That Time of Year: Uni Accommodation Woes

Michael Wood,

Correspondent (Europe)

 

LONDON — We are now approaching the final week in October, which means students across the UK will have spent their first full month at university. Leaving your family and friends to move to a new city and live with what are essentially a bunch of strangers can be a daunting process in itself, only exacerbated if you do not get on with those you are living with.

Students are eager to make acquaintance with their new flatmates as soon as they receive confirmation of their accommodation over summer — a process that is made easier by social networks. Investigating Facebook profiles provides your first judgements on the people who will constitute your initial friendships during your nine months of study.

But what if after arriving at university you don’t become best friends with your flatmates and live happy families for the rest of the year? The reality of uni life is that often these immediate friendships are somewhat short lived, as the shared excitement of a new experience dissipates, so do the rose-tinted spectacles. As everyday life sets in and lectures begin, you make new friends with people on your course, with whom you share similar interests.

Friends you enjoyed partying with during fresher’s week can become merely awkward exchanges in the corridor. There are so many aspects of living with strangers that are difficult to accustom to and learning to be tolerant when you might be furious inside is a skill that should be quickly acquired and integral to ensuring your stay is as amicable as possible.

A month in, you are now more than aware of your flatmates’ habits, some of which may be driving you insane. Whether that is somebody moving your belongings, not partaking in communal cleaning responsibilities, untidiness, anti-social behaviour, and far, far worse. The list is endless. Inter-house relations can become unsavoury, plagued with animosity and fundamentally irreparable.

Polite discussion should be recommended beforehand or failing that a visit to your accommodation office or student support facility. Moving or transferring flat is sometimes a necessary option, albeit a last resort. Ultimately, your time at university is supposed to one of the most enjoyable stages of your life, and you shouldn’t have to compromise your experience for anything. If you do have an issue, then be proactive and make a decision in order to make your time at university everything you hoped it would be.

Image Courtesy: Philip Halling [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons