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Living on campus as a Third Year Student

14 replies

RebeccaL2 · 16/01/2019 17:41

I wondered if anyone could give me their children's experiences about returning to live on campus as a third year student. My daughter seems to think this is her only option for her final year and she is quite apprehensive about it as she really didn't enjoy living in Halls for her first year. She is particularly worried that it will be very noisy, and with third year being the most important/work-heavy, I understand her concerns, especially as she hated it first time round.

Please let me know of positive/negative experiences of returning to live on campus - I'm hoping this thread will reassure her, but please be honest!

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HarryTheSteppenwolf · 16/01/2019 17:45

My daughter seems to think this is her only option for her final year and she is quite apprehensive about it as she really didn't enjoy living in Halls for her first year.

She can live wherever she likes for her final year. Is she on a course that involves out-of-hours working (e.g. midwifery)? That might lead to some recommendation about where she lives, but most universities want to keep as much accommodation as possible available for first-year and international students.

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errorofjudgement · 16/01/2019 17:48

DS went back into halls gof his final year as he’d done a year’s placement and just wanted to be close to the uni for his final year. He was in a hall of just final year students, so there wasn’t an issue of freshers going wild!
He quite enjoyed being back in halls but he had a full on course (engineering masters) so was in lectures etc most of the day, and his social life revolves around a sport played at the uni so it was great being so near for practice and matches.

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LIZS · 16/01/2019 17:49

Vast majority at ds uni live out in final year. Main exceptions are overseas students or those with additional needs. Ds dod apply when a potential house-share fell through but by Feb was already too late to get a place in halls.

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RebeccaL2 · 16/01/2019 17:50

No shes studies a Humanities subject. She just hasn't found it very easy to find friends. She only has one good friend that she is sharing with currently in private student halls(which are much nicer but very expensive!) They won't allow undergrads anymore, only postgrads for some reason.
From my understanding, quite a few student continue to live on campus, and it has been advertised to her in several e-mails. Several of the accommodation types are getting booked up, so she must make a decision soon!

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mummmy2017 · 16/01/2019 17:51

Mine is private next door to uni.. 4 to a flat...
All have own rooms...
200 rooms, free gym ect.

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RebeccaL2 · 16/01/2019 17:54

She has just checked and there is definitely 6 locations of accommodation on campus still available for her to book.
Errorofjudgment, that sounds like a positive situation! I will tell her that it can work out. I think she is worried it will be horrible as it was for her in first year.

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ErrolTheDragon · 16/01/2019 17:57

Students returning after a year abroad or from an industrial placement are quite likely to find themselves without a group for a houseshare, so they may choose uni halls, it's surely not all freshers anywhere?

Living 'in' is the norm for Oxbridge final year students, from which I'd infer it's not incompatible with a very heavy workload.

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BubblesBuddy · 16/01/2019 19:12

Very many universities don’t have anything for third years. Many don’t have enough for first years. Why can she not just get a flat with her friend? Make up a house share? Doesn’t the friend know anyone?

My DD came back from 3rd year abroad but had kept in touch with other 4 year students whilst she was away so wasn’t left out.

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Phphion · 16/01/2019 19:28

Could she contact the halls and explain that she is concerned about noise, etc. as she will be in her final year, and ask them how they allocate rooms? In my experience a lot of halls will have corridors or areas which have only final year students, rather than just randomly scattering them throughout. Some also allow you to request specific rooms or a quiet corridor.

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RebeccaL2 · 16/01/2019 19:42

The friend has already booked accommodation in different private halls. However, the private halls the friend has booked in are very, very expensive. They looked for flats but were just not in good locations, very far out from the university and they were hard to come by. Lots seemed to be in fairly rural locations, my daughter doesn't have a car and the other girl doesn't drive.

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BubblesBuddy · 16/01/2019 20:44

It’s very disappointing that they couldn’t find something together that they could both afford. I’m sorry to say it, but I think her friend has been a bit selfish! Is she really a friend?

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RebeccaL2 · 16/01/2019 21:49

Yes they are very good friends. I understand she has her reasons. She has very limited money for housing, she can’t rent with a landlord as they wouldn’t accept late payments. Private halls seem to understand that this may be a problem
For some students, so she can be set up on a payment plan and pay in her own time. It is very expensive though so not an option for my daughter.

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bananasandwicheseveryday · 16/01/2019 22:24

Obviously it depends on the university . When DC1 went, they were in halls on campus for the first year. The student in the next flat was actually a third year student who had chosen to remain in halls rather than move out. The university had plenty of room available to accommodate first years in halls and to offer accommodation to returning students who wished to remain on campus. DC1 moved out after the first year but seriously considered returning in third and fourth years.

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BackforGood · 16/01/2019 23:49

Agree it isn't a universal thing. It is very different from place to place.
Some Universities don't have enough accommodation and it is reserved for 1st years. Some have 'quiet blocks' specifically for students who are looking for that and do not wish to be involved in the partying often associated with halls.
Is there a possibility of "digs" / 'rent a room' where she is ? So she isn't actually with other students, but still close by ?

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