The realities of student accommodation: Breaking the stigma around first year concerns

Calling all prospective students: Stop frantically searching TikTok for the best Bristol Uni accommodation and relax. Whilst social media may seem like the greatest source for your upcoming uni experience, I’m here to tell you that nothing will properly prepare you for making the “right” decision. This is because it’s the people, not the place, that will make your time at uni.

To calm any fears that you might be having, this list of advice from current students should help you to relax and realise it will all work out okay!

In a recent poll conducted by The Bristol Tab, 51 per cent of Bristol students said that they didn’t get their first choice of accommodation (me included). Whilst this seems like a worrying stat, it goes to show that you shouldn’t stress out over your choices too much because it’s out of your control.

When I found out that I was going to live in a 12-person, catered flat with shared bathrooms, I had no idea what to expect. However, this lack of expectation was the best thing to happen because ultimately, where you live won’t define your uni experience. I, along with 36 per cent of students from our poll, thought their bathroom situation (shared / ensuite) was their largest concern, but honestly, after forming friendships, it was not an issue for us.

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At the start, everyone is in the same boat, and it is truly the people you meet and the effort you put in that count. My best advice for the first few weeks is to get to know your flatmates. This is the time to put yourself out there. If you get a self-catered option, you can make meals with your flatmates and break in the kitchen with messy pre-drinks before a big night out. With a catered option, the dinners are some of the funniest times to get together where you can deeply bond over the sometimes questionable offerings.

44 per cent of current Bristol students also said that the location of the accommodation was their biggest fear – yet every place has its pros and cons. Not in Stoke Bishop? Well, congrats, you just saved yourself battling for a seat on the U1 every morning to get into uni. Not in the city centre? Then this is your chance to explore more of Bristol than just the campus.

As many of our responses expressed, the best thing you can do is to make to most of where you are. People always ask what the best accommodation is – and the true answer? There isn’t one. Not one place will define your uni experience, and that is a good thing.

On their experiences last year, one second year student, Lucy*, said: “I got my first choice and ended up moving – it’s not where you live but more who you live with.”

This brings me on to my next point: You’ll never know what it’s like until you get there. I almost lost sleepless nights thinking about sharing a bathroom with 11 other people. But upon arriving, it became normal very quickly and everyone has their own schedules, so the reality of queuing for the shower or waiting for the toilet was not nearly as awful as you may think.

The people made my flat, and I was so glad that I ended up with an option I didn’t necessarily consider. I could have never imagined being in other halls – even if it did mean that I wasn’t going to be woken up by maintenance every morning for three months or that I might have had heating that didn’t turn itself off during the night…

Another Bristol student, Joe*, said: “At the end of the day, you’re gonna have a great time and find friends wherever you are, be social!” So take it from people who have already been through first year – it’s all going to be okay.

Everyone’s experience will be different, and whilst seeing TikTok videos talking about the “dream” accommodation is daunting, you’re never gonna know who you might meet; and that’s not even strictly about flatmates. If you are friendly and open minded, you are bound to have a great time. There’s so much going on in the first year of uni, from societies to sports, you’ll look back at how stressed you were about picking accommodation and realise that it really wasn’t that deep.

If worst comes to worst, you can always change too. It isn’t the end of the world. Even if it takes a little bit of time, you will find your people. In the end, it doesn’t matter where you are. You’ll be too busy overspending at Spoons, taking Wednesday nights a little too far, and cramming in all your seminar readings to even notice where you’re living. As a second year myself, I look back on the times I had in my accommodation and actually miss it – so really make the most of first year because you’ll soon be wishing you were back.