Starting your Student Life in Uxbridge off the Right Way
Posted on 09/05/2023
Starting your Student Life in Uxbridge off the Right Way
So, you’ve got your acceptance letter from one of the prestigious universities that Uxbridge calls home; Brunel University or Buckinghamshire New University’s nursing campus. You’ve got to decide, do you want to live away from home while you study, or not? And, if you do, what kind of accommodation is best suited to you? I’ll do my best to showcase the options open to you.
Life at home
Living at home is the least complicated to sort out, considering you don’t have to worry about moving out. You do have to worry about travel costs though. So if you live in a different part of London or even in a different part of the country altogether, it may be worth considering one of the other options outlined below. If you live in the heart of the UB8 postcode though, the least complicated option may well be the best.
Halls of residence
Student halls are official housing facilities that are located on or near campus. You’ll be living alongside your fellow students (in your own room), but with a shared kitchen and sometimes shared bathrooms too. Since they’re owned by the university, they usually will offer a cleaning service to keep their rooms in order, so you can focus on your studies at the cost of a bit less privacy.
These halls of residence are ideal for first years, or at least for those who are living away from home for the first time, because they’re built to ease you into it rather than throwing you in at the deep end. Admittance is usually guaranteed once you get your letter of acceptance, and most of the bills (barring most notably the TV license) are taken care of, though make sure to ask, as this depends on the University.
Third-party accommodation
This style of accommodation, also referred to as ‘Student Flats’ are similar to the halls of residence, but owned by a third-party company in Uxbridge and are located off campus. You will still most likely share a kitchen, but with the added benefit of an on-suite bathroom. They usually don’t offer cleaning services either, so there’s a higher degree of privacy in these places, and more freedom but with more tasks to juggle with your studies.
With the exception of having to book a place, getting into one of these flats in the UB9 district is as simple as getting into the student halls. However, you have to consider that since they’re located off campus, there’s more travel time required. Still, if you fancy more of a ‘living alone’ experience, these third party homes away from home are just as suited to first years as the halls of residence.
Student housing
Student housing is basically as close as you can get to the ‘living away from home’ experience as you can get. You’ll basically be renting from an outside tenant in houses that may or may not be built for the purpose. All of the costs will have to be covered by you and your flatmates. For this reason, I don’t recommend renting this accommodation in Uxbridge unless you’re with a group of trusted friends that know what they’re getting into. You’ll have to organise payment splits, upkeep as well as your studies.
This style of student life is not for the first timers, as you might have gathered, but if you’ve had enough of the student flats and have a large group of friends it might be worth a shot.
So, once you’ve decided what you’re going for, take a trip to the university’s accommodation office, or check their student zone on their website. They should have all of the specific information on how you should get started with your student life. Have a good one!
