Find a Flat in First Year

Getting into university was one massive achievement and when I found out that my place at the University of Huddersfield was secured I was over the moon.

This, however, was followed by extreme worry about where I was going to live, as I knew I couldn’t stay at home due to travel involved but I didn’t want to be in regular student accommodation. Not that I had/have a problem with student accommodation; I just felt it wasn’t for me as I’ve always been someone who likes my own space, along with having anxiety of living with people I don’t know.

With hindsight a lot of the worry I felt was due to everything being an unknown, with little examples to pull on of other students such as myself who chose to take uni at a slightly different angle. With this in mind I hope some of the below tips of how I found my place, and how I got on can be helpful to you:

 

Think logically about what you need, what you want and how it aligns with your budget!

I can’t emphasise this enough, as it was only when I narrowed down these aspects that I could I look for something that wouldn’t bankrupt me and would allow me to be able to commute easily (without spending more money on transport) to the university and around town. Being close will also take the pressure off you if you don’t have the needed equipment at home, as there’s no extra barrier between you and your work. This is something I personally find extremely useful. 

 

The internet is a perfect place to start looking

(especially if you’re coming into Huddersfield from further away)

I recommend Rightmove and Zoopla as they have a great range of properties. However, look with a fine toothed comb at the conditions they have for renting a property and how this can affect your budget. For example, a lot of flats are marketed as single places, but when you look into the fine print it’s actually shared.

 

Visit where you are thinking of living and don’t be afraid of asking questions!

(even if it’s just the one time and you have a thousand questions)

This may seem obvious, but I promise doing these two things will allow you to get the full picture of where you’re choosing. Even if this is a quick visit to get your bearings of a place and to inspect the place you’re going to be staying; I myself could’ve done a better job of this, so please save yourself from making a mistake by checking places out (thoroughly) before you commit to it.  

 

Buy what you need and not what you think you should have

This is something I learnt when it was too late so if I can offer any worthwhile advice it would be this; make a list of what you need in terms of kitchen stuff and only buy those things. There’s nothing you’ll need so desperately that a little trip won’t solve if you’ve not bought everything. Having this in mind will save you so much space (if you get a little place like I did) and money, which is always the best thing when on a budget.

 

Invite people over

A question I got asked a lot when I told people that I lived alone was, “don’t you get lonely?” and the honest answer is sometimes yes, but this can happen anywhere, even when you live with other people. So, one thing I did was: people over for movie/game nights or group meals, just something social where the people I talked to could all be together, chatting and having fun. This made for some amazing evenings, and friends, which I don’t think would’ve happened without me making the first move as sometimes people are just waiting for an invitation.

Make the flat yours

It might be strange going home to an empty place at first, especially when you’ve just moved in, so I can’t recommend making the place yours enough! I bought a cheap book shelf from a local charity shop and put up my books and trinkets. This allowed me to feel so much more settled and comfortable.

Put your desk by a window

(if you can)

This makes revision, designing, writing and drawing etc. so much better. There’s something about having natural light that can make everything that bit more enjoyable; bonus points if you have big windows you can open and let the fresh air in.

 

Get out and about

This may seem counter intuitive on a post about accommodation and where you live, but honestly, exploring and having the freedom to do so is one of the best things about going to uni. Huddersfield may be small, but there’s a lot of cool stuff to find when you just go out with no plan on the direction. Jump on a bus to the surrounding towns as well, bring some friends and take some pictures and see what’s about.