When choosing your accommodation, here are some things you might want to consider:
Do you want to live close to where you’ll be studying?
When I was choosing my accommodation, I knew I wanted to be near the law building so I could sleep in knowing I lived only a 5-minute walk away. Therefore, I knew I wanted to be on East Campus which narrowed down my options. Additionally, as many people who did my course were on East Campus I had people I could walk to class and back with.
How do you feel about shared bathrooms?
Many people are used to sharing a bathroom with their family so it will not be new to them. However, I knew I wanted an en-suite bathroom as I take very long showers and prefer more privacy. This narrowed my options down to specific East Campus Colleges.
Do you want catered or self-catered accommodation?
Some colleges are self-catered, meaning you cook for yourself and others are catered meaning you get meals made for you by the college. I decided on self-catered because I liked the idea of the independence of cooking for myself.
College Colours
I ended up choosing my college in the end based on the college colour. It was between two colleges and one of their colors was pink, which I thought was cool so I ended up choosing that! Your college merchandise will be based around the college colour as well!
What is the Collegiate System?
The University of York is made up of nine colleges (ten from September 2021). Six on West campus and three on East, though a new college is opening up on East! Colleges create a continuing sense of community throughout your time at University. During Freshers’ Week you have the opportunity to meet people in your college as all Freshers’ Week events are organised by your college.
A favourite memory of mine from first year was a whole bus of Freshers’ from Constantine doing our college chant the whole way to our first night out. You also have the opportunity to play for your college in varying different sports, allowing for a less intense experience than playing for the University team. I had a friend in first year who played Football for Constantine, and had an amazing experience.
Moving Away From Home and Adjusting to Campus Life
Moving away from home can be a daunting experience. However, university is never as scary as you think it will be. Something you may want to consider is how many people you want to live with. Some colleges have larger flats than others. In first year, I lived in a flat of 12! Personally, I loved the experience as it allowed me to meet so many new and different types of people from all over the country and world. I made amazing friends which made adjusting to life away from home so much easier.
Here are some tips I recommend for when you move into your flat:
- BUDGET BUDGET BUDGET!
Learning how to responsibly spend your money is so important, you’ll be surprised how fast you run out of money. The occasional take out is fine, but cooking for yourself saves money. There’s also no need to Uber everywhere when you have the local buses (trust me, I know how tempting it is). There’s also expenses you may have never even considered such as laundry or society memberships. - Delegate Flat Chores
To avoid future arguments or a messy kitchen it’s a good idea to delegate flat chores. For example, my flat had a bin rota to ensure our bin was taken out weekly and everyone was responsible for their own dishes, so the kitchen never got too messy. - Remember You’re Not Alone
When you first start Uni you’re not thrown into the deep end. During freshers week you are given two STYCs (Second and Third Year Contacts) which show you around the city and university, and spend every night of freshers week with you, taking you on nights out, and making sure you’re safe and comfortable. You also have the support of the University and even your flatmates, who are in the same boat as you. Never be scared to reach out to someone if you need help.
Campus
Campus is honestly like it’s own small town, there were periods of time where I didn’t even leave campus! I was on Campus East and there alone we had our accommodation, academic buildings, a cafe, study space and StarBucks as well as a barbers, multiple restaurants and takeout places, a food shop and a GP and my favourite place of all… Glasshouse. Glasshouse is East Campus’ student bar that has great food and even better signature cocktails, and a different event on every night of the week. My flatmates and I would go every Friday night after classes for their karaoke night which was the perfect way to unwind after a stressful week. Additionally, each college has its own forum with a social space (in Constantine we had a pool table, table tennis, piano, books and lounge spaces) and a laundry room.
To conclude, living on campus is a new and exciting experience which you will be supported through every step of the way, and creates unforgettable memories. I wish all prospective students the best of luck in your future endeavours.
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