Staying at home for Uni

Hi, what are people's opinions about staying home for uni? I know its more practical as my course will have placement and I have a car here but I'm worried about not making friends.

Reply 1

University of Strathclyde

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hi, what are people's opinions about staying home for uni? I know its more practical as my course will have placement and I have a car here but I'm worried about not making friends.

Hey there Anon!
I'd say there are pros and cons to staying at home, and if that's the option that works best for you then totally go for it! How long would your commute be?
Some of the pros I'd say are the convenience and having the comforts of home, as well as saving money. You'll still be able to make loads of friends, both on your course and in clubs and societies if you throw yourself in to those things so don't worry :smile:

Lots of people I know stayed at home for uni (including myself) and had no issues at all. Once you are settled and make friends, you may end up meeting people that stay in halls of residence so you can have lunch with them/crash there after a night out so you can still experience halls in some ways!

Plus, remember whatever your decision is it isn't necessarily permanent. If you stay at home and really dislike it you can always enquire about moving in to halls for your second semester (if there's space), or move closer in to the university for your later university years.

Best of luck whatever you do! What is it you'll be studying? :biggrin:

- Caitlin

Official University of Strathclyde Rep

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

Original post by University of Strathclyde

- Caitlin

Official University of Strathclyde Rep

The commute would only be about 15 minutes for the university I am thinking of going to. Its not the greatest uni but its close to home and a friend of mine would be in 2nd year midwifery when I join in September. Its nursing so I will be expected to do 2300 hours of placement in the three years.

The university doesn't have any nice societies that I can find. The only one is Midwifery Society and I'm not doing that lol.

I'm not really a big "party" person and would prefer just going to the pub or club and then going home and sleeping lol. Only thing is my parents are annoying at times. My brother and sister will be extremely confused and probably against it.

So you stayed at home? Did you find it hard to make friends and click with people? Did you wish that you stayed out? Did you feel lonely at all? I know random questions but I am worried about them lollll :/

Reply 3

bunnyrabbit2

You don't want to make friends with people in university. The purpose of university should be the coursework.

Reply 4

University of Strathclyde

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hey again!
Ah so you're not too far from uni at all, that's good :smile:

I was the same - around 15/20 mins of a commute so it wouldn't have made sense financially for me to move out when I was so close to the uni. And it's good you have someone there that you know!

I'd say you'll definitely meet like-minded people one way or another once you get to uni. In your first few weeks you'll likely be doing ice breaker type exercises that will let you get to know your classmates so I think my top advice would be to contribute to those as much as you can (even though it'll likely make you feel awkward). Making friends is not easy at times but remember everyone is in the same boat- whether living in halls or not. Everyone is starting from scratch and hoping they settle in and make friends just as you are :hugs:

Personally I never felt that I missed out on much, as I got to know my coursemates really well and as an extention of that I ended up getting to know some of their room mates too over the years so my circle still ended up being pretty big. I never really felt lonely at all :h:

It's perfectly normal to be worried about these sorts of things for sure so don't feel bad asking. It's a big change in your life and especially at the moment making a change from school to a new environment is hard. And while you are first and foremost going to uni to get a degree and develop yourself there's no denying that the social side of things is a massive factor that can influence your time there, so know that your feelings are understandable.

Does the university that you're going to use anything like Unibuddy? Maybe if you have a look on their website and see if there are any opportunites to talk to a current student (I know at Strathclyde we have an email address and also use Unibuddy for this) they can chat to you about social life and how they settled in?

Happy to chat to you anytime if it'll help at all!

Take care,
- Caitlin :h:

Official University of Strathclyde Rep

Reply 5

University of Derby

Original post by Anonymous

Hi, what are people's opinions about staying home for uni? I know its more practical as my course will have placement and I have a car here but I'm worried about not making friends.

Hello,

Perfectly good question and one we hear a lot. I know lots of people that lived at home (both throughout their degree and those who did their first year in halls, then lived at home for the rest).

It sounds like you have good reason to stay at home with your placement and car situation - plus you'll save a lot on accommodation.

I think it depends on what you're looking to get out of uni. If you want to simply get a degree, you won't miss much by living at home. If you want your own space, easier access to social happenings then I would suggest giving halls a try - remember you don't need to live away for all three years. Having said that, I knew people that lived in halls and felt isolated because they didn't get on with their flatmates, so they moved back home.

A lot of the time, your course friends aren't those who live with you (unless you get a fluke), so actually if you're in for the day you'll get to spend time wit your course friends regardless. Plus, if social events are happening, you could still attend, just make the trip in from your home rather than your halls - how close are you to the city/university?

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Good luck!

James
Student Rep

:smile: