Uni accommodation - and picking the right one!

So you're new to university. And you're living away from home. It can all seem really daunting. How am I going to make new mates? How will I have fun? Will I get along with the people I share my building with?

These are all questions that went through my mind the first time I arrived at university. I still remember clearly the day my parents dropped me off to this rather old, worn down flat just off Ladypool Road in Birmingham. After a quick tea break and a reminder to always pray on time, they were off!

Ahhh Viva Bites!! My go-to place when I had a bit too much curry and need something a bit more... easier on my stomach!

With the smell of what could only be described as a mix of weed and curry, a concoction of feelings went rushing through my mind. From feeling rather sad, to overjoyed and thrilled with the idea of finally moving out... OK it was more the latter, and maybe the smell got to me!  But there I stood in the middle of my box room, wondering how I'm going to make the most of these precious few years away form home! I'd like to point out at this stage that I had to to live in a flat with a relative, because I was too late to apply for halls. I simply thought I'd failed my A-levels, and so just didn't bother! But yes, I lived in a flat in my first year of university. And whilst this had a number of advantages, such as having very little to pay in rent, a bigger room and greater privacy, overall I would never recommend one to share a flat in their first year.

GET HALLS! I can't emphasize this enough. If you really want to make a solid bunch of friends, discover all that university has to offer and be in the know, you need to get halls of residence in your first year of university. I felt incredibly lonely in my flat at times. I also found it such a trek to get to university in the first place, making it rather difficult to get to last minute plans that people made. I just felt out of the loop. That said, I made the most of my situation. I joined a Society specifically for those not living in halls, partially because I heard there was free Halal pizza (this might have been the concoction mentioned earlier talking!), and also because I was incredibly keen to make new friends. This was the ONLY thing on my mind at the time.

One does NOT deny FREE PIZZA!

The other thing I did was really make an effort to organise things. Now this might sound sad, but I'd go into my lectures, and literally invite whoever seemed half as cool as me, to something. Whether it was bowling, the city centre or even a lunch on campus. In summary, I would strongly recommend staying in halls, join as MANY societies as possible, and make the effort to make friends. Contrary to my first thoughts when I stood there in my box room, friends don't magically appear. You have to make the effort!

Good luck!

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