Allocated a Shared Room: advice for when you don't get your first choice accommodation

This article was written by Creative Writing BA(Hons) student Becca.

Choosing your Accommodation

Falmouth has many great accommodation choices. From the bright, spacious Maritime Studios to Tuke House located in the heart of Falmouth Town. Personally, I wanted to be surrounded by other students, where the social scene was. However, the idea of having a shared room seemed intimidating and I was sure I’d need my own space. With this in mind, I ranked my options, placing a shared room in Glasney Student Village fairly low in my list.

The Allocation

Then came the email and I had been allocated a shared room. I really began to rethink everything. None of my friends going to other unis could relate, because having a roommate is so unusual in the UK. I thought that maybe I’d made the wrong decision moving so far away from home and maybe I should have just gone somewhere more “conventional”.

Fast-forward and I am so glad I didn’t!

The Roommate I Didn’t Know I Needed

Meeting my roommate turned out to honestly the best thing for me.

I arrived first and decorated my side of the room with a few posters and some plants. Being only half-occupied, the room felt empty and slightly too quiet. When I came back from my first food shop, she wasn’t there, but there was a suitcase. And a pair of slippers, placed neatly by her bed.

I immediately rang my Mum.

“She has cool slippers!”

“That’s a good sign!”, clearly just as reassured.

Not long after, she burst through the door. Our first meeting was a flurry of “Hey!” and “Nice to meet you”, “I’m-” at the exact same time, but somewhere in the middle there was a hug. That was when I knew I was going to be just fine.

Both being far from home, we quickly became like sisters to each other. She was my constant in all the busyness of meeting new people, introductory classes, and Freshers’ events. It was really comforting to have someone to come back to, to debrief every little interaction and share all the excitement of discovering a new place.

Benefits of a Shared Room

One of the loveliest things was that our room essentially became the living room of the flat. People would drift in and out, flopping on our floor. Before every night out, we’d get ready together. After almost every night out, we’d pile in for the debrief. The best part was that the hangxiety was never as bad when I could turn over in my bed to see another bleary face across the room and laugh about the events of the night before.

Another thing to mention is that the shared rooms in Glansey Student Village are the cheapest option. If you’re on more of a budget, it’s a great way to save a bit of money! We also shared laundry loads and took it in turns to buy toilet roll, period products & soap to reduce costs!