As I am currently in my final year at BU, living in a comfortable environment this year was more important to me than ever following COVID-19 and the direction my course would be going – being more online than usual. This is why deciding to go back into halls was a quick decision for me. The challenges came from deciding on which halls would be the best fit for me having really enjoyed the experience of living in Purbeck House in my first year before moving on to live in a shared house in Winton during my second.

The reasons: 

One major reason as to why I chose Bournemouth University in the first place was due to its location. Whether that was the variety of shops (Asda, Tesco, Co-op and more) in and around the town, the halls being within walking distance to the glorious sandy Bournemouth Beach and how easy it was to get from the accommodation to the university campus via the UniBuses. These were all major factors as to why I chose to stay on in halls as I also knew I would most likely be going onto campus less than previous years due to COVID-19, meaning that having a workspace that I felt comfortable in was very important to me. I saw it as having somewhere that I knew I could effectively work, whilst still having other options available to me on the Talbot Campus, which has  been crucial to my study. Another major draw of halls was knowing that all of the bills were included in the rent, which is typically spread out between three or four payments across the tenancy. I found setting up and managing bills for a house to be one of the more stressful elements of my accommodation during my second year meaning I found it beneficial to remove this stress by moving back into halls. But everyone is different!

The room: 

Another major draw for moving back into halls is the facilities available in the accommodation (depending on your choice) and the overall space that I knew would be available in the room alongside the en-suite bathroom that is available in each room. The level of space available in both the rooms and the kitchens will vary depending on the accommodation choice but, based on my experience, there will always be enough space to accommodate the needs of whichever course you are doing at BU. I have really enjoyed my experience of living in halls during this year, which is also why I have chosen to stay in halls for another year when I return for my postgraduate course this September.

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