For many of us university is the first flight from the nest and with so many things to prepare I can honestly say trying to find that suitable place is not only a challenge but physically and mentally draining. 

 If you are lucky enough,or clever enough, (you decide!) to have filled in halls of residence requests/ researched the local area and found suitable housemates, you will be absolutely fine.

If, however, like me, you left everything to the last minute, you will be in for a serious reality check come Septmenber.

The main quandary new students find themselves in is the halls v shared house debate. Halls are generally clean, and well maintained with the correct number of smoke alarms/doors etc. The landlord is the university so money laundering is not an issue and the obvious fact that you are generally positioned very close, if not on top of the campus has got to be a winner. Some lucky students are even blessed with an ensuite- a real luxury in student living.

Somehow, despite my frantic, last minute approach to house hunting, I managed to land myself one of the 30 odd ensuite campus halls. It was modest and the bed was way smaller than your average single but much to my delight I had a glistening bathroom- all to myself. Admittedley halls aren’t cheap, but like an expensive pair of shoes, they are reliable. You know what you’re getting and can rest assured lectures are a 2 minute stumble away. In fairness, I was fifteen minutes out of London so wasn’t suprised at the costly living, and not only the halls but the shops. 

Despite having my ‘home’ albeit a bedroom and bathroom in a very clinical looking building, I did find it very lonely. Obviously you are sharing with another 30 students, and as their was only 1 kitchen you were forced to mingle, but it just didn’t feel quite right. I must admit I felt a little bit ungrateful, I shouldn’t have got that accommodation but the officer had worked her magic and here I was in the most desirable living space for the Uni.

And then there is shared housing, although I went for the safe and secure option, I found some real beauties outside of the campus. One house was in the process of rennovation, which I can understand is a messy process but the mind boggles as to why a landlord would advertise a property that barely had any walls. Needless to say I didn’t take a second look at that one, for a start there was one smoke alarm, 1 bathroom and 8 bedrooms. It was all squeezed in to maximise profit and I think it may have been a little bit illegal. The second one I viewed was even less appealing, despite having four walls and being structurally intact, it was way out of town and the size of  a dolls house.

I always think shared housing promises house parties, new friends and a real sense of being self sufficient. Along with that comes (some) dodgy landlords, illegal living and complicated payment processes.  

So all in all, housing for students can provide more hassle than it is ultimately worth. Halls are hard to come by and expensive whilst shared housing can cause arguments and high fees. Obviously the most sensible idea is that of commuting, , however it is a far cry from student living, and after all, isn’t that why lots of us go to Uni?