Moving to college or university is an exciting time. There’s no feeling like moving to a new city, starting your course, meeting your course mates and gaining a newfound freedom. But where should you stay when you move to uni?
For some, one of the biggest and best parts of first year is moving into halls of residence. Halls are a place where you get to bond with others and live independently while you study. However, not everyone feels the same way about halls. Our poll revealed that 83% per cent of people have said that they wish they didn’t stay in halls during first year.
When asked about their halls of residence experience, one Twitter user said that she hated her time in halls:
Although, another user on Reddit felt exactly the opposite:
It appears that there are mixed feelings when it comes to living in halls, so if you're someone who’s thinking about moving into halls, here are some pros and cons to help make your decision easier.
Why you should move into halls of residence:
When you move into your flat, you might be feeling nervous about meeting your new flatmates, but don’t worry - they will be feeling the same as you. You’ll soon find things you have in common with your fellow flatmates and the bonds will only get stronger as the year progresses. You’ll also get to meet people in your neighbouring flats, which is a fantastic opportunity to meet new people and form new friendships!
Security is another main reason that people choose halls of residence over a private flat. Most halls have 24/7 security and night concierge teams to help make your stay as safe as possible. Not only does this give you peace of mind, but it gives your family and friends piece of mind too. At some halls, security can also be trained for maintenance issues too, meaning you always have someone nearby to help you with any breakages or outages in your flat.
Although there is security on hand 24/7, living in halls is a very independent way of living. It helps you take responsibility and become more self-reliant. In halls, you cook for yourself, do your own shopping, do your own laundry and make sure everything is clean etc. This might sound like a hassle if you’re living comfortably at home with your parents, but it’s a great feeling going out and buying food that you want to eat, or choosing what time you prefer to have dinner.
Most importantly, halls are a really fun place to stay throughout your studies. When you’re not in lectures or tutorials, you will most likely spend your time in the kitchen where you will eat dinner with your friends, watch TV shows and movies or have game nights with all your flatmates. Not to mention, at the weekends there are almost always parties, where you can go and relax, meet new people and have a few drinks to start the weekend!
Why you shouldn’t move into halls of residence:
Most of the time in halls, the flatmates that you get put with are very friendly and chatty. However, this isn't always the case. When you move to halls, you often don’t get to know who you’ll be living with until move in day. You might end up with a flatmate who doesn’t spend much time in the kitchen, doesn’t socialise, doesn’t help with cleaning, doesn’t seem very friendly and just keeps to themself. This might not seem like a massive issue, but for some people, it's a dealbreaker.
Although halls are a sociable place, they are also very noisy. Students are notorious for hosting parties and playing loud music, not to mention the 3am fire alarms when someone burns their toast. Rooms in halls typically have very thin walls too, which means that if your flatmates are watching TV, playing music or even just talking, you will be able to hear it. Again, some people are okay with this, but if you like peace and quiet, halls might not be the place for you.
Cooking, cleaning and doing laundry independently is another huge part of the halls experience. Most people try their best to keep things clean and tidy, but this isn’t the case for everyone. You might get put in a flat with people who aren't too fussed about cleanliness and don’t clean up after themselves, at which point dirty dishes start to pile up, bins start to smell, and countertops start to become cluttered. This isn't guaranteed to happen but it’s something you can't rule out when living with lots of other people.
The biggest factor when it comes to halls is the cost. University halls are usually upwards of £110 per week, while private halls can cost as much as £160+ per week, which works out to be very expensive. If you’re on a budget and want to live somewhere a bit cheaper, you might be better off looking for a private rented flat with friends, so you can split the monthly rent and bills between you and lower your cost of living.
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