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Halls - any alternatives?
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,714 Bot
I'm partly ranting, partly asking for assistance.
I feel kinda odd writing a thread for this forum, seeing as I'm not currently a student. However, since I left, I've already been thinking ahead about next year. I was pretty certain that I'd go back to halls next year. However, this week's raised some doubts. On Friday afternoon, I went to get my sister from halls. (she's coming home for a couple of days) When I went into her room, all the memories of the weeks I spent at halls came back to mind. I'm now having serious doubts about whether halls is the right option for me.
Let me explain a bit about this. I'm extremely unhappy with the way the uni treated me, and they know it. They put me in with three of the most awful blokes imaginable. Well, I say three - I never actually met one of them, and neither did anyone else. I even checked with the office one day to ask if anybody was there, and they insisted there was. The two I did meet, however, were unimpressive. One was this postgraduate student, who I had absolutely nothing in common with. Him and me were in completely different places in our lives, and we didn't get on. However, what really took the piss was the fact one of my flatmates was this Albanian bloke who was probably twice my age. The fact he had a bald patch suggested he wasn't in the first flushes of youth, wouldn't you say? I'm prepared to be open-minded about who I was living with, but this was bluntly taking the piss.
I actually asked that, were another room to become available in the hall, that they offer to move me there. Ironic then, that the first room that did become available was mine! Anyway, the experience has left me seriously peeved and very angry. If this is the way that someone over 21 (so-called "mature students") is treated in the allocation process, then I don't know why I bothered. I've been talking to a high-ranking official at the university about all this, and the answers so far don't inspire confidence. The fact is, I'm getting older every year. If all goes well - and that's a big if - I'll be 26 at graduation. Is halls even a suitable option for me anymore?
If it isn't, that leads to another problem. Are the alternatives any better? Let's say that I went to live in a student house. There's every possibility I could end up with another bunch who are just as bad. What's a guy to do?
I feel kinda odd writing a thread for this forum, seeing as I'm not currently a student. However, since I left, I've already been thinking ahead about next year. I was pretty certain that I'd go back to halls next year. However, this week's raised some doubts. On Friday afternoon, I went to get my sister from halls. (she's coming home for a couple of days) When I went into her room, all the memories of the weeks I spent at halls came back to mind. I'm now having serious doubts about whether halls is the right option for me.
Let me explain a bit about this. I'm extremely unhappy with the way the uni treated me, and they know it. They put me in with three of the most awful blokes imaginable. Well, I say three - I never actually met one of them, and neither did anyone else. I even checked with the office one day to ask if anybody was there, and they insisted there was. The two I did meet, however, were unimpressive. One was this postgraduate student, who I had absolutely nothing in common with. Him and me were in completely different places in our lives, and we didn't get on. However, what really took the piss was the fact one of my flatmates was this Albanian bloke who was probably twice my age. The fact he had a bald patch suggested he wasn't in the first flushes of youth, wouldn't you say? I'm prepared to be open-minded about who I was living with, but this was bluntly taking the piss.
I actually asked that, were another room to become available in the hall, that they offer to move me there. Ironic then, that the first room that did become available was mine! Anyway, the experience has left me seriously peeved and very angry. If this is the way that someone over 21 (so-called "mature students") is treated in the allocation process, then I don't know why I bothered. I've been talking to a high-ranking official at the university about all this, and the answers so far don't inspire confidence. The fact is, I'm getting older every year. If all goes well - and that's a big if - I'll be 26 at graduation. Is halls even a suitable option for me anymore?
If it isn't, that leads to another problem. Are the alternatives any better? Let's say that I went to live in a student house. There's every possibility I could end up with another bunch who are just as bad. What's a guy to do?
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
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Comments
I have friends from my classes, friends from my social clubs, friends I met in my 2nd year's halls, friends I met through friends, friends I cant remember how I met them, etc etc. My point is yeah its nice to have flatmates you know & get on with, but I mainly use my room for sleep & work anyway, so I can sleep & work in peace without being interrupted by my mates, who all live elsewhere.
Yeah, you could get student housing, but its exactly the same there. You never know who you're going to get.
Just go for it. Uni isnt all about your flatmates :thumb:
you meet them first and don't rely on the university to put you in with some random people. some universities set up days when you can meet other first years looking to rent accommodation externally to the university. that way you can meet them and see if you'd get on with them before committing yourself in any way.
if you did go for university accommodation you could ask to be put in with non-mature students - making it blatantly obvious to them.
If you're not far off the age of most undergraduates then you could ask to be treated like one of them rather than as a mature student.
