How to choose your second year housemates

Freya Hugheson 24 October 2019
students chilling in a kitchen

For a sweet second year living situation, you’ve got to find good people to live with. And for this decision, you’ve got to put yourself first.

A bad living situation will cast a shadow over a whole year of your uni experience. Not what we want.

Remember that as much as you’re looking forward to living with someone, things can change. If you’ve not lived together before, especially. Even with someone you’ve known a long time, situations can get tricky.

That’s why we’ve put together some handy tips to choosing the right people...

Your halls buddy

If you’ve lived together without issue for a year, your best mate in halls could be a great first option. 

Things to consider about this person include how clean they are (there won’t be a cleaner at your new place), how angry they get about cleaning and if your schedules are going to match up enough. 

Let’s say you’re free as a bird most of the time but your halls buddy is on a medical placement, pulling 12 hour shifts at antisocial times. Will your all night party impact them? Probably.

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Coursemates

Careful now. Living together and having all the same lectures and seminars can feel a little claustrophobic if you’re not careful to have a bit of time apart.

Then again, you have in-house help with assignments and revision and a housemate with shared interests and talents. Weigh up the pros, cons and what you think they might be like behind closed doors.

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Society or sports mates

Be warned: your house could easily become a secondary HQ for your club or society. That might appeal, but remember it can be tricky to escape them when it’s been decided that your house is the party house!

Furthermore, if you’re living with sports teammates, stuff going to STINK. Boundaries must be drawn for washing sweaty stuff. 

Basically, wash everything immediately and save money by throwing it all in the same wash. Your other clothes will benefit from it too.

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Strangers

Like a gamble, do we? 

Just like your first year, living with total strangers can be risky business. You might not get on, you might become best friends. Who knows.

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Strangers (part two)

Perhaps you’ve not connected with anyone enough to want to live with them so need to find strangers to live with. That’s a lot more common than you might think. 

There’s no shame in it – you’re smart not to compromise and rush into anything. 

Non-students

Unless you’re a slightly older student, the chances of someone in a 9-5 not getting annoyed with your antics is ...slim to none.

That said, they could be a calming influence that keeps you on the straight and narrow. 

Don’t worry, though. Weekend warriors can have fun as well. 

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Family

With the price of rent and tuition these days, this is a legitimate decision. 

Plus, in a stressful time, you could probably benefit from having people around who really know you and who you can relax around.

Sometimes this level of support is really needed when you’re in the thick of learning and understanding new things. So, if your course, friends and clubs are taking their toll, take the pace down a notch and stay with family.

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Alone

This might be suuuuper appealing now but loneliness is real, even if it doesn’t feel like it. When the parties die down around exam season and everyone’s sharing pictures of their housemate night in, it’s hard not to feel a bit alone. If you take this route, we’d recommend you having an active life with hobbies aside from your course.

It completely depends on who you are as a person, of course. It can be lovely to have your own space, and you might find that this is the right option for you. Decorating, getting pets and having the freedom to do as you please sure does sound good. Just make sure you’re in a safe area and have support nearby.

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Freya Hugheson 24 October 2019