Moving out is a very exciting experience for most of us. For many, stepping into uni will also be the first time to live away from your family.
This is a sky of freedom open to you, but also at the same time comes with many new challenges to take over. Here is how you can have fun while sharing a flat with new people.
Open to communication
There is nothing better than knowing who you are living with. This can be easily done by giving everyone in the flat a chance to talk to each other.
Let’s start with sharing a group chat. That is a useful way to share everything, from studying at school to any changes happening in the flat. It is also a good place to ask for advice. The more active your group chat is, the more you can know your flatmates and their living habits.
It is also worth spending more time with your flatmates. Imagine you are new to the school and maybe the city as well, your flat is the first small group you can talk to. You guys can be each other’s support in nearly everything. Sometimes, a small get-together in the flat is a nice way to chill out and learn more about your flatmates’ culture. I share a flat with five more people from different countries and we are close like a family. Just spending time with them can let me know a lot about other courses and parts of the world. Especially, during this tough pandemic time, I cannot imagine how terrible my mental health would be without them.
Be understanding
Sharing means compromising. Living with new people from different backgrounds can be a challenge if you do not respect their difference. It is good to be frank on anything that is unacceptable to you. However, it is also good listening to your flatmates, and understanding their viewpoints.
As Brunel is a very diverse environment, you can find yourself living with people from different cultures, different religions. This is where we should try to compromise if these dissimilarities are tolerable.
Ground rules needed
Just like in class, basic rules should always be considered to let everyone be happy with their living condition. Basic things like how to share the fridge shelves, who will take out the trash, or what time we should prevent making noise in the communal area, etc. are all worth noting down.
These rules can come at the very beginning when you first move in, and can also be developed along the way. Just make sure you all agree with them and share in the group chat. Trust me, life will be much easier with some simple rules!
Hopefully, these tips can help turn your flatmates to your friends for life. Be considerate and have a nice time at uni!