Choosing the right accommodation for you can be a tough decision. For most students, halls are the obvious choice for their first year, but what do you do about your second year?
According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the majority of students live in private rented accommodation. Most people choose to live in shared housing, but this isn’t the right fit for everyone. It’s becoming increasingly common for students to live on their own.
I’m a third year student at the University of Derby and like most people, I spent my first year in halls.
When I was looking for second year accommodation, I realised that shared housing was not the right fit for me. For me, having my own space is important.
Though you have your own room in shared housing, you and your flatmates ultimately share space and, more importantly, share the responsibility for maintaining this space. This usually means keeping the kitchen clean and tidy, taking out the trash, doing the dishes etc. These can all cause arguments.
Sure it can get lonely living on your own, but sometimes it’s nice to just relax by yourself without having to worry about other people. I like my peace and quiet and it’s much easier to get it when you don’t have housemates making noise. Alternatively, when I return to my flat after a night out, I don’t have to worry about waking anyone up, so it’s a win-win.
There also aren’t as many distractions when you live by yourself which makes getting on with uni work much simpler. You don’t have any flatmates coming into your room for a chat while you’re trying to do an essay.
I don’t want to dissuade anyone from choosing shared housing, but I have found it much easier to live alone.
