I remember the feeling of moving away from home and having to make small talk with strangers as you entered your new Uni accommodation. However, as the initial awkwardness passes and you get to know each other, you can create some great memories. Keeping on good terms with your housemates is something that will make your Uni experience a lot smoother. Some tips and tricks to make this possible include:
Organising a Cleaning Rota
Perhaps a boring one to start with but, if you stay on top of a routine, far less arguments will occur. Also, if you remain the ‘clean flat’, people will come to yours to relax, for pre-drink. Before you know it, yours will be the flat that everyone wants to hang out in.
Cook House Meals
Arranging some sort of Come Dine With Me evening once a week, can allow you and your housemates to sit down and catch up. You may end up having very different course schedules and social lives, so putting effort in to keep up with one another is a good idea. Here you also have the advantage of having a meal cooked for you. I’m sure many students would greatly appreciate that. This idea could even involve a Sunday roast. What could beat a warm plate of roast chicken with all the trimmings on a cold evening?
Start a Series as a house
Whether it’s Celebs Go Dating, Love Island, or a new Netflix phenomenon such as Squid Game, watching a series together allows for endless topics of chat and further recommendations for film nights. This allows you to get into a routine after a busy day, watching an episode most evenings all together.
Enjoy House Outings
This could involve a trip to the cinema, a competitive round of mini-golf, or a visit to a local beach. Having an activity planned allows you to see your housemates and spend quality time with them. This is especially important if you have other courses or social friends who take up most of your time. Remembering the house ‘family’ and putting time and effort in with them could go a long way and mean a lot for some people.
This advice will help you stay close to your housemates, even if you all have other hobbies and interests. As you are housed randomly, these people may not be your cup of tea. However, they are your first-year housemates so will stay with you (even if just as memories) for the rest of your life. They’ll be the people you first experienced life away from home with. And the people who will cheer you up when you are ill or feeling homesick. Even if they are not your friends for life, you can make some fun memories with the people you started your university journey with.
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