In today’s post, I wanted to share a quick guide on what need to know about student accommodation in the UK. I remember looking to book accommodation and being confused by the options, terms, and facilities. Ultimately getting into the university of your choice is important, but where you are going to live while you are studying is also a super big decision!
Why is Choosing Student Accommodation Important?
Moving to a new country, city, area or even just a new house can be very stressful. There is a lot to organise, clean, pack and eventually unpack! It might take sometime before you are feeling at home at your new accommodation.
The longer it takes to adjust and feel comfortable, the longer your living situation is distracting you from fun and important things at the university. If you invest time into choosing your accommodation, you will know what to expect when you arrive at uni. In this way, you will be more efficient with starting out your university experience!
Halls vs Private Accommodation
First decision to make is whether go for a student accommodation at all. Student Accommodation or Halls of Residence/Halls (or Dormitory/Dorms in the US), is basically any type of accommodation that exclusively houses students. These can be modern or traditional buildings, small or large, private or university-owned. Halls are usually mixed gender and sometimes mixed university too. Halls of Residence will have social areas, common rooms, laundry, study areas and so on. The number of facilities will vary depending on a particular building.
Usually, in the UK, you live in Halls in your first year and then move to private student accommodation or privately rented flat/house from your second year. But of course, everyone’s experience is different.
By Private Accommodation, I mean renting any type of housing from a private landlord. This can be a flat, house, room, boat, caravan or even a mansion. Whatever your needs and of course, whatever is your budget.
“Pros and Cons” List – Residence Halls vs Renting Privately
Student Accommodation/Halls of Residence:
Pros:
- It is a social space where you can meet people outside your course and make new friends
- It can be cost-effective, especially if the meals are provided
- Some universities have traditional buildings so it is very charming
- At UK universities you will never share a room, all rooms are private/single!
- It is a safe scene, quite often there are numerous CCTV cameras and a security guard on site
- Bills and other utilities will be run by the accommodation provider, so it is not as difficult to get used to living away from home
Cons:
- It can be noisy and hmm… dirty! Not all students are clean and going out on weekdays is very common (VERY).
- You have less flexibility in terms of dates of stay. Certain halls expect you to move out during holidays or as soon as the Summer Term ends
- There could be fewer options for cheap accommodation
- If you are looking for a large space or wish to live with your family/partner/friends it could be very costly
- You are not placed in university halls until end of summer, so it can be agonising to wait for the details of your accommodation
- In many universities, the student accommodation is guaranteed for international students for the first year, but this is not at all unis and is not guaranteed for other types of students
Renting Privately
Pros:
- You will probably get more space, especially if you decide to rent alone – studios at student accommodation are tiny and costly
- A lot of flexibility in the cost, space, location, size, design etc…
- You can choose who to live with, especially handy if your desired housemates are non-students
- There is an option to live alone, no distractions or unwanted mess
- You can get a dog/cat/snake if your landlord allows
- Easier to get parking for the car if you have one
- You can isolate yourself from student lifestyle (for example, if you are worried being around drunk students)
Cons:
- It is time-consuming to find a suitable space to rent, it can be even more difficult if you are coming from abroad
- Most probably the bills such as internet and heating won’t be included, so it is harder to budget your costs
- Can be quite lonely if you are living by yourself
- Be prepared to manage a lot of paperwork in order to rent out a property, as well as organizing the payment of bills, fixing of any issues with the landlord (broken TV, boiler, etc)…
- You have to be more independent with your safety and be aware of the possibility of a scam when renting
- You will probably rent privately from your second year onwards anyways
University Halls vs Private Halls
If you decide to go for student accommodation (and this is the most common option in the first year of uni), then you would need to decide on whether to go for a hall run by the university or privately run halls.
If you are going to study at Oxford or Cambridge, skip this article and go for University Halls. Most of these building are right out of English period dramas or even Hogwarts, so don’t hesitate! Many other universities have nice traditional buildings that can make you fall in love with Britain even more.
Another perk of living in University Halls is the events and traditions. Many halls organise events such as Christmas Dinners and Summer Balls, pub quiz nights and sporting events. They might have elections for the President of the Hall and many buildings compete with other halls for points 🙂
Private Halls are more modern structures, with studio rooms available. Most of the Private Halls do not provide meals, so you have to cook at your studio or a shared kitchen. You can also choose who to live with and book with your friends.
Other Things To Consider
Catered vs Self-Catered
Ok, just to clarify for people like me: “catered” – all or some meals are provided in the hall, “self-catered” – you are responsible for your own food, whatever this entails with your abilities (cooking, instant noodles or take away).
Catered:
- +Time and cost efficient
- +Social
- -The food will not always be to your taste or requirement
- -Social (eating every meal with people can be tiring)
Self-Catered:
- +You can finally learn how to cook!
- +You have flexibility what to eat, when to eat and how to eat (feel free to use your hands, no one is watching!)
- -Can be harder to plan your budget and you might need to buy pans, pots, plates and other grown-up things (such as a ladle? a strainer? a grater?)
- -Students are lazy, so you are at risk of eating microwave meals and other quick snacks
-Your cooking can suck
En-Suite vs Shared Bathroom
Again, for fellow friends who have no idea what “en-suite” means – it is a room with a private bathroom (only accessible by you). Other options at the university include sharing with 1, 2, 3…10 people.
I hope I don’t have to explain what pros and cons are with sharing a bathroom… The only thing to keep in mind, having a private bathroom will be (way) more expensive.
Location
This one is easy – you can stay on campus, near campus or far from campus.
(Campus is a territory of a university which includes university buildings, libraries, gym, shops, university halls and so on)
Living on campus is easy, convenient, low on transport costs and safe. You do feel like you are in a student bubble, being surrounded only by students, living with students, eating around students…
Staying outside of the campus means exploring more of the city, but can also mean spending more time and/or money traveling to lectures.
Costs
Some might think this should go first, but I don’t believe so. There are so many options available, so with a realistic budget, you should be able to meet your main needs.
First, understand all the options available to you. Then flag the main priorities for yourself and write two-three preferences down. You probably already know your budget, so now you can find affordable living with your desired features. You might have to compromise on other things that are not as vital to you – in many instances, it will be a trade-off between certain features. For example, if you wish to have a private bathroom at a decent cost, you might have to live a bit further from campus.
Don’t forget though: each experience is what you make of it! You might think that not getting accommodation of your choice is a disaster, but you never really know how it will turn out: WHO you will meet, WHAT you experience and HOW this adventure will change you…
Best of luck from Mind The Grad 🙂
P.S. Do pop any questions in the comment section below.
