Is it best to live with others on the same course (nursing) or not?

[EachandEveryone]

Asking for my 18 year old friends daughter. Shes always been shy meeting people but going away to uni has been the making of her. Shes made friends with a group in her disgraceful halls (£550 a month and thats a whole other thread) who she sees mostly. She has another group who she studies nursing with. Both groups have never met and both are already talking about houses next year. Shes asking me because ive done the same course 20 years ago and ive no idea what to advise.

I know its a very hardcore course and the placements are very long shifts. Its not like traditional courses. I also know that its easy to end up living and breathing it and your friends all seem to end up being nurses. And its very female.

Have any of you and experience with your own dc?

I think it makes the most sense to live with people she gets along with who will be reliable and mature and who she enjoys spending time with. I don't think the course matters as such.

I didn't live in halls, but my dh did and I don't think he lived with anyone on his course. The allocation in your first year is pretty random, so he just went on to live with friends after that. Some of them were on the same courses (some engineering, some nursing). I don't think it made any difference.

It's much more important that their personalities are well suited for each other. If she likes her quiet and will be working odd shifts and doesn't want to clean up after people, then she may not want to live with the friends who want to throw lots of house parties and who tend to leave the kitchen a mess.

With a course like nursing (shift work) would prefer to live with people who get that you might need to sleep after a night shift and not throw a fit when you have to get up at 6am ... not necessarily the case with students on other courses!

Yes, i think thats a very good point.

I would say nursing students. I did a hcp course (not nursing) and lived with non hcp types. It was isolating at times being on placement and either staying away (we got sent all over the region) or having to go to work, get up early etc. I felt like I missed out on stuff as they were out socialising in the week etc.
Without generalising massively here, non hcps who are 19/20 years old will have no idea about the things you may witness on shift. Other nursing students will be able to offer the support and empathy after a rubbish day that your friend's daughter may need.

I’d say stay with hcp type people. When I was a student, I shared with people doing all sorts of courses and they did not appreciate my need for sleep after night shifts etc. They used to knock on my door at 3am when I had to be up at 6 to see if they could borrow a plaster or other stupid reasons

I bet she’s worried that she will lose touch with her original group