Written by Serena Feng
For incoming first-years studying in the UK are generally spared the headache of sorting out housing, as the British norm is to offer guaranteed housing to those who want it. For many, student accommodation is a hallmark of the first-year experience: studying, eating, living, and breathing alongside your cohort. Social circles expand; relationships blossom and wither. The hall becomes the backdrop for rapid change as first-years take their first steps into independent living and adulthood.
Also typical of the British university experience: students are thrown at the mercy of the housing wolves as soon as the clock strikes midnight on their first year. While some second- and third-years weasel their way back into halls, this author included, I’m interested in what the post-hall experience looks like for those who brave the London housing market or choose to commute.
On the positives of hall living, all interviewees emphasized the convenience of living in LSE accommodation, all within walking distance of campus. Nina especially emphasized the mental clarity and “wind-down” benefits of her commute from Rosebery to campus. Jessica also mentioned that living with people on her course helped her benefit from at-home study advice, though she attributes some of her focus and success in first-year to the lack of distractions, in contrast to her more socially fulfilling lifestyle in second- and third-year.
Social life is the big selling point of communal living, though this is not always a given for everyone.
Despite the less glamorous aspects of communal living, such as below-average cleanliness, some interviewees expressed fond sentiments about their first-year halls experience, especially highlighting its social benefits. Nina said she “really loved the environment,” especially the structures that helped her “meet the people [she] is still very close with to this day.” However, many former residents provided less favorable reviews of the halls’ social life. Both Sarah and Jessica expressed mixed feelings about meeting people, with Sarah pointing out that the “large and random mix of people” is not the most conducive to a cozy, intimate feeling in halls. Frankie highlighted that some halls’ living arrangements, unlike many flat systems, failed to facilitate social interaction, whereas forced-proximity flats are more likely to ensure it. Offering a different perspective, RAK highlights how those structures allowed him to socialize regularly. While structure may shape social environments, residents do not all experience it in the same way.
With a mix of positive and less positive experiences in halls, we might start to wonder how easy it was to decide to leave halls and commute or find housing. Most of my interviewees stressed how easy the decision was, valuing the independence private living offers.
The promise of escaping the pain of sharing facilities seemed to matter to both Nina and Jessica, eager to have their own kitchen and, as Jessica put it, not “have to see anyone [she] wasn’t friends with every time [she] wanted to eat a quick and easy meal.” Frankie said he was especially looking forward to independent living, free from the halls’ set dinner times and able to cook for himself.
For Sarah, the decision to commute was largely driven by the comfort and familiarity living in halls did not offer her, especially during Ramadan, when proximity to family is spiritually important to her. For RAK, looking into private housing was influenced by the fact that he “was pretty confident [he] wouldn’t get back into halls,” especially since he wanted a single room. While this was a decision he was, to some degree, forced into, it still seems that house hunting, for all the stress it entails, spared him the wait for Results Day, when someone might miss their offer and sweep in to book the now-empty room.
With all interviewees settled into post-halls life, I was interested in how their lifestyles compare socially and financially. For some, the transition out of halls didn’t significantly affect their social circles, which might reassure some anxious first-years that their social lives will likely remain intact. This was especially the case with interviewees like Jessica and Sarah, whose social circles existed outside of their halls, and in Sarah’s case, flat. In contrast, Nina’s closest friends were in her hall in her first year, but with very few of them still living there, moving out again did not significantly affect her friend group. Both RAK and Frankie agreed that moving out and living independently meant making deliberate choices about spending time with friends rather than relying on natural proximity. For Frankie, this “made [his] social circles smaller, but stronger and tighter.”
Beyond the social element, hall living, commuting, and private renting offer differences, particularly from a financial perspective. Here, the interviewees’ answers were less uniform, and leaving halls did not guarantee savings. For Sarah, the math was simple: living in Central London was “quite expensive,” and moving back home was the more cost-effective option, even with a 45-minute to one-hour train ride.
Nina, on the other hand, pays “significantly less” in rent than she did at Rosebery, but admits she “lucked out” finding her flat, and that the savings are eaten up by a weekly grocery shop. Since she lives close to her old hall, her commute costs haven’t changed either, so it all averages out to about the same. For her, what matters more is the “home” environment, which she describes as “something priceless” for her mental health. Jessica, meanwhile, found first year cheaper, but said the money she saved went toward “a pretty bad spending problem” of trinkets and collectibles.
Frankie, for his part, said costs were similar to living in halls, but budgeting in advance was an extra task he had to factor into his day-to-day. RAK agreed, highlighting the extra challenges private living brings, including house-hunting, maintenance, and managing bill payments.
Ultimately, applying the classic social-sciences balance of structure and agency, the transition out of halls is an individualized journey shaped by personal priorities and circumstances. For first-years facing the move, the key takeaway should be reassuring: post-hall living, whether in private renting or commuting, is ultimately what you make of it, offering a canvas upon which to cultivate independent habits, build deeper friendships, and forge your own path beyond communal campus life.
