Living in a shared house is better than halls in every way

It might be weird for everyone else to stay in halls for their second year, but at Loughborough it’s pretty much the norm.

There are those who say living in halls again for another year would be the easier option to arrange, while others want the bigger stride into their own shared house. Deciding which one to do is one of those many important things on your to do list where all you can do is think about it, but not actually get round to starting it.

Sure the price of halls is all-inclusive, the university keeps you up to date with everything going on and you have the option of having your own en-suite. But you can’t help thinking back to those times where almost all of your student loan felt like it was going to the cost of halls, that ghost flatmate that played loud music at 3:19 in the morning or even how every kitchen sponge you brought seemed to disappear without a trace.

You can live with who you want in a house

You might have the luxury of a full double in a gigantic bedroom

Granted nowhere is perfect, but shared houses are somewhere near. Things to remember about student houses is how you will have to sort your bills out yourself and how your landlord will now be the most important person in your life (if you ever see them), but that’s just called being an adult.

You get to choose who you live with, there are no 6am fire alarm tests disrupting your longer than needed lie-in and the perks of having a quiet house when you want it but also blaring music when you want that too.

In your new shared house, there’s far less to do. There are no flat inspections, and organising who does what chore is simple with the fewer people. With a “you do that” and a “I’ll do this” you’re sorted. And there’s no arguing with your new flatmates: you’re living with your mates now, the world is your oyster.

Where you will call your humble abode next year is now the most important question on everyones lips, so make sure you get your hands on a massive shared house between you and all your uni mates – it’s the clear winner.