumb but it's super important to me) and if there are blocked websites/downloads (like YouTube or Twitch, or apps like Steam)
The universities that I am applying to are:
City, University of London
Kingston University
London Metropolitan University
Info from these universities would be great, but anyone who lives in another uni is also welcome to give info.


It's pretty cool I mean the move in in pretty scary and the moment your parents leave is the most terrifying moment of your life but then you'll go out and in the end your room will seem pretty welcoming once you put up posters and things. The internet in my halls was pretty good (except on the day Reading tickets were released and the ticket website crashed.).

Your responsibilities are to cook and clean up after yourself (although not everyone does there are cleaners for common areas like the kitchen and as long as you keep it fairly clean they'll do the rest I men you'll need to shop and keep your room clean basically the same things you'd do at home.

For the most part the rooms are tiny some times you might be lucky but for the most part they are like little rabbit hutches to get an idea you can look at you tube videos ('move in day") photographs on the unis websites.

There aren't really any restricted websites on university computers (your an adult after all) and it's not like your going to be watching porn in lectures is it I had no trouble with YouTube or Steam I don't use twitch so I don't know about that.
Reply 4
Original post by jonathanemptage
It's pretty cool I mean the move in in pretty scary and the moment your parents leave is the most terrifying moment of your life but then you'll go out and in the end your room will seem pretty welcoming once you put up posters and things. The internet in my halls was pretty good (except on the day Reading tickets were released and the ticket website crashed.).

Your responsibilities are to cook and clean up after yourself (although not everyone does there are cleaners for common areas like the kitchen and as long as you keep it fairly clean they'll do the rest I men you'll need to shop and keep your room clean basically the same things you'd do at home.

For the most part the rooms are tiny some times you might be lucky but for the most part they are like little rabbit hutches to get an idea you can look at you tube videos ('move in day") photographs on the unis websites.

There aren't really any restricted websites on university computers (your an adult after all) and it's not like your going to be watching porn in lectures is it I had no trouble with YouTube or Steam I don't use twitch so I don't know about that.

Lmao I won’t be watching porn, I just meant social media. Thanks for taking the time to write all of this though!
Original post by Anthony813
Lmao I won’t be watching porn, I just meant social media. Thanks for taking the time to write all of this though!

Yeah social media will be fine I'm not at uni anymore but I still follow my old uni and the Alumni association on instagram all the unis you mentioned have instagrams so yeah you can follow them if you want.
Original post by Anthony813
I was wondering what's it like to live at uni, what the costs are, how big the room is and what responsibilities you have. I would also like to know what the internet speeds are like at uni (i know this is a bit dumb but it's super important to me) and if there are blocked websites/downloads (like YouTube or Twitch, or apps like Steam)
The universities that I am applying to are:
City, University of London
Kingston University
London Metropolitan University
Info from these universities would be great, but anyone who lives in another uni is also welcome to give info.

Edit: if also like to know if I will have a roommate in 2021, knowing that covid and social distancing is a thing and all that

Hi,
I am a student in London met uni and I strongly suggest following this link to find the best accommodation for you. the great thing about living in London is that places to stay arent in shortage and the type of place or view you're looking for will be there. halls offer good internet because they know that every single student is going to be reliant on it for studying.
https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/services-and-facilities/accommodation/
i hope this helps.
This is a list of tips

Find a room early on. Advertise on here if you need to.

Take a old school camera, money and other important items. Notebooks are recommended and I would also suggest having a pen and paper. Do take your phone charger in addition.
Prepare a list of kitchen duties and type up a list of weekly meals too. Use a app and search online for more ideas. Download a revision app or create one on your laptop. Get contact details of lecturers in case. Plan carefully any nights out.
Join a couple of university clubs or societies. Good luck.
I would highly recommend living at uni, it's one of the best things you can do, especially when you want to experience something that is out of your comfort zone. At first, you might be a bit nervous but once you realise that everyone around you is in the same boat, it's plain sailing making friends! The costs of University definitely vary depending on the area and individual accommodation choice but all-in-all, accommodations in London tend to start at around £120 and they can go to towards being £250+ a week. The standard rooms in Kingston University's Clayhill & Seething Wells are just about the same as an average bedroom that you would get, but the toilet is built into it as well so take that into account. I'd recommend you look up the accommodations for the universities you are applying for, it will give you a much better insight. The main responsibility for a university student is staying organised and on top of your work, as long as you do this, you should succeed. In terms of living out, you have to make time for cooking and also cleaning the kitchen if your flat has a rota.
Universities tend to use a network for Eduroam, this internet is very high speed and it rarely fails, the best thing is that once you connect once, it will automatically connect whenever you visit another university or campus.
As far as I'm aware, they do not have content filters for downloads or viewing YouTube or Twitch, or apps like Steam

If you have any more questions, let me know!

