My Second Year University Experience: Accommodation

Welcome to part II of my second year university experience series. If you haven't read part I, which focuses on the social aspect of uni, then make sure to check it out. I got really good feedback from that post so I'm very pleased. Today's focus is going to be on my living situation. For those of you who don't know, I'm from Birmingham and chose to stay here to study. I moved out in first year and lived in student halls. If you want to know about my experience living in student accommodation, I wrote a post a year ago all about it. This year, I stayed at home and commuted everyday. If you want to know about my experience commuting and living at home, just keep reading.

W H Y   I   M O V E D   B A C K    H O M E 

There are two reasons why I chose to go back home for my second year of university. The first reason was because I wanted to save money! I was so happy to get the full student experience in my first year, by living in student halls, however it definitely isn't cheap. Living in student accommodation is expensive and although the memories are priceless, I didn't want to owe more in student loans when I live in the same city that I study. It just made sense to live at home for my second year. It was always my plan to move back home after my first year. 

The second reason why I moved back home was to protect my mental health. When I was living in student halls, although I had a great time, I also felt extremely lonely and depressed. No matter how much fun I had with friends and my flat mates, I still had so many moments in my room when I felt super empty and broken. I knew it was being away from home that caused this. Like I said, I loved the experience and I definitely don't regret moving out, but I cannot deny that it had a huge impact on my mental health. I went from living in a household of 5 that I'm very close to, to then living with strangers. Although we got on, being in that flat wasn't always the best experience for me. I would only ever feel this emptiness at the flat but when I spent the weekend at home or went to do my laundry I would be so content. That solidified the decision to move back in my second year. 

C O M M U T I N G 

I knew commuting would be a very different experience in comparison to living on campus but actually I grew to become used to it. At first it was a tough adjustment. I hated that I had to get up really early in order to get the correct bus (especially for those gross 9ams). Being able to wake up 30 minutes before a lecture was such a blessing but I no longer had that privilege, I definitely missed the convenience and ease, however after term 1 it just became second nature. Waking up earlier didn't necessarily get any easier but it became routine. My timetable varied, so I didn't have to wake up at the same time everyday, like back in sixth form. That was quite nice to be fair. Some days I only had afternoon lectures and other days I would have mornings. Whenever I had a 1pm lecture and then another at 4pm, I would stay on campus. It didn't make sense to travel back home because I would barely have any time before having to travel back. I would either go to the library or student union until my next class. In first year I'm pretty sure I went to the library once or twice but in second year I practically lived there. The perks of student accommodation is that it comes with a desk, but my bedroom at home is way too small for one. I used to work on my bed but after living the desk life and coming back home to a house with 2 teenage noisy brothers, I realised that wasn't going to work like it did in the past. That's what led me to take regular trips to the library. Even if I didn't have a lecture, I was pretty much on campus all the time. I'm super productive in the library, so you can imagine how hard it was for me to get used to remote learning during quarantine. God help me in final year. No, seriously pray for me. 

As aforementioned, living on campus was definitely more convenient but commuting wasn't as difficult as I had imagined. I thought going to socials would be harder. To some degree it was a hassle. When buses would just not show up or would run late, it definitely caused some stress, but for the most part things were fine. I would still go to socials and make it home safely. Sometimes I would Uber back home and other times I would stay with a friend at their place until the next morning. My social life didn't take a toll because of my living situation like I thought it may and I'm very grateful for that. If you're considering commuting but you are worried about that, I promise you it doesn't always have to be that way. You may have to pick and choose what events you can go to, but you can still enjoy the social side of university just as much as you would when living in student accommodation. 

In my finance post (coming soon), I will talk a little bit about the money side of commuting, so keep your eyes peeled for that. 

C O M P A R I S O N    T O    H A L L S 

I guess this is the part some of you may be more interested in hearing about. How my life in halls compares to life at home. Living in halls I definitely had to be more independent. When you live by yourself, all the responsibilities are your own. You have to remember to fill your own cupboards, clean your own bathroom and cook your own food. I definitely got used to looking after myself in first year and to be fair I really enjoyed it. I loved feeling like a real adult, making trips to the shop for toilet roll or groceries. I enjoyed cleaning (sometimes) and I enjoyed just learning to be "grown up", however as soon as I got home, all that independence went out the window. Don't get me wrong, if I was to move out tomorrow, I know I could definitely pick up where I left off in first year and I would be able to take care of myself, however moving back home has made me pretty lazy. Suddenly I went from needing to do everything, to it being a choice and the choice I made was to not do those things. Not consciously of course. I actually love being independent, so I'm actually sad this is the case. Having parents that cook everyday made it so easy for me to stop doing it myself. The same goes for cleaning and shopping. I clean my own bedroom and do the dishes every now and then, but I no longer have to do the bathroom or stock up on cleaning products. I want to change that in final year and get back to being productive. I don't actually enjoy being lazy, its just a bad habit. I spent the whole summer doing nothing and it trickled down into the semester. 

I definitely miss doing my own shopping, but more so for the things rather than the action itself. When I was living alone, I was able to buy whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. That gave me the opportunity to cook new things and try new foods. I don't know if all families are like this, but at home we pretty much have the same 15 meals on rotation. I definitely miss being adventurous with dinners and trying something new. I also loved that I could switch things up whenever I wanted to. Some weeks I would eat really clean and other weeks I would comfort eat. Living at home, I no longer have control over that because I'm not the one shopping. I still buy my own things here and there but they tend to be snacks rather than things for meals. Again, that's something I want to change in final year. It would help if I was driving but unfortunately I don't have my license and Rona has made it pretty much impossible for that to happen anytime soon.  

I love and respect my parents so much, so I always ask if I can go on spontaneous nights out. When it's pre-planned, I just have to let them know but living at home spontaneous nights out can't always be spontaneous. When I lived on my own, if someone asked if I wanted to go out, I only had to consider myself. If it was yes, I would get ready and go. Living at home I can't really do that anymore. It's their roof so their rules. My parents have said yes many times but they've also said no (always for good reasons). Dealing with the fact that I can't do things because my parents are uncomfortable or have their own plans, which requires me to stay, isn't always easy. I had to adjust to living under someone else's rules and schedule. I guess to a certain degree I sometimes miss that aspect of living by myself but if I'm being honest it doesn't bother me much. 

As a whole, I don't think I prefer one more than the other. I definitely miss living alone sometimes but I also have days when I'm glad to be living with my family. I'm no rush to move out again quite yet.

F I N A L   Y E A R ? 

So, what's final year going to look like? As I said, I'm in no rush to move out just yet. It depends on what I choose to do after my undergrad. If I choose to do my postgraduate in another city then leaving will be inevitable, however we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. As for final year, I'll be commuting from home again. It just makes sense. I can save that money - which graduate Rochelle will thank me for. I definitely want to be more active around the house with doing my bit of housework! Lazy Rochelle will be no more haha. My parents will be excited about that.

Make sure to stay tuned for the next post in the series!

Thanks for reading,

Have a great day x