“When you first arrive in London, especially from abroad, it’s great to be living in university halls,” says Victoria Smith Graterol Chirinos, 19, a journalism student at Goldsmiths, University of London. You’re immediately connected to life in the capital.
“I came to London from Basel in Switzerland and I love the city. There’s so much going on, there is never a day with nothing to do. It’s easy to get into central London from the Goldsmiths campus in New Cross. I do that often and enjoy the vibe, but I always like to get home to a quieter, residential area,” she says.
Students living in halls will generally have their own room in a shared flat, and it’s a good way to meet people. “The nice thing about living in halls is that there is always someone there to hang out with,” says Jaxson Mannes, 18, a first-year psychology student at Goldsmiths. He’s an ambassador for the university’s Surrey House halls of residence, where students live in flats, sharing a kitchen. Part of his job, which is paid for by the university, is to provide information and encourage a sense of community.
“Most of my role is planning events and activities to engage students and make it fun for the whole of the year, not just welcome week. When there was a cold spell earlier in the year, I noticed students were holed up in their rooms, so I started a weekly music listening party in the Orangery, our common room, and I used some of my budget to provide free food,” he says.
On the other hand, it’s much cheaper to live at home with your parents, says first-year politics student Niquella Simpson-West, 19. “I like living at home and I have a good relationship with my parents,” she says. “It didn’t seem worth paying rent when I could commute.
“The drawback is the time and money it takes for travel to go to the library or events on days when you don’t have any lectures or seminars.”
For those living nearer to the university, an advantage of New Cross and nearby areas like Brockley, Peckham and Camberwell, is that private rented accommodation is more affordable than in many other parts of London in zone 2. Some students, such as 24-year-old Danielle Jombla, who is studying management and entrepreneurship, arrange their own rentals before they arrive. She wondered if she would miss out by not being in halls, but found it easy to meet people. “At the start of the course we had the opportunity to take part in icebreakers in order to get to know one another. One of the challenges I had was that I can be quite shy, so I had to make a real effort. Whether you live on campus or not, you can make friends and enjoy life at university. It’s about being friendly and putting yourself out there to be sociable,” she says.
No matter where you live, you can feel part of things, says Karyma Ellis, 24, a final-year music degree student. “I’ve tried all three options. For my first term, I lived at home in Islington. Then a place in halls came up for the rest of the year – and since then I have been in private rented accommodation,” she says.
Living with her family meant saving money on rent, but Ellis was nervous at first about losing out on the wider scene. “I was adamant that I was not going to miss out on anything and I joined a Facebook group for Goldsmiths commuter students. We met on the first day and we kept it up, meeting a lot of new people along the way. In welcome week there were team events, and alongside the halls teams there were teams for students who weren’t in halls. I stayed all day and went to everything I could,” she adds.
“The key thing, whether you are living around the corner or living an hour away, is to make an effort.”
The university’s head of accommodation services, Rocchi Acierno, says: “Many students decide to live in university halls for the first year, while others prefer to stay at home with their families and commute or share rented flats and houses. The choice is very much down to the individual.”
Although some may feel living in halls will give them the full student experience, he believes there is no reason why anyone deciding to keep costs down by living at home should miss out on the wider university life.
“We recognise that a lot of students are living with their families or renting privately, so our campus support officers are on hand to help all students who need advice out of hours, not just those in our halls,” he adds. “Our student hall ambassadors are there for students to speak to, and they also arrange social events for residents. Even if you’re not in halls, there are social events going on for everyone at the students’ union or organised by the different clubs and societies.”
Goldsmiths, University of London is based on a single-site campus in New Cross, south-east London. Find out more about Goldsmiths
