What is the difference between student halls accommodation and living in a shared house?

For any student, the time spent at their university is the first stepping stone in the path leading towards the rest of their lives. While it gives you an outlook on your life and helps you decide what you want to do with it in terms of your career etc., it also enables you to gain learning experiences that give you lessons for life and develop an insight in to what practical life may actually look like. The years that you spend at your respective universities are not just dedicated to achieving academic learning only; rather you get the opportunity to develop skills that will benefit you in the years to come. The bonds that you develop with your peers and seniors and your faculty are ever-lasting and greatly influence your life experiences.

As we mentioned, your university life is not only about the academics, it is a complete experience including your extra-curricular activities, the kinships you develop and also how and where you choose to live.The time spent at your university may majorly be impacted by your living arrangements as how you choose to live makes for a major part of your university life experience.

When you are enrolled in a university, you may choose to live in student hall accommodations or shared housing facilities. While both the living arrangements vary widely in terms of the conditions and facilities they offer, they both come with their challenges and perks alike. In this article we have talked about what it means when you are living in a student hall accommodation or a shared house and in what ways do they influence your university life experience.

Student halls accommodations

Like most universities, the University of Southampton offers students the facilities of both living on and off the campus. When students live in the students hall accommodations of the university, they have the convenience of the university campus being in close proximity to their living accommodations. Commonly many students opt to live in student hall accommodations in the first year of their university. This may mainly be due to the fact that the first year of the university life is full of uncertainties and you are seeking to find security in familiarity and stay within the comfort zone before you venture out to explore other possibilities. You may not be familiar with the area or may not know anybody and feel that the university hall accommodations prevent you from the need to explore or find your way through the town and it also enables you to meet new people and socialize with those you know are in the same university as you are. In addition to the added benefit of secured living, living in a university hall may also prevent you from the hassle of managing your gas or electricity bills and other related expenditures as they are incorporated within the vouchers mostly and you do not have to worry about dealing with them separately.

However student hall accommodations do not come without shortcomings of their own. If you are living in a student hall, you may find them expensive compared to the amenities they offer. You may also feel a lack of space as mostly the accommodations come with restricted space settings, not to mention having to share bathrooms and kitchen with many others. You may find these living arrangements lacking in terms of flexibility and independence as you try to get more comfortable in your surroundings.

Living in a shared house

There are number of options of student houses in Southampton which are basically residential facilities where students can live on shared accommodation basis. Studyhomes are also Southampton student accommodations that provide residents with the facility to live with their peers in shared houses where they can pay rent for their respective rooms on a monthly basis or as per the agreement. If you have lived in a student hall for the first year of your university and desire to move to a private space for the want of flexibility and independence, or live in a shared house from the beginning of the first year, the Studyhomes are a great option to choose as student house in Southampton. Although, the prospect of handling all your responsibilities including your groceries, paying your bills and commuting to the university on your own may seem a little daunting to you, but if you want to enjoy the university life in it’s true essence, living independently should be your preferred choice. Let us look at a few perks of living independently in a shared house:

·         You will learn handling your responsibilities from a very early stage which is a necessary trait to prepare you for the practical life that awaits you once you complete your university.

·         You will learn to do budget handling and plan your finances so as to assess your expenditures and decide how and where you can save money and buy things you need or like, from those savings. If you spend wisely and carefully, living in a shared accommodation may prove to be economical compared to living in a student hall accommodation.

·         The independence and flexibility that comes with the living in a shared space is something you will greatly enjoy and learn a great deal from. While you may be resorted to compromise with what you have been provided in a student hall, living privately gives you the flexibility to add convenience to your life by getting what you need. For instance, if you or your roommates feel the need to get a new coffee machine or a dishwasher, you can easily pool in and buy what you need.

·         You will have more space in terms of living facilities, increased and easy access to the kitchen and have your own private bathrooms as well, thus making your life more comfortable.

·         When picking shared accommodations, you also have the option to choose according to your needsand preferences. You may be able to make an informed choice based on the location, price and facilities being provided. This also adds to the flexibility and convenience aspect of shared housing.

·         Many Southampton student accommodations are situated in close proximity to the campus like the Studyhomes, giving you the comfort of security and saving you from the hassle of long commutes to and from the university; hence addressing one of the drawbacks that shared housing may have otherwise.

In summation to all the perks we have mentioned for shared housing, it would be safe to assume that living in a shared residential facility like Studyhomes will enhance your university life experience to a great extent.