Halls or Home?

18:45:00

This is the big discussion isn't it. Well lucky for me I have experienced both.

I remember back when I was thinking about which universities I wanted to apply for and the one main contributing factor to this decision, not only for me but for everyone else, was the location. Most people I knew wanted to move away from home and that was something I was so dead set on as well so I was extremely thankful when I got into uni somewhere miles away. I lived in halls for the first year and then transferred to an alternative uni for the remainder of my degree, one located in my hometown and moved back in with my rents - oh how things had changed.

This is my moving out day back in 2013.


I wanted to write this post so people can see what the pros and cons are for living away from home whilst studying. Hopefully this will help contribute to your thought process when it comes to making this life changing decision. Please remember majority of this will be my opinion only.

Living away from home :

PROS
-Independence. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing you're able to survive without the support of your parents, and being able to make cheesy chips at 4am in the morning without being judged or moaned at. This means you can do what you want and when you want, for those of you with strict parents this will be a big bonus!
- Networking. Moving away from home means moving in with a whole new crowd of people some of which you may have never even met before. You can make so many friends at university from all around the world and you definitely will be more knowledgeable about different cultures after if not from the degree itself.
- Freedom. You will certainly have a lot more freedom when it comes to spare time, of course there will still be the odd chore here and there so your housemates don't get annoyed but it's definitely more chilled out.
- Parties. When I was living in halls there were so many parties all the time, one minute you'd be watching Netflix the next thing your flats turned into your local liquid. There seemed to be something going on every night of the week!
- Peace. Living away meant I had my own space and was able to get on and study in peace, something I couldn't do whilst living at home with my 4 siblings!

CONS
-Finance. You now have to be in control of your money and learn to budget, this can be extremely hard if you have never had to do it before. Luckily I have always been interested in money and finances so never had a problem however a lot of my friends were maxing out credit cards and running to bank of mum and dad which is something you don't want to be doing when you're trying to prove you can go solo.
- Support. Although you are making tons of new friends you have left behind lots of others, including family, and it can be difficult not being able to turn to them in times of need. Obviously in this day and age we can just pick up the phone but I find that's never the same as speaking to them in person and having a cuddle.
-Personal Space. If you're like me and hate people touching your things this could be a problem. You will have to share a kitchen with these people and sometimes even a bathroom which means people pinching a bit of your soap or using your cheese grater and not washing it up. This will happen and it is annoying. I tried to buy mostly dry food and keep it locked in a cupboard so I didn't worry so much. Alongside this student halls are renowned for being particularly small so don't expect a west wing and a maid.
-Cleaning. Moving out means you have to learn to clean up after yourself this includes washing up, tidying, changing bed sheets and doing the laundry. We all know at 18 this isn't what you want to be spending your time doing but it comes with the package. Unless you're like some people I know and then you can just travel home every weekend and have your parents wash your clothes.
-Bills. Whilst in halls I didn't have this problem as the fixed rate I was charged included everything but when you move out into a shared house you will have to manage things like rent, phone, water, gas, electricity, TV license and more.

That's all for now I hope you enjoyed reading this post and I hope it perhaps gives you an insight into some of the things you may not have even thought about when deciding whether to move away or not. Please don't let this post put you off in anyway and if you would like to know the pros and cons for living at home then watch out for the next post or if you have any questions about uni then please ask.

xxx

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6 comments

  1. Thank you for checking out my blog! I am currently in lower sixth and so university is just being thrown in my face left right and centre at the moment so I need all the advice I can get! Because I live in Northern Ireland, my only options are to study in Queens or go across the seas so this was super useful and made the whole concept of leaving home a little less stressful! I'd love to read more posts like this, I need all the advice I can get! xx

    vvibrantsunset.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, thanks for reading this. Please don't let my post put you off, I know soooooo many people that have gone off to university and are having an amazing time. I think it all depends on you as a person and if you're good with your money and are able to talk to people then you will be absolutely fine! If you ever want to know anything else about university please don't hesitate to ask - I will be more than happy to help. Good luck! :)

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  2. I'm in my first year at Uni and I live at home. I think I made the right choice for me but there are definitely pros and cons to it! I hope you enjoy living back with your family. I don't know how expensive schools are in the UK but I think here in the US the money you save on housing is worth spending a few extra years at home!

    www.beautyfromkatie.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw how are you enjoying it? Tell me about it, nagging parents etc. but then soo much cheaper! Here in the UK the government gives us loans which covers tuition and then we also get some living costs but the amount is dependable on several factors which sometimes don't work in your favour. This means you have to have a lot of support from your parents or get a job.

      I'm intrigued as to how in works in the US, let me know?

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  3. im 26 and have never moved out of my parents house. I stayed home for college and even now that im working im still living at home. its just so much easier. yes there are cons, but I save so much money. lol.

    xoxo,
    geri

    http://everydaylivingnyc.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's what I'm doing so I can save for a deposit for a house, there is just no chance that I could save enough money for a house whilst renting!

      x

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All pictures on this blog are my own, unless otherwise stated. As of 03/04/2016 I have no association with any brands, all posts are based on products I own and have bought myself.

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