The Student Room Group

experience with shared housing

i was wondering what peoples experience has been with sharing with strangers? im a bit apprehensive, especially because i’ll be moving quite far away from home, so i guess i’m looking for some good stories and advice lol
Original post by vincentvangooo
i was wondering what peoples experience has been with sharing with strangers? im a bit apprehensive, especially because i’ll be moving quite far away from home, so i guess i’m looking for some good stories and advice lol


It's really all down to luck.
If you mean private rented accommodation on monthly terms you can always move out and on. If you sign long-term rental agreements and are unlucky then you'll have to learn how to bear it.
If you mean shared uni accommodation then if your unlucky pray for a good accommodation office that can switch you around.

Good Luck.:rolleyes::smile::frown:Submit reply
It's a mixed bag but I prefer living alone.
I've lived in a variety of private rented houseshares with students, professionals and their pets.
I'll never live in any rental accomodation with a shared bathroom or kitchen again. :yikes:

One undergrad houseshare included 2 dogs who disliked each other, 7 human residents and one bathroom. :bawling:

I did make a few good friends.
But there were just so many nightmare housemates.
Extremely argumentative, creepy, freeloading, horrifyingly unhygenic, lazy, loud, nosy, overbearing, thieving or with very weird friends/relations/ partners who visited too often.
I'm so glad that my days of housemates and shared bathrooms & kitchens are behind me. :woo:
Original post by vincentvangooo
i was wondering what peoples experience has been with sharing with strangers? im a bit apprehensive, especially because i’ll be moving quite far away from home, so i guess i’m looking for some good stories and advice lol

Hi there,
It's normal to be nervous when preparing to live with strangers. From my experience, I didn't particularly click with the people I lived with in my first uni halls, but it did teach me a lot about the different people out there. You get to see people from all different backgrounds and it makes you a much more open and accepting person. I do feel however that my experience was uncommon because most people I knew in halls made really good friends with the people they lived with. They often become your best friends because you live with them and get so used to them. But don't feel pressured if you don't bond with them straight away. There are so many opportunities to make good friends at uni so you're not lost if they don't become your friend group. Hope this helps and good luck!
-Grace
Original post by vincentvangooo
i was wondering what peoples experience has been with sharing with strangers? im a bit apprehensive, especially because i’ll be moving quite far away from home, so i guess i’m looking for some good stories and advice lol


Hiya

I've lived in a shared house since my first year and it has been a great experience. Even though you have more control over who you want to live with when it comes to shared houses, sometimes people turn out different than how you judged them. My flatmate in first year was one of the best people I've ever lived with and we're continuing to share a house in second year as well. Initially, it took some time for both of us to open up but now we're really really good friends. What I did was help her out whenever I could, like going shopping with her. It helped us to talk more and get to know each other better.

It's also really important to establish boundaries. We both thought that sharing each other's groceries or snacks was not a big deal so we communicated that and there was never a fight or argument. We're both Asian so had a similar taste in food so we cooked for each other quite often. Whenever one of us was out of the flat, the other never intruded with their stuff or went into their room- that should come to everyone quite naturally but if need be, it's good to tell your housemates that you wouldn't want them to go through your stuff or enter your room without knocking.

You should all talk about how much of a party person you are and whether anybody is going to be hosting raves and how often. Ofcourse it's good to have people over sometimes but I wouldn't like my housemate throwing parties every weekend and disturbing everyone else in the house.

That's all I can think of for now, I hope you get along with your housemates <3

-Himieka
Original post by vincentvangooo
i was wondering what peoples experience has been with sharing with strangers? im a bit apprehensive, especially because i’ll be moving quite far away from home, so i guess i’m looking for some good stories and advice lol

Hello,

Many, if not most, Freshers live with strangers when they first move away to university. It can be scary because of the unknown but it is often these experiences that are the most beneficial.

I have found the best thing you can do when moving in with strangers is get stuck in. Go to as many events as you can with them for example, suggest you go to Fresher's fair together, see if they want to go on any nights out with you (as long as you want to) or even just getting a takeaway together one night. I also found little things like offering your flat mates a cup of tea when you stick the kettle on strengthens relationships as it often leads to a little chat and you have thought of them.

University is a time when you move away and find your own routine and independence. I found that meeting all of these new people increased my confidence but also shaped me a lot as I was interacting with types of people I had not before. It seems so scary at first but it is quite normal at university and everyone is in the same boat.

There are things you can do to make it easier if you are apprehensive. For example, you could get a room with an ensuite so you only share the kitchen. Or if that is not within your budget, making your room homely will really help. That is your space, keep pictures up of home and family, things like fairy lights and a comfort from home such as a soft blanket really help. This way if things become overwhelming and you want some personal space, you will feel a lot better for it.

I hope this helps!
Lydia :smile:
Original post by vincentvangooo
i was wondering what peoples experience has been with sharing with strangers? im a bit apprehensive, especially because i’ll be moving quite far away from home, so i guess i’m looking for some good stories and advice lol


Hey!

If I'm honest I was so nervous this time last year! I think my best advice would be just give everyone you're living with a chance! At first I thought I really wasn't going to get along with one of my flatmates and then we ended up being the best of friends! Sometimes, people act a bit different or strange the first few days or week even just because of the high levels of anxiety and adjusting to a new way of living. There is an element of luck, I genuinely got on really well with all my flatmates and miss living with them already!

However, I do have some friends that weren't as fortunate with their flatmates. But this honestly didn't stop them from enjoying themselves and having a good first year. I think its important to remember that yes its amazing if you do get on with your flatmates but its not absolutely essential in order to have a good time!

Hope this helps and best of luck!
Abby, University of Chichester, Student Rep First Year Ambassador
Original post by vincentvangooo
i was wondering what peoples experience has been with sharing with strangers? im a bit apprehensive, especially because i’ll be moving quite far away from home, so i guess i’m looking for some good stories and advice lol


When I left for Chester uni I was in halls but was sharing the kitchenette with strangers. Having our own space e.g. cupboards, shelves in the fridge etc. really helped keep the peace and my own sanity on having my things organised lol
Original post by vincentvangooo
i was wondering what peoples experience has been with sharing with strangers? im a bit apprehensive, especially because i’ll be moving quite far away from home, so i guess i’m looking for some good stories and advice lol


Hi,
Before starting university I felt the exact some way! Once you get there it may be awkward to start so my advice is to introduce yourself to everyone. You can easily start with your name, where you're from and what course you're doing. From there you can start to find common ground. I may be lucky but I found that sharing accommodation was not quite as bad as I first thought, everyone I met at Kent was really kind and managed to keep the communal areas such as the kitchen pretty clean and were also quite respectful in terms of noise.
Although I have heard of others from different Unis who have not been as lucky. In this case I recommend to keep everything that is yours separated and that although you may be sharing accommodation, you will still feel a sense of independence as you are away from home and you may not even see your room mates very often as you are all strangers to each other!
- Malek :smile:
University of Kent Rep
Would it be advisable to get a table top fridge into uni ?
Original post by Anonymous
Would it be advisable to get a table top fridge into uni ?


Hello,

You need to be careful with an item like this as they are often banned within the contract. They are seen as fire hazards and so many halls of residence don't allow them.

I didn't have any problems sharing a fridge and freezer. I also found it was motivation to go into the kitchen and say hi if I was feeling nervous.

I hope this helps,
Lydia :smile:

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