Living in halls in first year of an undergraduate degree is something that nearly everyone who goes to university experiences. For me, I lived in the student village: quieter, close to campus, and basically sharing a house. Perfect. So I had never experienced living in a flat before. Nor living five stories up.

So when I moved into my studio apartment in student accommodation halls this September just gone,  I had many concerns. Would I like it, would it be noisy, would there be tons of fire alarms, what should I do if there was a giant spider?

All very valid concerns.

What did I find: a hot room, with only a tiny breakfast bar as a table and work surface for the kitchen, and a chair that constantly tries to kill me every time I lean to far over to one side. And yet, it was mine. And that made it (and still makes it) great.

True, I have to have a fan on constantly, but the room is well insulated, and has everything you need (beyond workspace for the kitchen). But I wouldn’t be anywhere else.

Right by a bus stop, above a supermarket, with relatively quiet people either side. The res life team often run events (a wide variety, including movie trips, games nights, and more). People in the halls are really friendly, and the staff are fantastic.

In halls you can have as much or as little interaction with others as you like.

Add to that the great security, not having to worry about bills, and that stuff gets fixed pretty quickly. All in all, living in halls as a post grad is not that bad.