Tips for living in student accommodation
I love Falmouth for its creative and collaborative atmosphere and the abundance of opportunities for students to create their own work.
During my first year at Falmouth, I lived in Glasney Student Village, which is the on-campus student accommodation for students at Falmouth University (and the University of Exeter, Penryn). Living with 6-8 strangers is exciting but can be daunting and sometimes annoying, so here are some tips for successful flat sharing!
1. Clean up after yourself!
This is probably the most obvious one but also the most important one. Keeping shared spaces clean is super important is making sure everyone gets along - no one’s going to have a problem if you tidy up after yourselves but you might get some snarky messages on the group chat if you've got a dirty bowl growing mould on it next to the sink! Do your dishes, wipe the counters and put things away - simple!
2. Rotas
This is a useful one to make sure bins aren't getting too smelly and the floor isn't too sticky. Making a weekly rota of who takes out the bins, or sweeps and mops the floors, ensures that not one person is doing it all the time, and it's done so much quicker this way as well!
3. Flat nights
Your flatmates are probably going to be your first friends and you will likely be spending a lot of time with them throughout the year. Therefore, it's important to start building a friendship with them! Flat nights out, meals or game nights are really good at getting to know your flatmates better and become a lot closer.
Flat sharing isn't hard and you can meet some of your best friends whilst living with them. Its nerve-racking moving into a new place with people you don't know, but everyone is in the same boat and are probably just as nervous as you are!
4. Don't be too noisy
Understand that your flat is shared with other people and the walls may not be that soundproof! If you're planning on having a gathering or someone over, let your flatmates know in advance and try and keep the noise down. Otherwise can make for some awkward conversations in the morning!
5. Patience
As much as you would hope people tidy up after themselves, help out with chores and try and keep the noise down, you may have a flatmate who doesn't! The key is being patient and not losing your temper - it's easy to get annoyed and send angry messages over the group chat, but it's probably better to speak to them privately and kindly, offer help with chores and be understanding!
Flat sharing isn't hard and you can meet some of your best friends whilst living with them. Its nerve-racking moving into a new place with people you don't know, but everyone is in the same boat and are probably just as nervous as you are!
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