Man, is it weird being back in a dorm (or Uni Hall as they say in the UK) after having moved out of the dorms for a while now. I forgot how nice it is to be surrounded by students all the time. Meeting people is so simple and it’s such a nice social environment. I think it’s way easier to meet students if you live on campus because realistically, nobody is really talking to each other or making THAT many friends in class because you have to be paying attention to the lecture.
Halls here are kinda interesting. The concept of an American Style dormitory is so foreign to people here in the UK. I think the idea of sharing a room with 1 or more people and using a communal bathroom almost feels like a right of passage for American college students. Lofted beds, shower caddies, and being assigned a random roommate was always just expected for me haha! Don’t get me wrong, I would probably never volunteer to live like that again, but it was undoubtedly a really fun experience.
From my experience and what I gather speaking to students from the UK, that doesn’t happen here. My apartment here is one long hallway that connects 8 individual bedrooms each with their own ensuite bathroom and then a 9th door that leads to a shared kitchen. The rooms are small and basic, but it has what I need: plenty of outlets, good lighting, a desk, and my own bathroom. What more do I really need? Plus I probably wont be spending too much time in my room anyway outside of sleeping so I’m actually really happy with the situation. I could always use more closet space though, especially since the shopping is pretty amazing here in London. 😉
