What was it like living in halls?

• Author: Abdul Basit Qureshi, BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

Starting university life in student halls

The first year of my degree was spent in student halls, I was based at Falmer. Living in student halls has been one of the most challenging but gifting choices I made while at university. With the stress of starting a new course in a new city in a new environment, it can be hard to make close friends.

Making friends in halls

Living in student halls helped me not only make friends but eased me into my course. Most of your flatmates will be on the same course as you, making it easier to make friends, especially those that live with you.

The social life in student halls

One of the best things about living in halls for me was the social nights we’d all plan. Once a week a flatmate would host dinner for everyone and we’d play games together. It was amazing  to get to know my flatmates on a more personal level and what better way than bonding over amazing food?

Safety and security among friends

On the majority of nights out we would all go and it gave a sense of security as I was going with people I trusted; friends that would get me back home. The great thing is you’re inside this social bubble where all the other flats are filled with students from your course. So it is fun going to other friend’s flats.  

How to navigating challenges with housemates

On the contrary, living in student halls with seven other people means seven other personalities and habits you have to accommodate. After the first few weeks of living together, I started noticing that I was doing most of the cleaning in the kitchen. The best way I could address this was not to single anyone out but to address the flat as a whole and just express how I was feeling. We did this by arranging a meeting in the kitchen and making a rota for cleaning chores. 

Dealing with differences

During my stay, there was one flatmate I did not see eye-to-eye with on a lot of matters. But since we both had to live with each other for the whole year, we had to put our differences aside. 

Overall my experience was an amazing one. I do not think I would have gained the level of independence I have today had I not lived with other students in student halls. My flatmates are still some of my closest friends at university.