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tayyibah-shah
16th March 2018

Should I live at home or in halls?

Year 10 work experience student, Tayyibah Shah, considers the pros and cons of home and halls — a tricky decision that many prospective students have to make
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Should I live at home or in halls?
Owens Park Tower. Photo: fire_up_the_quattro @Flickr

There are many benefits to both living at home and living in student halls. Some might prefer having an independent life of ‘freedom’, whereas some might prefer to save money to buy a car or have their parents do their washing. Whatever reason there may be, there are both conveniences and disadvantages of where students settle down.

Why might a student decide to live in student halls at campus? Like I said, there are many benefits to living in halls. A main one is the independence the students gain from this new freedom of leaving home. Halls give students an boost to become independent and, with that extra step, students are more set for the future as they are forced to make friends with their roommates or find friends elsewhere. Also, living on campus gives students an opportunity to socialise more often and go out more. In addition, activities led by the University, Students’ Union, or external organisations can sometimes be targeted to those living on campus — unfortunately leaving those who live a domestic life out.

However, what happens when the smell from the halls becomes too much? Or the extra cash you could have saved is slowly slipping from your fingers? There can be some disadvantages to living in the halls which might encourage others to live at home. Keeping a budget as a student can be difficult: you are paying a lot of money simply for your education and extra resources, which is why many decide to stay at home to save that extra cash.

At University there are many types of people from different ages and backgrounds. Mature students might find it uncomfortable or difficult to live in halls. Relationships with family, friends, or partners might be very important for some students, who might wish to hold onto that instead of having the obstacle of distance in relationships.

Nevertheless, since these students won’t be living on campus there might be fewer opportunities to socialise. It could be reasonably contended that those living from home miss out on the ‘University life’ and lose out on that sense of freedom and independence.

Nonetheless, these arguments don’t completely define who you are or how you live your life as a student.

Whether you are having difficulties at home or on campus, remember the Students’ Union will always be there to help. You can get in contact with Exec Officers or visit the Advice Service on the ground floor of the SU building. 


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