Where you live as a student can really impact your university experience. Afterall, it’s where you’ll study, make friends, and relax after a long day of lectures. That’s why it’s important to get it right.

To help you make an informed decision about where to live, student accommodation provider Liberty Living has listed four key things you must consider before committing.

How to Choose Student Accommodation

1. Location

Before looking into student accommodation, ask yourself: where in my university city would I prefer to live? Within walking distance to campus, or in the city centre?

Both of these locations will offer different benefits. Staying in the centre usually means you’ll have lots of shops and restaurants on your doorstep, whereas being close to university promises an easy commute and more time in bed in the morning before a class.

Liberty Living has residences in both of these categories, across 19 UK cities.

2. Expense

It’s really important to figure out your budget for accommodation before you start looking.

Do the maths and find the price that feels realistic and reasonable for you to spend on your room during your stay in halls.

That way, you can start googling with a clear figure in mind, and more easily rule options out as you go along.

3. Lifestyle

Another good exercise to do before choosing your student accommodation, is making a list of your ‘must-haves’.

In other words, the features or facilities you think would be essential to your enjoyment of living in student accommodation.

Some examples might be:

  • Having an en-suite bathroom
  • Having access to a gym, or other on-site facilities like a laundry or games room
  • Staying in quieter halls, or the opposite: living somewhere more lively

Deciding on these things will help you to find a place that offers the right lifestyle for you at university.

4. Community

Finally, an often-overlooked consideration but one that will hugely affect how much your student accommodation feels like a home from home.

While researching various choices, find out how each provider fosters a sense of community in their residences.

This might be through events, Facebook groups, or even just promoting an open culture between students and staff in which you’d always feel comfortable going to them for a chat.

Choose Liberty Living

Liberty Living pride themselves on creating a strong community feel, bringing together students from all walks of life and helping them to form friendships that’ll last throughout university and beyond. Learn more about Liberty today.