It’s a choice that every prospective student that lives in London has to make: whether to move into uni halls at LSE or stick with the familiar comforts of home, sweet home. Make no mistake – moving into uni halls can be a daunting, not to mention expensive, prospect, especially for students that live in London where their current abode is within commuting distance from LSE. You might be worried about its overall worth stacked up with the costs involved and the inevitable homesickness you’ll feel, deprived of your mum’s cooking and the comforts of your old home.
It’s natural to feel that way. However, moving into halls is perhaps the best decision you can make from the start at LSE. As a first year student living in Rosebery Hall, living in my hall has been an amazing experience, with numerous benefits that far outweigh the costs of living out. My student experience has been shaped most by this decision, and that’s why I strongly recommend if possible moving into uni halls at LSE, where you’ll make the most out of your time at LSE.
Without living out, it’s hard to feel truly immersed in student life and community. Moving into halls is a firm declaration that you’re starting over with a clean slate, striding into your newly formed student self – whatever you choose it to be.
Living in halls brings you in close contact with other students who will be in the same position as you. By living out, you’ll cultivate a support network that’s immediately around you, who will grow into close friends and share the experiences that you’ll have at university. This will prove immeasurably essential in the weeks ahead, where the mounting workload will be a common gripe to share with others.
A common concern is the cost of living out, which for some is simply too high given their financial situation. While this is understandable, there are ways in which the costs can be mitigated: after all, your student loan should be able to cover the fees, and the financial cost will make up for the disadvantage that commuting students face feeling at home at LSE. Importantly, you can choose to live out for only your first year at university, to get the best of both worlds.
Above all, make your decision based on the evidence you have. Can you balance the benefits and drawbacks of living at halls? If so, I hope you’ll come to the conclusion that living in halls far outweighs its costs. Most importantly however, make living in halls your decision – after all, this will be your student experience, and living out can be the first decision you make on the way towards becoming an independent, self-sufficient adult.