Amit - Official Kingston Uni rep - Pharmacy Student
Reply 9
Original post by Kingston University
I would highly recommend living at uni, it's one of the best things you can do, especially when you want to experience something that is out of your comfort zone. At first, you might be a bit nervous but once you realise that everyone around you is in the same boat, it's plain sailing making friends! The costs of University definitely vary depending on the area and individual accommodation choice but all-in-all, accommodations in London tend to start at around £120 and they can go to towards being £250+ a week. The standard rooms in Kingston University's Clayhill & Seething Wells are just about the same as an average bedroom that you would get, but the toilet is built into it as well so take that into account. I'd recommend you look up the accommodations for the universities you are applying for, it will give you a much better insight. The main responsibility for a university student is staying organised and on top of your work, as long as you do this, you should succeed. In terms of living out, you have to make time for cooking and also cleaning the kitchen if your flat has a rota.
Universities tend to use a network for Eduroam, this internet is very high speed and it rarely fails, the best thing is that once you connect once, it will automatically connect whenever you visit another university or campus.
As far as I'm aware, they do not have content filters for downloads or viewing YouTube or Twitch, or apps like Steam

If you have any more questions, let me know!

Amit - Official Kingston Uni rep - Pharmacy Student

Thank you! When choosing a standard room, would I live by myself or would I have a roomate?
Original post by Kingston University
I would highly recommend living at uni, it's one of the best things you can do, especially when you want to experience something that is out of your comfort zone. At first, you might be a bit nervous but once you realise that everyone around you is in the same boat, it's plain sailing making friends! The costs of University definitely vary depending on the area and individual accommodation choice but all-in-all, accommodations in London tend to start at around £120 and they can go to towards being £250+ a week. The standard rooms in Kingston University's Clayhill & Seething Wells are just about the same as an average bedroom that you would get, but the toilet is built into it as well so take that into account. I'd recommend you look up the accommodations for the universities you are applying for, it will give you a much better insight. The main responsibility for a university student is staying organised and on top of your work, as long as you do this, you should succeed. In terms of living out, you have to make time for cooking and also cleaning the kitchen if your flat has a rota.
Universities tend to use a network for Eduroam, this internet is very high speed and it rarely fails, the best thing is that once you connect once, it will automatically connect whenever you visit another university or campus.
As far as I'm aware, they do not have content filters for downloads or viewing YouTube or Twitch, or apps like Steam

If you have any more questions, let me know!

Amit - Official Kingston Uni rep - Pharmacy Student


We are not all in the same boat.
We’re in the same storm but some of us have a navy destroyer and are largely unphased and others have a kayak and are drowning.

I hate the were all in the same boat analogy so much because it’s just not true
Reply 11
Original post by Anonymous
We are not all in the same boat.
We’re in the same storm but some of us have a navy destroyer and are largely unphased and others have a kayak and are drowning.

I hate the were all in the same boat analogy so much because it’s just not true

Damn, how was your experience?
Original post by Anthony813
Damn, how was your experience?


I didn’t have an appetite for 2 weeks. I didn’t sleep properly in that time either. I felt sick constantly and cried almost all the time.
I dropped out a week in (kinda) I’m going back next year so I have time to work on myself
Original post by Anthony813
I was wondering what's it like to live at uni, what the costs are, how big the room is and what responsibilities you have. I would also like to know what the internet speeds are like at uni (i know this is a bit dumb but it's super important to me) and if there are blocked websites/downloads (like YouTube or Twitch, or apps like Steam)
The universities that I am applying to are:
City, University of London
Kingston University
London Metropolitan University
Info from these universities would be great, but anyone who lives in another uni is also welcome to give info.

Edit: if also like to know if I will have a roommate in 2021, knowing that covid and social distancing is a thing and all that

Internet is usually really good and not many restrictions on websites at all. I'd be interested to hear if there are any exceptions to this.

The only thing that might get you picked up is streaming, I'm not sure. The only cases I've heard of of people getting in trouble, were people downloading huge amounts of data, or using torrents.
Original post by Kingston University
I would highly recommend living at uni, it's one of the best things you can do, especially when you want to experience something that is out of your comfort zone. At first, you might be a bit nervous but once you realise that everyone around you is in the same boat, it's plain sailing making friends!

Agreed. Not that its always plain sailing, but that that 'shared adversity' is a great bonding experience and as long as you are willing to approach a few people, making friends is normally a lot easier than people fear. Everyone in the same boat, like you say.
Reply 14
Original post by nexttime
Internet is usually really good and not many restrictions on websites at all. I'd be interested to hear if there are any exceptions to this.

The only thing that might get you picked up is streaming, I'm not sure. The only cases I've heard of of people getting in trouble, were people downloading huge amounts of data, or using torrents.

Yeah this is my big worry, games take a lot of data to download fully, streaming as well which is something that I really want to do and torrents to download games that I can’t afford
Original post by Anthony813
Thank you! When choosing a standard room, would I live by myself or would I have a roomate?

You're welcome!

When you choose a standard room, you'll typically live by yourself but have a number of flat mates that you'll share a kitchen with, unless you get a studio.

Amit - Official Kingston Uni rep - Pharmacy Student
Original post by Anthony813
Thank you! When choosing a standard room, would I live by myself or would I have a roomate?

Usually you'll have a single room and you'll share a kitchen with other people in your flat. That said some places have a few rooms where you'll have a room mate but that will be made clear on the accommodation section of your uni website but for the most part you'll have a single room also if you can get en-suite it's just a bit better.

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