That moment comes in every student’s life when it’s time to move out of student accommodation and onto greener pastures. Whether it’s into a different building, into privately rented student accommodation or you start renting from a landlord, moving is a huge thing for anyone to do. It’s a major life step that can often be far more stressful than one might think – so, what are the pros and cons of leaving student halls?
What are the cons?
Moving out is terrifying, there’s no doubt about that. Even from moving away from home and INTO student halls is scary, away from everyone you know and the things and places that made you feel safe for most of your life; leaving accommodation is like doing that all over again, and acts as a big confirmation that you really are growing up.
On a slightly less sentimental note, you have to figure out how bills and taxes work! There are things that aren’t taught in school, and you have to figure out by trial and error – the process of finding somewhere to live is no different. You spend weeks, sometimes months, looking for flats online with your flatmate(s), calling agencies and booking viewings until you finally land on one that suits everyone’s needs.
Bills are no longer included in your rent like they were in accommodation, water, electricity, and gas all need to be paid separately while also working to pay the rent. You need to remember to take the right bins out on the right days so you’re not stuck with more rubbish than what will fit in your bin for an extra month. Finally, at the end of all that you need to integrate into this new adult world all while being the ripe old age of 19/20 while surrounded by neighbours that have been through it all already.
What are the pros?
For me, moving out of student halls was the best day of my life (not really but the principle is there) – away from the constant fire alarms, the people going to and from town on a night out along with pregaming and after parties, the kitchen that somehow piled up mess faster than a landfill, seeing the maintenance people more than my family, and the constant feeling of being surrounded by people but feeling entirely isolated from the world.
There is also an argument to be made that even though we may not see it now, having to pay our bills, do taxes, search for places to live, and all the rest of it is a good thing. It promotes independence and an ability to function in life (to an extent) and allows us to learn how to do real life adult things while still being comforted by our new normal that we acquired last year. We still have the same courses and university campus to look forward to, this is just a step into the right individual direction for us all!
Having a place to go to get away from the student stress we all face is so fundamentally important, this is something we simply don’t get in student halls, especially on campus. We spend our lives going to and from our lectures and seminars, to the library for those long locked-in study sessions and then to go back to our halls. There isn’t really a break when you live in the place you essentially work – that’s why moving out is important, so we have a quiet and peaceful place to go back to and unwind after a long and potentially stressful day.
Featured image credit: Amelia Fryer
