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Best place to live when at Uni?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
Hello, I know I'm looking slightly far ahead... still doing my AS levels, but just wondering where is the best place to live when at uni?

I don't mean the town that you live in, but rather the uni accomodation, own flat, flat with friends you already know or at a relatives house?

I like the idea of having my own flat. IE: Doing what I want when I want and walking around completely naked xD, but I have a feeling it'll be very expensive...

Anyone got any suggestions (or if you had your own flat at uni, was it overly expensive)?
Post edited by JustV on
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    having your own flat probably will be very expensive. i dont know anyone who actually does/has done that. i know people who live in flats with their boyfriends, but not on their own.

    personally, i'd live in halls for your first year. its a good way of meeting new people and really getting involved in everything. it does depend on what sort of person you are though, halls arent for everyone.

    depending on what uni you go to there will probably be quite a wide range of accommodation available to you. if you don't think halls are what you want, you'll probably have the option to live in a house with other students.

    as for living with people you already know, well that will be up to you but it probably isnt that likely that you'll be going to uni with your current mates.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Halls of residence are almost certainly the best option in the first year. The only case I would say otherwise is if you already have experience running your own home.
    Kat_B wrote:
    as for living with people you already know, well that will be up to you but it probably isnt that likely that you'll be going to uni with your current mates.
    I don't wish to spook anyone here, but when college mates of mine went to university, I didn't stay in touch with a single one. Two and a half years later, I don't regret this. Frankly, I'm glad to see the back of them. That's why I'm looking forward to uni - I won't be meeting the same people over and over again in the city!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah for the first year, definately halls of residence. most places are usually relatively cheap and nice!! plus you get to meet new people, which you wouldnt do if you lived at home/lived with friends/in your own flat!!

    that way, after first year hopefully you will have made a few firm friends to go on and live with in the next 2/3 years :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    For the first year, I would say halls.

    After that, in a shared house.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    After that, in a shared house.
    Hope you don't mind me asking this, but as a broad rule, how many people live in a shared house?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    Hope you don't mind me asking this, but as a broad rule, how many people live in a shared house?

    4 at least I say.

    Halls for the first year definately. There's a good chance you'll be near people you know anyway from school or home plus loads of new mates from all over the world. Definately a good experience. Then shared house after.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah, between 4 and 8ish in a shared house usually.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yep, i agree with everyone else, definetly stay in halls the first year, its great fun, and you get to make lots of new friends. Then most people want to move in to a shared house for the second year. I wouldnt have minded staying in halls for the second year too, but i wanted to live with my mates, and they wanted to live off campus, but i didn't mind either way really.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    halls definitly! there were about 80 people in my building and i knew them all. in 1st year we would all go out in massive groups to the same clubs. was brilliant!!

    then you should move into a shared house from second year.

    i lived with 10 girls in the 2nd year and 7 girls this year (some have graduated).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    big houses then !

    ive known of a normal occurance of 3-5 people in a house
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kathryn wrote:
    You have your whole life to do this, live alone, this is is a once in a life time opportunity to meet a wide range of people who you might never have mixed with before, you wont like them all but the ones you will like will make your time at uni so special.
    Advantages of living alone;
    - You can walk around the house naked and no one will mind.
    - You can fart with impunity.
    - You can live on a diet of junk food.
    - Er, that's it...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kathryn wrote:
    You can actually get away with all three of those in a shared house depending on your housemates :D
    I never thought of that... :chin:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    Hope you don't mind me asking this, but as a broad rule, how many people live in a shared house?

    around 4, but i'm living in a 14 bed house next year so it varies.

    if you can, live in halls in your first year. it's the main way you'll have of meeting new people and is part of the uni life. don't live on your own in a flat, you'll get bored and not meet new people.

    i say this from experience as in my first year i ended up living in a shared house with 3 other people. while it was alright, i think i've missed out by not having experienced living in halls.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I lived in halls in the first year, a shared flat (there were two of us) in the second year and I'm back in halls for my final year. In London halls are way cheaper than renting in the private sector plus you don't have to worry about bills, plumbers, landlords etc.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Randomgirl wrote:
    I lived in halls in the first year, a shared flat (there were two of us) in the second year and I'm back in halls for my final year. In London halls are way cheaper than renting in the private sector plus you don't have to worry about bills, plumbers, landlords etc.


    just to be nosey, how much do you pay a week roughly in london for rent?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well the cheapest way is to stay at home or with a relative if you are moving....

    but that is a surefire way of slashing the chance for a new social cricles, so I'd say halls. Than you got to a shared house in your 2nd and 3rd year.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Halls are a good way of settling into life away from home. It's nice because you'll probabvly have a big group of people around you, so within that group there are bound to be people you'll get on well with. If you go straight into a house, you might end up with people you don't like that much!

    It is nice having the freedom of a house, and it does feel more 'grown-up'. But to be honest, when you're a fresher you don't want too much responsibility, you want to just chill out and have fun! Bills etc are a bit of an arse and I wouldn't have wanted to deal with them in the first year, I think I've grown up a lot since then :) So my recommendation would be to go into halls!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah...

    the home students are lepers unless they are girls ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Walkindude wrote:
    the home students are lepers unless they are girls ;)
    Eh? :eek2:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    Eh? :eek2:
    i think he means that people who go to uni but don't live away from home dont really make any new friends.. unless they are girls.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lipsy wrote:
    i think he means that people who go to uni but don't live away from home dont really make any new friends.. unless they are girls.
    So, women who go to university but live at home are more likely to make new friends than men? I must admit I'm slightly baffled.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    So, women who go to university but live at home are more likely to make new friends than men? I must admit I'm slightly baffled.
    walkindude logic :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Walkindude wrote:
    yeah...

    the home students are lepers unless they are girls ;)

    What about the people who are actually there to study, rather than live like a student and go out drinking/partying?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What about the people who are actually there to study, rather than live like a student and go out drinking/partying?
    Which category do you fit into? :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well, seeing as I don't live at home and commute, it doesn't really apply, but a bit of both :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What about the people who are actually there to study, rather than live like a student and go out drinking/partying?


    you can do both.

    i don't think anyone would really go to uni to just get pissed all the time. it's too much like hard work with all the work you have to do.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I know, I meant that sometimes people who live at home are just there for the study, not the experience. I should have made it a bit clearer :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I know, I meant that sometimes people who live at home are just there for the study, not the experience.
    Hang on, that's a slightly questionable assertion. I know one girl who commutes to university every day and the only reason she does it is because of money. And going to university just for the "experience" sounds like an expensive and pointless waste of time to me.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    Hang on, that's a slightly questionable assertion. I know one girl who commutes to university every day and the only reason she does it is because of money. And going to university just for the "experience" sounds like an expensive and pointless waste of time to me.


    i'm there for many reasons. one of them being for the experience. nowt wrong with that.

    i'd rather go to uni and do my degree than say do it through OU.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i'm there for many reasons. one of them being for the experience. nowt wrong with that.
    Well, as long as it's one of the reasons, and not the sole one... ;)
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