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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

Shared room on campus vs own room a bus ride away?

64 replies

Lemoncurd · 19/08/2021 17:54

Daughter is going to her insurance university choice (Bath), which means that accommodation is through the second round of applications and not guaranteed.
The options remaining are shared rooms on campus or city centre accommodation. One of the city options is solely for 1st year undergraduates.

She can't decide what to prioritise, we and most adults keep saying she should go for campus. She and all of her peers feel that they really wouldn't want to share a room but still would want to be on campus if possible.

She is introverted, has been treated for anxiety for a few years and social anxiety was a factor. Being on campus might be better for this and helping her to make friends more easily, but at the same time she is someone who needs time to herself to get away from things (had 10 people over for a sleepover but took herself off to her own room to sleep!).

Appreciate that she might not get the accommodation type she chooses anyway (if any!) but anyone had any experience of shared rooms or any thoughts?

OP posts:
LindaEllen · 20/08/2021 11:18

Other than the obvious potential issues with sharing a room, I think moving to uni and having a space that's just yours for the first time is one of the main things to look forward to - I honestly don't understand why unis still offer shared rooms. It seems so Oxbridge in the 70s.

TonkinLenkicks · 20/08/2021 11:21

I was off campus for my first year (Lincoln) and surrounded by others who were in the same situation. It was great, I wouldn’t share.

PostMenPatWithACat · 20/08/2021 11:22

I would opt for City Centre and contact the accommodation office about her anxiety. They may prioritise her for an adjustment and let her transfer to campus when a single room becomes available. In all likelihood one will; there will be movement in the first three weeks or so.

Horriblewoman · 20/08/2021 11:58

I know two people who started off in shared rooms in bath and hated it. Definitely go for own room off campus, we had a few friends who lived in town and they just hung out in our halls.

Also get her to keep checking with the accomodation people all the time, people move out so often particularly in the first couple of months.

Also Bath might have been her second choice but I adored my time there.

Embracelife · 20/08/2021 15:01

Own room
And contact disability services

Original poster
Lemoncurd · 20/08/2021 15:18

Thanks so much for your thoughts, actually I have completely switched my view! but then so has she! They will have about 30% online lectures this year so imagine that might be trickier in a shared space.

She called them to have a chat about the available rooms and seems to be leaning more towards sharing now. However, they said a lot more 1st years will be in the city this year so it sounds almost like they'd have a similar experience to being on campus with respect to being with other undergrads. Think she just needs to make a choice and see what she gets now.

The city accomodation is right by the station or by Sainsburys, so both are a great central location, particularly the station one for getting the bus. Only worry is that she won't push herself to sign up for and get involved with things if she has to make extra trips to campus to do so.

She doesn't feel comfortable about trying to use her anxiety to ask for priority, they also ask for official paperwork from within the last year, she signed off from her therapist a year ago and has just been receiving support from school since.

OP posts:
LIZS · 20/08/2021 18:35

Has she applied for DSA? Even if she just has a mentor to help help manage her anxiety it may aid her self confidence.

stripedbananas · 20/08/2021 19:01

Obviously use the anxiety as she will genuinely feel anxious if sharing a room.

The city accommodation will have loads of other students so I don't know why you keep bothering about the main campus they're similar but in different places so I'd stop getting so hung up about it.

PieceOfString · 20/08/2021 19:08

Own room, very important. So many ways shared rooms can go wrong. Especially if she likes her own space normally anyway.

AChickenCalledDaal · 21/08/2021 18:40

I will just mention that DD and I stayed in an on-campus room at Bath when we visited for an open day (in the days when you could do that!)

It was tiny and I was shocked to find that it was a shared room during term time. I assumed they had shifted a bed in there for B&B accommodation, but apparently not.

It was a nice room, in a nice building, and the catering etc seemed great. But you really would have to be best mates with your room mate.

If they are guaranteeing that the city centre accommodation is 1st years only, I'd personally go for that.

Absolutechaos · 22/08/2021 13:32

Hi. We are in almost the exact same position! DD had decided to take a gap year due to high anxiety (and likely ASD - on diagnosis pathway) but had a change of heart after results day. She has a place at Bath but had to apply in the second round of accommodation, with not great options. We looked at private halls but they are almost all post grad and v expensive. Our hope at the moment is an en-suite room in the city centre. As long as there are other freshers in her hall, being off campus should be fine as it's not far and she isn't a huge party animal anyway. Now it's just a waiting game....

