Provate versus Uni halls - first year

Im trying to decide between uni accom or private accomodation for next year at durham. Obviously the pros of uni college halls is that its more spcial because theres less international/ mature stusents. But i already know that i will be in a shared room next year with catering if i go into uni accom, which seems like a nightmare for me, especially with the price of catering. I wamted to know if people in priv accom found it isolating, if they got by on societies and classmates alone or not. Im not a super social perosn but i still want to make SOME friends. Both private and the uni halls pruces end up being super pricey, so theres not much eleway there. Thanks

Reply 1

Durham Students

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Original post by Anonymous

Hi there

Have you looked at shared housing? That's what most students do after their first year but it's definitely an option for first years too. It's cheaper than private accommodation blocks, you won't have to share a room and you can choose who you live with so it won't be isolating. The rent for shared houses varies according to the location, all the way from about £100/week to as high as £175/week (or even more). You can find properties on various estate agents' websites and also on the Facebook group- https://www.facebook.com/groups/162824307101648/?locale=en_GB

I lived in a shared private flat in first year as I found the college rent to be pretty expensive. I found the property through an estate agent's website and went for a viewing. I liked the place and then posted about it on the FB group and then met with potential people to share the flat with. I found a girl that I shared common values and lifestyles with, so it was an easy transition for me. We ended up living together for that whole year and the year after that too. So I would say it's definitely an option if you wanna try but it will definitely require more effort in terms of finding a good house at a good location and price and people you'd be compatible with.

Also, just to be clear, you will find a good amount of international and mature students in uni halls too. And I would construe having more of them as a pro because of the diversity of backgrounds and experiences they bring with them.

-Himieka

(edited 5 months ago)

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