Olivia's top tips for living in shared accommodation

21 April 2023

Undergraduate ambassador Olivia shares her top tips for living in shared accommodation at university.

Moving away from home can be daunting. However, once you have made your new ‘home’ yours, it can be one of the best decisions, empowering your independence. So, here are my top tips on living in shared accommodation.

  1. Your experience will be unique.

No two people’s experience of living in shared accommodation will be the same. Some people instantly click with their flatmates, whilst others take time to build the connection. That’s ok! Allow yourself time to get used to the people you are living with and take time to make your room and space your own. Bring little things that identify you to decorate your room, and if you're comfortable, share and show these to your flatmates.

  1. Be considerate and respectful of others.

Being considerate of the other people sharing the space is crucial. Some people may be more or less chatty than you and may take time to feel comfortable, and that’s ok! Giving people space to adapt is so important. Additionally, communication is key. For example, you may want to have some friends around and listen to some music. You may have great music taste, but trust me, no one wants to hear it blasting through the walls every day! So, talking to flatmates about these plans is a great idea.

  1. Set some housekeeping rules.

There is nothing worse than a messy kitchen! Those chores can be incredibly boring, but splitting them out can mean they are done quicker and easier. Creating a rota can keep things fair, and doing this early on stops any misunderstandings later in the term. We would also hold ‘flat meetings’ if chores were getting out of hand, which helped us all recalibrate and keep our cooking spaces clean.

  1. Organise fun activities.

The people you live with in the first year will be the first people you potentially meet and get to know. So, it’s a good idea to organise some fun activities to keep spirits up throughout the year together! It could be getting together to watch Bake Off, decorating the flat for Halloween, going out for drinks, or playing a board game! Make it inclusive for all your flatmates, and you may have flatmates from all around the world so there is the potential to learn something new too.

If you would like to know more about student accommodation at Warwick, you can find out more on the Warwick Accommodation website.