July 14, 2020, by Agnes

Why I chose to live in a studio flat in second year

If you’ve read my other posts, you may know that I’ve just finished first year and I’m about to go into second year. As you may also know, most people going into their second year share a student house with their friends in Lenton. Thankfully, if I wanted to do that, I had the opportunity to do so – my flatmates and I were quite close and some of them decided to live together in second year, inviting me to join them. Nevertheless, I made the decision to move into a studio flat in the city centre with my partner of two years.

I get very mixed reactions when I explain that to new people; some of them think it’s sweet, some of them think I’m crazy. It’s unconventional, but I thought it through very carefully and I definitely think it’s the right choice for me! Here are some of the reasons for my decision:

I find sharing a kitchen really stressful. 

Even though I adore the people I lived with in first year, there were times when there was friction between us and, pretty much always, it was concerning our shared spaces. It’s normal for a student kitchen to be messy and quite smelly… after all, it’s a space shared between a group of teenagers fending for themselves, often for the first time in their lives! That being said, I like having things my way and I love cooking so I’m really excited to have a kitchen all to myself!

I want to live in the city centre.

While most students opt for the conveniently situated Lenton, I wanted to be in the city centre. It’s a little further away from campus, but I don’t mind cycling or, on rainy days, taking the tram! My dream is living in a flat in the centre of a city I love, and why not bring that dream to life as soon as it’s possible? Being a short walk away from my fave food places, not having to worry about how I’m going to get home from a night out, being close to all the action – I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I don’t have to live with my friends.

In fact, most of my friends I don’t live with and probably never will. That doesn’t make our friendships any weaker or take something away from us – so I’m not worried about being left out! Personally, I’m also not worried about missing out on that part of the “uni experience”, because everyone’s university experience is different! I got the shared-living experience from my first year in halls and I didn’t enjoy it enough to do it again.

I’m ready to live with my partner.

We know each other very well, we have great communication skills and compatible cleaning habits! We have experience of living together, so we know we’re great roommates and halving the rent of a studio flat is a lot cheaper than some of my friends’ rent payments! In fact, we spent the majority of my first year switching between my flat and his flat – so it just makes sense to share one together instead of paying for two separate ones.

So there you have it – the reasons why I chose to live in a studio flat in my second year! Don’t be afraid to look into some alternative options; there are pros and cons to every living situation. Everyone’s university experience is different, so why not just do what’s best for you?

Posted in Agnes