Living in Halls: What to Expect
June 27, 2017 | 5 minute readMy Experience Living in Halls
I’ve been living in University halls for just over 6 months now, and I can say I’m finally used to the lifestyle I’m living. At first it was definitely a shock; having to do washing, cook, and clean up after yourself (without the aid of a dishwasher). Overall, I’ve enjoyed the experience, there are definitely some pluses, but there are also some things that I didn’t really think about before I came to Uni.
So if you’re currently thinking about moving into halls, or if you’re just having a nose about my blog and want to see what I think of halls, here it is.
Making Your Room Your Own
I knew this before I moved in, but this was a chance to get a brand new room, decorate it how you want, and make it yours. You can add photos of friends from home, posters of your favourite bands or TV shows, and have nice cushions and bedding.
This was something I was really looking forward to, and as I always like to keep my room tidy, you’ll see it’s not quite the stereotypical boys dorm room.
Cooking Your Own Meals
You can either take this a good thing or a bad thing; for me it was a bit of both. When I first moved in, I went a bit crazy with all the things I was cooking; I immediately scrapped all the veg-filled meals that I didn’t like. In the first few weeks and months I was only cooking all my favourite meals, which rotated between Fajitas, Pasta ‘n’ Sauce, Burritos, Chilli Con Carne, Nuggets, Chips, and other unhealthy things that had all red in the diet warning area of the packaging.
I’ve calmed down a bit now, I’m eating more fruit and vegetables, and I’ve learnt the art of eating them before they all go mouldy.
No Sneaking Round the House at Night
Living in halls means you’re not living with your parents, who most likely have to be up for something every morning. So that means that you are truly in control of when you go to bed, and what you do all day and night, so if you want to spend all night watching funny cat videos and then cook bacon at 4am – go for it.
Some people may have already been doing this at home, but for me it was a totally new concept, and I don’t know how I’m going to go back.
Expect Mess, Deal with it
Now like every typical kitchen in halls, ours is no different in the sense that most of the time; it’s a mess.
Unwashed dishes piled up precariously on the side, and another pile of ‘drying’ dishes on the draining board that form each week are something that you just get used to.
This might be easy for some people, but it was definitely difficult for me. We have a cleaner that comes in every Thursday and it has to be clear of all our dishes for them to clean, so every Wednesday evening a few of us club together and clear up (It just so happens that it was a Wednesday evening when I wrote this, so the best image I could find of the dirt was our hob – yuk!).
The Fire Alarm Will Go Off – and it Will Wake you up
Because other people have now got this new-found freedom of cooking bacon at 4am, they will burn it, and they will set the fire alarm off, meaning that the whole block will have to be evacuated into the cold to wait for someone to come and switch it off.
Going Out is Much Easier
Obviously living in Brighton (which I would say has always been my favourite place to go out), it’s very easy to head in to town. As I’ve lived in the country all of my life, a night out was always seen as quite an arduous event. You had to either spend loads of money on a taxi, or specify a designated driver and give them petrol money. Now it’s as simple as a £3.20 bus journey into town.
You’re Basically Living with Friends
Before I met everyone I was living with, I had no idea who they were. Now, 6 months down the line I’m very lucky to say that I’m good friends with all of my flatmates. You’re basically living with people who are all the same age, are going through similar things, and have a similar outlook on the world. As I’m an only child, this was amazing to experience, I’d never really lived like this, and it’s definitely a plus.
Washing Your Clothes
Yes, this is just something you’re going to have to do. I’ll admit before I came to uni, I had a VERY limited knowledge of how to use a washing machine. I have however unlike most people enjoyed washing my clothes, it turns out I really like washing and ironing my clothes, that’s why my room has been labelled; ‘The Ironing Room’.
It Can be Quite Lonely
Despite living with friends, it can also be quite a lonely experience. This can get you down as a lot of time to yourself does get quite boring. I actually thought I was quite alone with thinking that halls were lonely, until the subject came up with my flatmates a few months ago, and I found that most of them were all feeling this way too.
It’s definitely better now; we’ve all agreed set mealtimes where we can all come in and cook together, so it gives everyone a chance to speak to someone each day, which definitely makes it less lonely.
Overall – It’s Definitely a Good Experience
Living in halls was definitely a good decision. It’s given me so much more independence and freedom that I didn’t know I was without. I’ve made some great friends, and I can’t wait to move into a proper student house next year. I’ll have another blog post this time next year to see what’s different!