One of the most important things to realise about halls is whilst they are safe in that they will have wardens and are full of people of a similar age, that doesn't mean there won't be someone wandering around waiting to steal into your room and take your things. You're given room keys for a reason and be careful to lock your door- preferably with your keys on the same side of the door as you! Be wary of people tailgating you in through the main doors into your building as well- they may not be as innocent as they appear (although chances are their friend is just very late to come downstairs to collect them!).
There are a thousand and one articles out there telling you exactly what you should pack when moving into accommodation, and if you follow them you'll end up moving in with not only half of your house but possibly half of Tescos too. Honestly, the things you need can be pretty easily split- stationery, clothes, cooking stuff and fun stuff. For some, you'll be in catered halls and the cooking stuff becomes obsolete.
It's worth checking with your university accommodation before you go out and buy masses of big things as well. A lot of people tend to buy their own printers and whilst they may be handy but if you're in a flat that's right next to the communal study area, do you really need to get your own? Some halls won't let you have certain things in your room either (think rice cookers, mini-fridges, extension cords, fairy lights) so you might have to think carefully about the plug space you'll have and whether you're willing to share certain things with flatmates. If you can all chip in to buy things as a flat, maybe it's worth trying to save some money.
Many universities will release room allocations before move-in time and it's worth trying to find your flatmates on social media- if only just to say hi so you have a friendly face when you do move. It's also a good way of working out what sort of flat you'll be as every flat will be different- maybe you'll be the best of friends and share every meal, and maybe you won't see each other at all, but sussing it out quickly makes things easier. It's worth seeing if you can share things like washing up liquid, wash cloths, milk, eggs etc- the basics everyone seems to use but no-one can ever remember buying.
There are a lot of things that make living with strangers easier- as you become friends things will get more relaxed, but remember in the first few weeks everyone is a bit more stressed than usual and may be snappy! These include:
- Keeping your stuff in communal areas tidy
- Not nicking other people's stuff out of the fridge
- Washing up after yourself
- Get involved in flat social events
- Invite your flatmates to join you for uni events, freshers fayre etc
- Not making masses of noise late at night
Seriously, nothing is worse than coming home from a stressful day to find one of your flatmates has helped themselves to your ice-cream. Three years later and this blogger is still bitter.
Moving in can be quite lonely after your parents/friends have left and you're suddenly in a strange building on your own- so try and find a way to make your room more homely. For some people that's framed pictures, lamps and cushions; for others, it's having biscuits squirreled away in every drawer.
Things no-one will tell you:
- Kitchens in halls are like the Bermuda triangle for cutlery. It will go missing, so don't spend masses on having a lovely matching set!
- You're going to need tupperware for storing pens, leftovers, basically anything. IKEA do a wonderful set of 17 pieces for £2.
- Communal bathrooms can be really, really gross. It's worth having a cheap pair of flip flops for the worst times and trying to work out when that awful pukey flatmate isn't going to have thrown up in the shower.
- It's going to be loud. There will be parties (no matter how many wardens try and break them up) and there will be drunk people and people getting very friendly. Heavy duty earplugs go a long way- and you'll become an expert napper no matter which course you're on.
At the end of the day, everyone is in the same boat and a lot of people find their life-long friends in halls. They're a great bonding experience because you will undoubtedly have something in common, whether it's every TV show ever or the fact you saw your other flatmate try and do a naked run from the shower to their room when they forgot their towel. Don't worry if you start living in halls and you don't feel like you get on with anyone- there are a lot of big personalities in the first few weeks and they die down to become perfectly normal, lovely people who were very excited to be away from home!
If it's getting tough, remember Nightline is always here for you!
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