Apart from him being forty and albanian, what was worng with that housemate? And as for the absent one- bonus, one less person to nick your cheese!
If your uni does do something like a mixing day which mine did, then you could go to that. I basically got to go along to a day with other people looking for houses, do some getting to know you games and then choose people to live with... and to be hoenst, even that wasn't really a choice as you didnt have enough time to get to know anyone properly, it was all based on first impressions.
I assume you were put with mature students because that's what you're technically classed as - the only thing you can do is ask your uni not to put you with mature students - they may think you're being awkward and may not listen to you, but if you dont ask you dont get.
Student accommodation in first year is always a bit hit and miss. i;d say very few people get on with the people they get put with, but most people can put up with it for a year as they make friends outside of where they live and spend time with them.
if you really dont want to take the chance of ending up with people you dont like then i would suggest looking on the internet for people advertising rooms in student houses. i dont know if your uni has this, but mine has a website where people can advertise spare rooms, or say they need one more person before they go looking for a house. if you do that you'll be able to meet people first and see if you do want to live with them. i realise this will be hard for you as i guess you wont be able to go backwards and forwards from your home to uni to meet people and look at houses, but if you're that worried then that's what id suggest.
Being 23 is going to be a pain, a lot of the behaviour of the just turned 18 yr old freshers will annoy you, but then a large portion of the people in halls who aren't straight from school/gap year freshers are going to be slightly odd grads/post grads.
If you reckon living with 18 yr old school leavers is likely to work out better than others who fall into the 'mature' category you can try talking to the accomodation office and see if they'll allocate you as a standard fresher rather than as a mature student.
I know our accomodation office is pretty relaxed about which categories people get put into. A quick chat will get a young mature student treated like the non mature sort.
There is such a mix in mine, 2nd years, 1st years, and a couple of masters students...but we all socialise and all get on...we don't necessarily have lots in common, but for us it's all about just getting to know each other and havin' a bit of cráic.
capo2
It's not really up to the uni to find you amazing people to live with, they are running a business with halls and want to make money and stick people together.
i dont have anything in common with the people i live with which was upsetting for a while because they've all become close friends but i've made friends in the same block..just that they dont live in the same flat number as me.
They moved people pretty easily in my halls, I remember a lot of people chopping and changing rooms between September and Christmas.
If you really can't handle the pot luck element and the chances that you're not going to like everyone you're living with (and their habits/scruples) then private rental might be the way forward. A 21 year old isn't going to be treated as your typical mature student because they probably assume the majority of them are still up for a laugh with the young-uns, though of course that doesn't explain your placement. There were loads of mature students in with "typical" students when I lived in halls, including the legendary Brucie with his camper van and trail of ex-wives
You need to put some pressure on the Accommodation Office for information and help. If they can't guarantee you something that's going to be to your liking then I'd start looking privately, especially if it's going to save a hell of a lot of stress. I do think halls are worth fronting out, though, I loved them and even the people I know who had problems came to resolve them during the course of the year (or became experts in ignoring people/concealing food in secret parts of the fridge).
I've sent off an e-mail this afternoon to someone at the Accommodation Office. I'll probably get a reply to that tomorrow now. I'm realistic about my prospects.
You can't be fussy with who you live with at Uni! You get allsorts!
And if you were still able to go out lots and party then I don't see what the issue is?
In any case, I asked whether the alternatives were any better, not to get into a debate about a bloke who I'll most likely never meet again.
I wouldn't be happy with it but I'd just have to get on with it! I had to SHARE a room in my first year and that was pretty much like hell. Hall accommodation is never perfect...if it wasn't living with an older person it would be living with someone who never washed up or soemone who nicked your food or someone who was the biggest arsehole on the planet. You get what I'm saying?
Well tbh from what I can see your other options are:
1. Shared house, likely to cost more? Equally likely to have old or 'selfish' people there.
2. Go to a uni close to home and live there.
How does this make him "one of the most awful blokes imaginable" ?? :rolleyes:
So what exactly was wrong with this guy ?
1. His Baldness?
2. His age ?
Or because he was from albania?
I honestly, don't see how this is the uni taking piss. When I read the first few paragraphs of your thread, I thought you must have been put with some kind of crack dealing serial killer.
i think the question is, is moving away from home a suitable option?
Not meaning to sound harsh. But all this "halls" business, sounds like a hell of a lot of excuses to me. If your prepared to do 3/4 years @ uni, your going to have a lot more things to deal with, instead of a bald older person in the room next door.
I think you just need to decide if your ready to take the next leap.