Student blogs

So hopefully you're coming to Kingston...? Great news and we're happy to have you!  But first things first, I have to ask you a question - Where are you going to live? (Note: The answer ‘Umm... a cardboard box?' is extremely facetious and will not be accepted... shame on you!)

In your first year of university you've got several options when it comes to creating a home away from home, and here are some of them:-

Option 1: Halls of Residence
There are lots of different halls to choose from depending on budget, preferred location and what you're willing to share with other people.

If you study at Penrhyn Road, the nearest Halls to you are Clayhill and Seething Wells. Kingston Hill campus has halls on site, and Middle Mill halls are just a hop skip and a jump away from Knight's Park campus. Roehampton Vale students are nearest to Kingston Hill halls, as it's only a five minute ride on the uni bus, and regular TFL buses go between the sites as well. There is also Kingston Bridge House in the town centre as another option for students, and the privately leased (but rather pricey) IQ Wave flats.
Flats vary in size from three to ten students, and some offer en-suite rooms where each student gets their own shower, sink and toilet.
Pros
.All bills included in rent.
.Halls welcome events make meeting people easier.
.Meet people on your course before you start lectures.
.Most halls are on the uni bus route - easy to get around when you don't know the area well.
Cons
.Don't know who you're sharing with until you move in.
.All accommodation is mixed sex - sharing with boys, ewwww!!
.If people don't follow the cleaning rota the flat can become a house of horrors.

Option 2: Rent A Room
Going solo? You can rent a room in a house share, or perhaps even live with your landlord.
Pros
.No corralling flatmates for rent/bills
Cons
.Don't know who you're sharing with until you move in.
.Depending on location may involve a long commute to and from uni.

Option 3: Rent a House/Flat
Are some of your friends already at Kingston? Or do you know other first years starting at the same time as you? In this case you could all go in together and rent a whole house by yourselves.
Pros
.Already know who you're living with
.Bills are cheaper the more people share them out
Cons
.Very important you keep on top of paying bills to avoid hefty charges/cut off amenities
.Have to set up water/electricity/internet accounts yourself

Option 4: Stay at Home
The easiest and possibly cheapest option for students who live close to Kingston already might be to just dispense with the whole ‘moving-out' thing and spend a few more years living at chez mam and dad.
Pros
.No hassle of moving away
.Don't have to worry about buying food/paying bills/rent/getting a TV license
Cons
.Don't get same sense of independence as other students
.Might feel you miss out on social side of uni

So there you have it - Hopefully some food for thought as you embark on your new life as a lazy, good for nothing student :D See you in September!!

(FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ACCOMODATION VISIT THE KU WEBSITE:- http://www.kingston.ac.uk/accommodation/)

I think I can safely say I've had ALL the living experiences whilst at uni! In my first year, I was in halls. In my second year, I moved back home to Guildford and commuted and in my third year (which I'm in now) I've been renting privately.

In this blog, I'm going to tell you more about the Headed Tenancy scheme here at Kingston, which I used to find my flat this year. This scheme (which I can't recommend enough) is basically a group of houses which the uni manages and rents out to students. All the properties still have normal landlords, but the uni manages them on their behalf- so essentially the uni acts as the estate agent. There are a lot of benefits to this:

• The deposit and actual rent is A LOT cheaper than going out and finding a flat/house yourself
• All the properties are checked by the uni to make sure they fit with safety standards and have all the furniture a student needs
• The rent comes out in three instalments (like living in halls) and the dates are conveniently set so the money come out after your student loan comes through (yay!)
• You only pay for when you're actually at uni, so most contracts end 5th July. However, if you want to stay in the same place next year (i.e. 2nd and 3rd year) you can extend the tenancy an so won't have to move all your things out over summer
• Any problems that you have (washing machine is broken etc) you deal with through the uni and they are much more helpful and quicker at getting the job done then usual agents/landlords (I assume after hearing a few horror stories from friends.) Of course, I'm sure there are some nice agents/landlords out there! Anyway, the whole process makes it a lot easier for you to sort out problems and so there's less stress and more time for you to enjoy living out.
• One important point to make is that this scheme is NOT available to first year students and all tenants have to be full-time Kingston uni students.

I think this just about covers everything! If you have any more questions about this scheme or anything else about accommodation - such as halls and commuting from home - please do ask me.

I can't believe I've just had my last ever lecture at Kingston Uni! It was definitely a mixed bag of emotions: happy to finally be finishing three hard years of studying law, but also really sad to see the academic side of uni life come to an end. The lecture hall we were in was the same one where we had our first induction in the beginning of first year. I even remembered the exact spot I had sat in those three years ago...where had the time flown?! It was nice to be able to see the all familiar faces of my friends and fellow law students for one last time before we went into crazy exam revision mode. A huge cheer and round of applause was a good way to end not only the lecture (which I'm not going to lie, wasn't hugely interesting!) but the end of an era. Afterwards, my friends and I decided we had earned a well-deserved drink and so off to the SU bar we went :D It was a lovely sunny day and we found ourselves sitting outside sharing our best uni stories- the perfect way to end our week and time at Kingston Hill.

Now all that's left in order for me to graduate is the small matter of exams (haha). It seems to be all I think about, with my finals starting in a matter of days eeek! I'll let you know how they go, but one thing I do know is that this is going to be one crazy May...

Oh, and just to end with a link that is helping me get through my revision. Try these amazingly easy and delicious dessert recipes....after all we do deserve a treat!

http://www.studentbeans.com/student-money/a/8-exam-stress-busting-desserts-for-one4233.html