Going into uni accommodation advice
Reply 1
Deciding whether to stay at home or in university accommodation is an important decision that can impact your social experience during your studies.
Here are some points to consider:
1.
Living on or near campus can provide more opportunities to meet people and make friends, especially in your first year. Additionally, it may be easier to form study groups with classmates who are also living in university accommodation. Lastly, you will have better access to university events, clubs, and societies, which can enhance your overall experience.
2.
However, staying at home and commuting to class can offer comfort and stability, which is especially valuable during the demanding medical course. Furthermore, it can save you money on accommodation costs. Finally, you might find it easier to balance your studies and personal life.
Choose the option that enforces your well-being and helps you showcase your best academic performance.
I hope I managed to help!
Best of luck,
Melanie
LSBU Rep
Living on student accommodation certainly facilitates knowing people, but you can still meet people even if you commute. It's all about the mindset, you see.
A lot of commuters suffer from what I call commuteritis, which is basically, they show up for what they have to show up at uni and then leave because they want to be back home asap. They are barely around the university, they can only be seen hanging around if we have a break between lectures, and they rarely engage with anybody or anything relating the fun social aspect of university. That... is a terrible university experience that, in my experience, most commuters choose to engage in, rather than being an inherent issue of commuting. You can commute, but also talk to people in the lectures, don't be afraid to make friends, hang out with them at uni (before or after you're done for the day), engage in extracurricular activities like societies or any of the social events your university will do... these are all things that you can do, even as a commuter! The thing is, many commuters actively choose not to do any of that and so they don't enjoy university and they don't meet anybody. But as long as you're not like them, you'll be absolutely fine
And also, it's ok to not have any friends going to your university. It's very common, but you'll be alright, you'll make new friends. Just don't forget to stay in touch with your old ones if they mean that much to you
Reply 3
Hi there,
This is a tough decision so I thought I would give you my pros on both staying at home and living in accommodation.
Staying at home:
•
You will save money on accommodation. Living in halls can be expensive and this will be a big cost saving if you live at home. You will also save money on bills and food etc.
•
You will still have your home comforts and this can be comforting when you have deadlines coming up, exams etc. Especially as you will be doing a demanding course, it could be nice to have this around you and this could help you with your work!
•
You would be close to your friends so you can still see them and do fun things with them, again when university gets stressful with the workload it can be good to have people you are close with and are familiar to you around you.
Living in accommodation:
•
You will meet lots of new people that you wouldn't do if you lived at home. While you can still make lots of friends at uni as a commuter student, you will have more opportunities to meet people that you are living with and it can be nice as you are all in the same boat.
•
As you said, it is easier to study with your course mates as you will be closer to them so if they want to go to the library you will be there to do that without having to be on a time limit to get your train etc.
•
Living away from home is a great new opportunity! You get the chance to learn new things such as cooking and living independently which you may not have the chance to do if you live at home. It is also fun living with a group of people a similar age to you and you may not experience this at another time!
•
You will have to pay more for accommodation, but you won't have to pay for your commute which could potentially be every day if your course is quite full on. It's worth looking at how much the commute would cost you, as although it will be less than rent for accommodation, it might be more than you think which could change your decision.
I hope some of this helps and good luck with your decision making
Lucy - SHU student ambassador.
Reply 4
Hi there,
Deciding whether to live at home or go into university accommodation can be difficult, as both have their advantages.
Here are some points that you can consider to hopefully help you come to a decision:
•
One of the most obvious advantages of living at home is saving money. Depending on your home living situation, you will save on rent, groceries, bills, and other expenses, which will be a great way to save up while studying.
•
Something you might not have considered yet is that you get the chance to 'switch off'. Instead of living and being in a university environment 24/7, you get the chance to go home, relax, and do things that are familiar to you.
•
You'll be around home comforts if you live at home, which may be beneficial to you (although you can try to make your university accommodation a new home/as homely as you can!). This can help you to ease into your independence, balance your workload, and feel less homesick.
•
I personally believe it is easier to make friends if you live in halls. Yes, you can absolutely put the effort in if you commute to make plans, attend every event you can, and meet people, but I personally think there is something different about being thrust into a new experience with people in the same boat. The friends I made in the first weekend of living in halls are lifelong!
•
There are also a lot of options when it comes to university accommodation. You might be wanting your own space, to try something new, and to gain independence, which I think moving to university is great for.
•
And quite obvious - but you are around everything! You are aware of all of the events going on, are able to make plans at the drop of a hat, and can hangout with your friends/do activities at any time you like.
Just know it is perfectly okay to choose either option, and it is totally up to you. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, so I'd advise you to weigh up both options, create a pros and cons list (this helps me a lot with difficult decisions), and talk to your family/support network if you are unsure.
Best of luck,
Isabella
Third-year Geography with a Year Abroad Student
Reply 5
Anon,
It's great the university you want to attend is not too far from your home. It means that it will not be too stressful to get to university or back and that you will be able to switch off from the university and be close to family.
Medicine is a very demanding course and so being able to feel supported by family and friends nearby will make a huge difference! This does not mean that you will not be able to find other people to study with or be unable to make friends. There may be others on the course who also commute who might not live too far away from you, and once you begin to get to know people on the course you can begin to find people who can be a good library or revision buddy. You may have to arrange a suitable time to meet but as its likely you will be on campus a lot, it should be quite easy.
Try not to worry!
Oluwatosin – 3rd year student – University of Huddersfield
Hi there,
As a medical student myself, I commuted for the second half of my first year due to lockdown and I found that I still managed to make friends and meet people on my course. I think in medicine it is slightly different because you are at uni alot so therefore you spend alot of time with those on your course. Whether you sit next to someone in lectures, or have a specific group for anatomy or clinical skills, there are plenty of ways to meet other medical students and become good friends.
I would also recommend joining the medsoc and other societies- this is a good way to meet people from medicine and other courses.
I hope this helps,
Ellen
Y4 Medical Student
Sunderland Univeristy Digital Ambassador
Reply 7
Staying in university accommodation, at least for the first term or year, can be a great way to meet new people and form connections. It provides a shared experience and can make it easier to connect with your fellow students. However, if you prefer to stay at home, there are still plenty of opportunities to make friends at university through clubs, societies, study groups, freshers events, sport clubs, events, volunteering opportunities and much more!!
Ultimately, the decision should be based on what makes you feel most comfortable and supports your well-being and academic success.
Let me know if you have any questions,
Ilya
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- I Need Advice On January Start - Uni
- Uni of Liverpool accommodation
- Accommodation for Insurance Choices
- When should I apply for dorms?
- Accom in Cardiff
- Only just put in my Exeter University Accommodation application!
- Too poor for accom offer
- London uni insurance accommodation
- Uni of Sheffield or Uni of Birmingham?
- Exeter University Accommodation
- Accommodation at LJMU
- Nottingham Uni. Veterinary medicine advice
- Student finance living at home
- Private Accommodation - University London
- Student finance and accommodation
- University Accommodation
- Acoomodation birmingham
- private accommodation vs university provided accommodation
- Kicked Out, No Accommodation After July & Transferring to UCL – Need Advice
- University of Nottingham accommodation advice
Last reply 3 months ago
Laptop vs iPad for universityLast reply 3 months ago
living away from home for university- pros / cons, advice ?15
15
Last reply 4 months ago
Should I Appeal an Academic Misconduct Finding at a UK University?Last reply 4 months ago
Will I be an outcast in uni if I don’t use social media?14
13
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
