House Sharing or Student Halls?
This question is one on the lips of almost every student and it’s one of the most important decisions you make as your choice will completely depend on the University experience you have. There are merits to both of the options however they will depend on the type of person you are, your funds available and which university you go to.
Most people will stay in Halls of Residence during their first year as they don’t know any people at the University and this will give them a year to meet new people and find out who they may want to share a house with after their first year.
After this first year, most people will try to find a house with their friends as places in halls of residence are often limited. This will depend on whether they can afford to live out of halls, as halls will be much cheaper than house sharing, especially in London.
Some Universities only hold a limited number of rooms for second year students and beyond, so you may be forced to try to house share with some friends.
Finally, you must remember that if you are not in halls, you will have to cook, clean, buy food etc. which will require effort from yourself and every member of your house share. This can often cause rifts between friends as they find that some people don’t like to pull their weight and do their fair share.
Advantages of Halls
1. All your meals are cooked for you and cleaning done for you, you have limited responsibility and plenty of time to get on with studying.
2. It’s cheaper than being in a house share
Disadvantages of Halls
1. You get what you’re given, there are often different types of rooms in halls of residence, but ultimately there is little choice as to what you can do if you don’t get a room you like.
2. You have to tolerate who you’re stuck with, messy, annoying, loud, all characteristics of people that are not beneficial to be stuck with, especially if you don’t like them anyway.
Advantages of House Share
1. You get to choose who you stay with and they are usually people you know.
2. You can choose where to live, whether it be in the centre of town or just outside, you can choose where in the city you want to stay
Disadvantages of House Share
1. Cost, it tends to be more expensive to house share than stay in halls
2. Everyone must contribute, whether that be with the gas bill or the weekly food shop.
As you can see, each option has its own merits and it is down to you to see which is the best option for you.