Mature student

Living in student accommodation, does it work?

Hey!
Great question and I'll do my best to answer it from my experience and those of my friends. I've met multiple mature students who have chosen to do University accommodation but they came in fully prepared regarding how it will be like. If you are a first year student, you are often prioritised and usually guaranteed a spot (please check university guidelines for what you are applying for though as it differs per uni) but there are different types of accom to consider.
General accommodation consists of your own room with a shared kitchen and living room with many other flatmates in blocks or floors. This means sharing cupboards, living room equipment, fridges, washing machines, dryers and sometimes utensils. These accommodations can often be crowded and more catered towards students who are moving out for the first-time with facilitated events, room checks and more. You cannot guarantee who your flatmates will be and it is often a gamble. Read carefully whether bathrooms are private or shared! If you struggle with sharing or being near many people this may not be for you. On the positive side it is brilliant socially and can help you make friends very quickly when moving in. You likely won't see many mature students in uni accom but the environment is very welcoming regardless.
Next is house shares. These are more commonly arranged privately via a landlord where you have around 3-5 students living in the same house with their own rooms but once more sharing living rooms, most of the time these have shared bathrooms. More second year students go down this route as they have friends who they sign up with for the house shares who they trust. This is usually due to the fact that everyone has a key to the overall house (which they are responsible for locking) but the rooms usually don't unless you install one. It's a little harder to make friends in house shares as there are less people but it is still a great cheap option!
Private renting. Depending on where you live and what type of flat you choose, this can be either more or less expensive. I rent privately and it comes out cheaper than most student accommodations, though a little further from University. If you struggle with lateness and want to consistently hang out with others... not recommended! Otherwise if you love your own company, routine and not sharing things it's great.
Most of my friends who are mature went down the private route as they tend to already have their own privacy prioritised though some started off in accom and later did house shares. If you want the full University experience I recommend accommodation as it often has a closer knit circle to the inner workings of the Uni and chance for you to mingle outside of your course and get the know-how of everything early on. Age is just a number and most students don't tend to look at it negatively, at my University most don't even ask! Some universities require you to live in accommodation and not work during term so do read their policies beforehand.
I hope that gives some clarity for yourself and hopefully helps you decide. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions!
Aura (Uni of Staffs)