Hi everyone! This time we’re going to talk about adjusting to life with new flatmates! They always say that the friends you make at uni will be the friends you will make for life, and the people you move into accommodation with in freshers week seems like the best place to start!
For myself personally, I was really nervous moving into Lancaster for the first time. Being an only child, and sharing a house with just my mum and my two dogs (yes they count as family) for the past 18 years of my life, I was dubious to see how I’d adjust to sharing a flat with (in my case) eleven other people. I was used to my own space, how on earth would I cope with what is basically like eleven siblings?! However, when I moved in, I soon realised I loved sharing a flat with people who were all in the same boat as me. I experienced all of the new things at uni with my flatmates, and we saw each other at our best (and our worst!) Currently, in my third year, I’m still living with a few of them now, and couldn’t imagine eating turkey dinosaurs at 2am with anyone else.
Not everyone gets on with their flatmates however, and that’s okay too! Sometimes there seems like a lot of pressure to be best mates with the people you live with, but remember you’re allocated people to live with based purely on your choice of accommodation, so there’s always the possibility that your personalities just don’t gel. Some people are far closer with people they’ve met on their course, and also friends they make in societies, so it’s possible you’ll have more in common with those that you don’t share a flat with.
Following on from this, in first year you’ll be pressured by housing companies to find somewhere to live for second year straight away. Don’t rush into this! Take some time to really think about who you want to live with, and take some time to look around different accommodation options. If you’re nervous about renting a place for the first time, Lancaster University Homes is a great website that lets you compare different choices of accommodation from agents that have been approved by the University, so you can rest easy knowing you’re not signing up to anything too dodgy. (*disclaimer – I promise I’m not on commission for this website, I just think it’s a great idea!*) LUSU, the student union for Lancaster Uni, also have a letting agents called LUSU Living which is based on campus to make life easier as well. Either way, make sure you’ve settled into your first year before you rush to make any plans for the future!