Are you a first year student? Have you already started looking through the Pads For Students database for what is available? If so, you have probably already started listing some must haves and red flags for accommodation. One of the questions you may not have considered is which group of friends to live with. You have two options: living with course mates and living with friends from halls. There are pros and cons to lodging with course mates.
Pros of Living with Course Mates
Co-working: The first and most obvious is that students on the same course can work together and help each other when academic work is due. Having company when studying can help the work (and the time) pass. You can support each other and help answer each other’s questions. Some students find it more productive to live with people on the same course.
Easier to organise: Oversleeping is a fact of life for students. If you live with mates from the same course and you’re all going to the same lecture, you have no excuses. They will more than likely wake you up in the morning if your alarm doesn’t go off. When essays are due, seeing your housemates working will help with your own motivation.
Harmony during exams: At the end of the year when everyone is stressed, nothing breeds resentment like seeing friends out partying. They’ve finished their exams and your final one is still a few days away. Students on the same course are likely to have similar or identical exam timetables than people on completely different courses.
Cons of Living with Course Mates
Cabin fever: If you’re living with the same people that you study with, you’re likely to drive each other mad in the end. This is a psychological fact – it’s called “cabin fever”. Familiarity breeds contempt and when you are seeing the same people all the time, no matter where you are, that familiarity will grow to become a little too familiar.
Small social group: Limiting your social circle is never a good idea. It leads to cabin fever (mentioned in the last point) but it also means you are not getting the full benefit of your social opportunities. You run the risk of becoming dependent on the same group of friends for practically everything.
What happens if you argue?: Friends fall out all the time. When you’re a student, you are likely to fall out over the one thing that most people (couples, friends) fall out over – money. You also have the issue of housework. If one person feels another isn’t paying their way, isn’t settling bills in time or doesn’t pull their weight, that leads to friction. Now imagine you must see that person all the time.