If you’ve grown up in a city you love and intend to study there, the eternal housing conundrum is going to be part of your student life. So, home (with Mum and Dad) or away (in student accommodation with your mates)?
The number of students living at home during their studies has been steadily rising, with the financial crisis doing nothing to buck the trend. Of course there are the financial benefits of not living in a student property, which include reduced costs pertaining to food, utilities, furniture, appliances etc, but what’s the catch?
The main advantages of living at home centre on finances, convenience, and support. There will be no horrendous moving-day, no homesickness, and no terrifying upheaval to deal with at all really. Life is likely to continue much as before, with parents providing a similar level of financial and emotional support.
To live away from home is to define your own independence. It’s likely that without living in student accommodation, the real value of student life will likely remain just out of reach.
Aside from independence, convenience also plays a colossal role in the advantages of living in student accommodation in Birmingham, Sheffield and other UK places. The university campus (including libraries and lectures) will be within walking distance, as will your friends.
Growing-up and taking responsibility for a complicated, irregular, crazy student life will reap dividends in the future. Living away from home in student accommodation encourages the growth of confidence, increased maturity and a swollen sense of pride at having learned to fend for yourself… and use the washing machine!