Original poster
Lemoncurd · 23/08/2021 15:07

@Absolutechaos

Hi. We are in almost the exact same position! DD had decided to take a gap year due to high anxiety (and likely ASD - on diagnosis pathway) but had a change of heart after results day. She has a place at Bath but had to apply in the second round of accommodation, with not great options. We looked at private halls but they are almost all post grad and v expensive. Our hope at the moment is an en-suite room in the city centre. As long as there are other freshers in her hall, being off campus should be fine as it's not far and she isn't a huge party animal anyway. Now it's just a waiting game....
Good luck to your daughter, I hope she gets the room she would like. They sound similar, we have been considering investigating ASD too, my daughter always says she feels different and can be quite rigid about some things. A couple of her closest friends have ASD diagnosis.

Mine has gone for the city options too, but said she didn't want ensuite. Although she said they told her they were available when she called the accommodation team, she seemed to be saying that they were in the mainly postgrad accommodation. I may have misunderstood though, she is always reluctant to spend money so may have just given them a swerve if they were more expensive.

Do they hear at the end of the week? would love to hear how you get on.

OP posts:
EwwSprouts · 23/08/2021 19:52

I had a shared room and it pretty much ruined my uni experience. Woke up to find other girl had brought a boy I didn't know back to the room and stuck him on the floor next to me to sleep (her bed was behind a solid screen) but there was space beside her bed. I was livid and she didn't get why at all. We barely spoke the rest of the year as she wouldn't agree not to do it again.

EduCated · 23/08/2021 19:57

I know your DD had already decided, but I’d go own room - if we found ourselves back in a lockdown situation, it would be awful to be stuck without your own space.

harridan50 · 23/08/2021 19:59

My daughter is just returning to Bath for her final year after an internship. I would go for the off campus accomodation with other freshers not shared rooms she will want her own space. There is a bus service between the uni and the city centre. Lots of nights out in the city, it is a small friendly university, lots of pastoral support if needed. My daughter was anxious going to uni but has had a great time and made lots of friends. Good luck

MadMadMadamMim · 23/08/2021 20:05

I'm an introvert. I absolutely could not share a room with someone - not even someone I knew well, and certainly not a stranger. It would make me ill.

Introverts desperately need their own space for down time. If you never have a room where you can go and shut the door on other people it would be hideous.

Absolutechaos · 23/08/2021 20:56

@Lemoncurd they told us "early September" so who knows?!! I think this building is a mix of freshers and post grad. As it's Uni managed, I'm hoping they group the freshers together (if we get it!). What is your DD studying? Mine is mech engineering.

Plumtree391 · 23/08/2021 21:02

Own room every time. Bath isn't very big so she won't have to travel far.

spotcheck · 23/08/2021 21:03

Own room + join clubs

AllAroundTheWorldYeah · 23/08/2021 21:08

TIL UK some universities have shared rooms! I thought that was just a US thing

EduCated · 24/08/2021 11:51

@AllAroundTheWorldYeah

TIL UK some universities have shared rooms! I thought that was just a US thing
Very, very few these days, and often only as an ‘oh shit’ measure when they’re short on accommodation (buildings not ready, or this year a huge influx due to the TAG situation).
Kite22 · 25/08/2021 00:03

Despite knowing one student who was lucky enough to become really good friends with someone she had to share with in her first year, there is no way I would choose to share with a stranger that you have no idea what they are like. I am amazed this is still even an option.

I am pretty outgoing and not anxious and would never take myself off from a sleepover (well, not in my teens) but even without all that, it sounds like a really bad idea.
I would not even opt to share a room with a friends I knew really well for a whole academic year, if there was an option not to.

Even before the fact they will no doubt be having some lectures on line.

Absolutechaos · 25/08/2021 10:40

@Lemoncurd we received our offer this morning. Good luck for your DC.

Original poster
Lemoncurd · 25/08/2021 15:02

@Absolutechaos that's great! I hope your daughter was given her preferred option. We haven't heard anything yet so still waiting! Really hoping she does get her own room now.

OP posts:
Absolutechaos · 25/08/2021 17:08

@Lemoncurd yes, it was her preference (from a very short list!). I hope you hear soon as the waiting doesn't help their anxiety.