From living alone to living on campus

For my first year at the University of Essex, I lived in on-campus accommodation. I really enjoyed my stay there for multiple reasons.
 

First, the accommodation was very close to the university facilities.

It made everyday life so much easier. For example, if I forgot something in the morning, I could walk back during the break, grab it and come back before the start of the next class while still having time to have lunch.
 

Second, the room and kitchen themselves.

The room was also very well arranged; what I loved the most was the space under the bed and the spacious desk.

The kitchen was well equipped, and it made cooking easy: there was enough storage space in the fridge, freezer, and cupboards.
 

Third, I could meet new people.

I was living in a flat with around 10 different people. It may seem like a lot, but since we were only sharing the kitchen and not all at once, it was actually quite enjoyable.

A few of my flatmates were in my class, but the majority were in other courses.

It helped me meet people even before I started being friends with my classmates. I really appreciated it; it helped me feel less alone or out of place.

In my flat, there were other international people. For example, I became very good friends with a girl from Italy. I think what helped us break the ice was seeing each other so often and the small conversations we had as flatmates. One night, we were both making hot drinks and started sharing our experiences as international students; it was nice discussing the differences between studying in the UK and having that thing already in common.

Then we tried to organise hangouts together, and became really good friends.

In conclusion, it was a really nice way to meet people from my class and other classes, and to live in a really pleasant place.

-Caroline