Talking Money

Jana: When your living at home you don't realise what the real life is like because you are protected by your parents. But when you go to university, you have to do everything yourself.

Raz: I didn't really think about where I was going to live, so my parents decided that it might be best for me to stay at home.

Alex: Well in my first year I lived in student halls and it was the best thing I've ever done. First of all the people that I met were just incredible, they are people that I will be friends with for the rest of my life.

Aaron: It was quite a close knit experience.

Ursula: So I actually bought a property and I live by myself. Me and my parents decided that it would be more beneficial. The money that would have been going on rent, pays for the mortgage instead.

Living at home

Raz: University was never meant to really happen for me, so it came as a shock when I applied and I got a place.

I didn't really think about where I was going to live so my parents decided that it might be best for me to stay at home.

When you're in halls of residence you become part of the university, you can take part in loads of events and functions and things like that.

When you're at home it's difficult to juggle your time so that you can take part in these things. For example, I have to travel for 2 hours every single day when I was at university, and in my first year I definitely didn't feel part of the university because of that traveling issue.

So I paid £50 roughly a month and I alway used to contribute financially to bills and things like that so that I didn't feel that I was living off my parents.

The best things about living at home is definitely the support you get from the family, it was a nice thing having my family there and sharing my university life with them.

Use the positives or my mum will kick my...

Living in halls

Naz: If you're thinking of going to university and living in halls of residence it's most important that you get to know who your neighbours are - so get into the kitchen, make yourself a cup of tea and get to know who you're going to live with for the rest of the year.

Rosie: Whenever you walk into the building you can hear music coming from behind all the doors, til about 10 o'clock at night people will be practicing scales and things so there's music all around.

Jana: Aaaahh, aaahhh, aaaahah (singing)...we've won lots of awards

Sarah: The thing with my halls is they're really secluded, you do just end up living with the people that you're set with. My flat mate gets particularly annoyed when I have people over so I always have to turn things down.

Naz: All the bills were included in the rent I paid. There was definitely a culture shock moving to university and living in halls of residence, erm I'd have to wake up and make my own breakfast for one.

Naz: Living on campus meant that I saved money on taxis and bus fares.

Raz: If you're living in a halls of residence which is 5 minutes away and your lecture finishes at 5 o'clock, that's a 5 minute walk back to your halls and then you can study and do whatever you like.

Naz: If you have a bad..uhh...if you..uh....if you've had a hard day at university you can come back to your halls of residence, knock on your mates door, chill out, listen to some music and rock out for the evening.

Getting a shared house part 1

Aaron: In the second year I moved to a shared house which gave you more freedom to have parties and not have er...I don't know...

The experience of living in a shared house is very different to halls, you're weren't controlled by not having to make noise at a certain time, you had your access to your own washing machine. I think with halls that you kinda have a tendency maybe to stay in your cell-like room, within a house it's sort of open planned and you can walk around and meet people in the kitchen and living room without having to invade their privacy.

Getting a shared house part 2

Aaron: Paying bills in halls doesn't really happen, because they're included in your accommodation rent.

Alex: There is always things that you don't think about when you moving into a new place, Utilities, electricity, gas, but also things like insurance as well. Things that you don't always think about, they always mount up.

Aaron: When it comes to living in a shared house again, probably understand that you might be forced one day that you might have to pay a water bill that you thought you know you you had paid all of. Or you might have an electricity bill coming in the next few months so unless you don't want to be sitting in the dark, make sure you take that into account.

Buying your own place

Ursula: So the idea to buy my own property was probably because I'd seen other people, other medical students in particular doing it. The money that would have been going on rent pays for the mortgage instead.

The best bits of living alone and having my own place are you don't have to deal with your flat mates partners, you don't have to fight about who used what for the bills, I get to have company when I want and I can have a quite house when I want and I can view whatever tv programmes I want and I don't have to watch the football.

Travelling, travelling

Aaron: I spend probably about £60 on traveling a month.

Alex: I didn't think about the extra expense that was going to being incorporated as a result of having to commute.

Aaron: It takes a good two hours of you day so you have to be quite so you have to be quite disciplined with your time. Yeah so there...

Alex:The extra expense was about £2 for every time I went to university.

Aaron: See if you can get any student railcards, see what the best and cheapest way is to get collage is. If you can get there on the bus, it's often cheaper than taking the tube. So do your research.

Accommodation advice from UNIAID

Jemma: Accommodation will be your biggest cost at university. so what you need to do is work out all the costs involved, not just the rent. You might have to pay a deposit before you get there which can be pretty hefty.

Also if you're in a shared house or flat you might have to pay other utility bills such as gas, electricity and water.

When your a student living with other students at uni you don't have to pay council tax. We didn't realise this and actually got a court summons through the door which really freaked us out. All you have to do is get a certificate from your university to prove that you're a student and show that to council.

Accommodation top tips

Raz: Ok my top tips are decide if you want to live in hall of residence or live at home

Jemma: Accommodation will be your biggest cost at university, so what you really need to do is work out all the costs involved, not just your rent.

Aaron: Understand that you might be forced one day to pay a water bill that you thought you had paid all of.

Mike: You should think carefully about who you want to live with. There is a lot of shared responsibility, but when it works, it works well.

Naz: Put your Ribena in your room it's the champaign of cordials.

Alex: I think a lot of people found the advantage of being able to study together a great opportunity.

Claire: It is a free part of your life and you're growing up and you're learning things. Just enjoy it as much as you can because you probably can't go back on this moment.