After completing high school, many young adults start to embark on a journey toward building a career. Those who decide to enter a university often have to move out of their family homes and live by themselves for the next few years. As they experience independent living for the first time, they learn new skills and form new habits that will help them become responsible and self-reliant individuals.
Students and parents consider several factors when selecting student accommodation. For one, they would often weigh up if a residence would be most conducive to learning and studies while guaranteeing the safety and security of all students. In addition, because the college dormitory will serve as the student’s home away from home for some time, it should foster health, safety, and conduciveness to learning. These are especially helpful if you wish to survive your first year in a college or university.
Apart from these aspects, the residence should also have amenities and establishments where students can obtain necessities and services. These features are essential to ensure that students live comfortably and conveniently as they focus on their studies. If you’d like some suggestions on what amenities to look for when choosing student accommodation, here are some points you may find helpful:
1. Proximity To The Campus
One of the most desirable amenities a student residence can offer is its proximity to the university. Staying in a dormitory near the campus would make attending classes more convenient as there’s no need to allocate time for travel. It would also make it easier for students to take a rest after classes and prepare for the next day.
Likewise, it’s a great way to develop punctuality as going to and from the campus would be convenient. Effective time management is essential in balancing academics and extracurricular activities, which are also necessary to a student’s university experience. Given this, living close to the school premises would make it easier for students to manage school work and other activities.
Because of these desirable conditions, the best student accommodation, such as The Colonial House in Idaho, is commonly situated within walking distance of universities.
2. Basic Living Facilities
Student accommodations typically offer various living arrangements to students depending on their requirements and preferences. Some would have shared sleeping quarters, while others provide private bedrooms for each tenant. However, most residences have common areas for daily activities. Here are some of them:
- Kitchen
- Dining area
- Shower
- Restroom
- Laundry
- Living room
- Garden or lounge
- Parking space
Internet and phone access should also be provided to all student tenants, though some would require additional fees for both services.
3. Easy Access To Essentials
Aside from being located near the campus, it’s also ideal if the student residence allows easy access to living essentials. When and where needed, commodities such as food, clothing, books, other school supplies, and health products should be readily available when and where needed.
Thus, caring for your health and well-being will be more convenient if you live near shops, malls, and other retail establishments while staying focused on your studies. Besides, it will be beneficial to have quick access to essential goods at any time of day, especially for working students.
The following are some of the establishments you may need to look for when choosing a student residence:
- Malls
- Clothing shops
- Grocery stores or food shops
- Coffee shops and fast-food restaurants
- Convenience stores
- Pharmacies
- Bookstores
- School supply shops
- Hardware stores
If you have hobbies or interests that you’d like to pursue while studying, it would also be helpful to stay in a residence where you’ll have easy access to materials relevant to them. In addition, they could help you find enjoyable things to do during your free time and may help you become more productive. Thus, you can also consider them when looking for a dormitory.
4. Convenient Access To Services
You’ll also need convenient access to certain services to help you live more comfortably and aid your studies. This way, you won’t have to spend more time, effort, and resources obtaining the services you need for your daily living.
Here are some of the services you may regularly need while staying at a student residence:
- Laundry and dry cleaning
- Medical and dental health services
- Internet and other digital services
- Printing and photocopying shops
- Self-care essentials, such as salons or barbershops and skin clinics
Apart from these, you may also require services from repair shops for items such as computers, furniture, or clothing. Hence, it may also be helpful to search for one within the vicinity of the student accommodation.
5. Environment Conducive To Learning
While you’ll be spending long hours on campus, you’ll also need a clean and quiet area where you can study comfortably in your student residence. Having a dedicated study area may be valuable, especially for days when you have to stay up late to meet deadlines and prepare for exams. Aside from this, having access to a study may encourage you to dedicate your free time to doing school-related tasks that would help you become more productive.
Apart from having a study room or hall, the residence itself should be in an area free from loud noise and distractions from traffic or neighbouring houses. While it’s ideal to have many establishments within its vicinity, the environment should still be peaceful and quiet so the residence can be conducive to learning. The place should also have proper ventilation, lighting, and temperature regulation to provide comfort to the occupants.
6. Facilities That Foster A Balanced Lifestyle
Some dormitories also have outdoor spaces, gyms, and swimming pools ideal for physical activities and recreation. These amenities may help encourage students to live a balanced lifestyle while staying focused on their studies. Although schoolwork should always be the main priority, it’s equally essential for students to care for their health and wellness. Given this, it’s also vital for them to have access to dedicated spaces where they can exercise or play sports for recreation.
Moreover, spending time outdoors may be helpful to fight stress and burnout when things get hectic in school. Hence, student residences need to have ample space on their exterior where students can unwind and destress from time to time.
7. Areas For Socialization
Living away from home for the first time may be challenging, especially for newcomers. In addition, it may not be easy to live away from family and friends for an extended period, which could distract students from focusing on their schoolwork. However, independent living doesn’t mean you should spend most of your time independently. Hence, you’ll also need to socialize on or off-campus.
Socialization plays an integral part in a student’s university experience. While academics are a top priority, it’s also essential for a student to build friendships and camaraderie with others. Your relationship with colleagues and friends can help enrich your experience and develop your character. Given its importance, selecting a residence with areas that encourage socialization among students may be helpful. In this way, your time as a university student can also be more fun and memorable.
8. Safety And Security Provisions
Lastly, student residences should have safety and security provisions to help students feel more comfortable living in a new environment. Safety and security are essential considerations, especially as you’ll be living away from family and spending most of your time yourself. To help you feel more at ease during your stay, you’ll need to select student accommodation located in a safe and secure neighbourhood where it’s easy to find help when and where required.
While not all student accommodations have security personnel on their employ, it would be helpful to have an attendant in charge who can assist students in case of emergencies. It would also help if the building had additional safety features, like digitized door access, security cameras, or burglar alarms to protect the area and restrict access to the premises.
Conclusion
One of the most critical decisions incoming first-year students have to make as they enter college is selecting a student residence. Having one that fosters learning, comfort, and security is vital to help them focus on their education and maintain a balanced lifestyle. In addition, as obtaining a degree may be one of the most significant challenges you’d take on as a university student, you’ll need to live in an environment where all your necessities are easily accessible.
With this in mind, it’s crucial to secure a student residence with all the amenities that would be helpful and convenient for you. Therefore, you could dedicate more time to schoolwork while maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. In addition, having easy access to amenities will also help you acclimatize to a new environment more quickly.
Furthermore, living away from friends and family for a few years may pose some hassles. So, it’s also essential for student residences to feature amenities for recreation and socialization that would help tenants adjust and thrive while living independently. As a result, these amenities would help young adults build and maintain friendships with their colleagues and feel a sense of belonging in their home away from home.
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