Student housing
College life equals shared accommodation. But what's the best option for you: life in the halls or a student house?
Halls
With halls, it's often the luck of the draw. If luck is on your side, you will find yourself in your own large room on a corridor with lots of like-minded people, with friendly wardens and good food. If you are less fortunate, you might end up paying a small fortune to share a grotty little rabbit hutch with a rabid Celine Dion fan who invites all his or her mates round for late night prayer meetings.
Halls are usually a great place to socialise and make lots of new friends, the best ones have their own bars and common rooms. The bills are included in the fees, so it's easier to budget during the term, and you get cleaners who come in regularly to keep the place above the dysentery line. On the downside, halls can be noisy if you need to actually do some studying, and if you're used to looking after yourself you may find the hall rules and regulations a bit nanny-ish or patronising.
Shared houses
If you want to be happy in a shared house, you have to choose carefully. That means choosing the right place, and the right people to live with. Student houses are often owned by dodgy landlords who don't look after their properties, and can end up being run-down and filthy, so pick your dwelling place carefully and know your housing rights. Be on the look out for mice and damp, and avoid gloomy houses with no central heating.
On the upside, you can choose to live with people you know and like (even if you do fall out later after discovering their disgusting eating/drinking/hygiene habits). You get to do pretty much as you please, with no stroppy wardens or parents to burst in and tell you off. But you also have to do all your own cooking and cleaning, and pay all your bills on time.
Student village
Somewhere inbetween the above two, flats and houses in a student village offer you the best of both worlds in many ways. While you get the cheaper rent (bills included) of halls, you also get a little more independence and privacy. You can opt to live in quiet areas of the student village if you prefer, or stay in the party zone.
This accommodation is self-catering which has its upsides and downsides, for while you can eat when you want, you have to go to the supermarket and you have to be able to cook something! Student villages can also be quite a trek from campus, and watch out for the one's with no cash point for miles.
Each option has its pros and cons - it's up to you to make the most of either situation.
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