Living in Portswood is so much better than Highfield

It’s that time of year already – Posh Pads are revving up their little van and landlords upping the anti, all hoping to find replacement tenants for their cribs all throughout Southampton. And once again, housemates are forced to make the ultimate decision, set up camp in Portswood or habituate Highfield.

Both have their pro’s and cons, but before you make the responsible decision to live close to the library, have you considered these reasons to pick Portswood instead?

Everything At Your Fingertips. Quite Literally.

One Word: Food

And there was you thinking it’d be Jesters. Don’t judge me, it’s a fact. One of the primary benefits to Portswood is having easy access to a wide variety of food practically 24/7. As well as your choice of supermarkets, with bargain hunters sifting through Aldi and your more prestigious shopper waltzing through Waitrose, you’ve got a never ending array of take-out joints and restaurants. You are never more than five minutes from a hungover fry up of sorts.

Anyone who hasn’t had a Roosters can’t claim to be a proper student and Manzils is quite clearly a rite of passage. But you know what else they both are? A fair trek from Highfield.

Portswood Is Always Prepared.

Prime For Pre’s

The all-time classic reason, especially in second year, to choose a house in this neck of the woods is the proximity to Jesters/Sobar. Some may call this a con depending on your club preference but come on, pre’s are simple, always local and easily done last minute.

Don’t worry about coat check – there’s with no worries about catching frostbite on your way to the club. Furthermore, stumbling home (past those delightful take-out joints we all know you love) at the end of the night is easy, taxi-fare free and even possible in heels, if you braving the classy footwear. In this end of town, you can even wander up to Switch and some have been known to trek to Oceana. That extra fifteen minutes from campus makes all the difference.

Camp On Campus

Those people claim Highfield is the better location as you are nearer to campus have a valid point. Trekking up to a 9am from Lodge Road isn’t fun. However, once you’ve made that effort, man are you going to make it worth it. Once you get to campus, you are so much more likely to stay there and set up base in the library (possibly quite literally since its 24 hour).

There’s no temptation to ‘pop home’ for a cup of tea or a sandwich, so you’ll remain focused and working for much longer than your Highfield buddies, who taking a ‘5 minute break’ will end in bed watching Netflix, never to return, in the time it’d take you to reach Sainsburys.

The Portswood Gang Feel The Love.

We’re All In This Together

It’s well known that Portswood is prime student territory. Not only does this mean you are no more than 5 minutes away from every pre-drinks/house party/movie night EVER held, but it means you’re part of the community. Chances of you heading to the shops without meeting your course mates or getting a FREE Waitrose coffee without seeing that guy you argued over milk with in freshers are slim. Moreover, if you need some household appliance, from a phone charger to a funny shaped baking tin you’ll be able to find one within three houses I guarantee – you’d be surprised at how resourceful students can be. It’s great to feel you live right where the action is, and no fear of FOMO, you’re ten minutes from it all. What better way to bond than than over a late night Chicoland?

If that’s not enough, you are central to everything. Equidistant from campus and Bedford Place/town, and two minutes from a mass of bars and clubs, means you can work hard, play hard whilst living in one of the hundreds of student properties available. Highfield may be close to campus, but its pretty far from quite literally everything else.

And if that doesn’t convince you, most days Sprinkles gives out free samples. Passing that on your way to university makes the walk worth it, I promise.