Each year of your university experience will fly by, and it’s important that you’re as organised as possible before you head into the next – this will eliminate stress and ensure you have everything ready in advance. While you may decide to carry on living in private student accommodation, you may also be ready for a change. When it comes to second year housing, it can be hard to know where to begin – but we’re here to help!
Now that we’ve entered a brand new year, it’s really time to start thinking about your living arrangements for your second year of studying – while breaking up for the summer feels like a long way off, there is usually only a limited number of student houses and flats in each city so you don’t want to miss out if moving out of somewhere like Aspire Student Living is what you want to do.
First things first – decide who you want to live with. If you’re happy with your current flatmates, you might all choose to move on together; some of you may have only been doing a one year course, while others may live close enough to university to move home after really getting that freshers experience in first year. Or you may have really bonded with other people on your course or from different hobbies you’ve picked up since you started at college or uni. When you’ve decided on the ‘who’, it’s time to move on to the ‘where’…
Get together with the group of people you’ve decided to live with in your second year, and try to come up with your ideal living arrangement. You may need to be flexible, as there generally aren’t unlimited options when it comes to local student housing! Sit down and lay out your non-negotiables, and put together a pros and cons list. Some things to think about include:
- How many bedrooms and bathrooms do you need?
- Do you want outside space?
- How big would you like the kitchen to be?
- Where is the best location for your group?
- Do you need parking or bike storage?
- What is the maximum weekly rent you’re all willing to pay?
Once you know exactly what you’re looking for, you can start the search; look online, check in local student forums, and speak to current second and third year students who might be able to offer guidance on where to look. Head out for some viewings, and keep the following things in mind:
- How secure is the property?
- Are bills included or are they extra?
- Does the property look clean (beyond the usual student mess)?
- How close is the property to where you all need to be each day?
- Is there a big enough communal area?
It’s best to view a few different spaces so you can compare and contrast, and don’t be afraid to ask questions at viewings or get in touch afterwards with anything you might have forgotten. You’ll be living there for a year, after all – you want to know you’ve got everything sorted!
Moving into your second year accommodation is a big step, but it’s another exciting chapter in your further education journey and one you should take seriously. Good luck with it all.
