Current student, Eloise Grainger, shares her perspective on living in self-catered accommodation.
For my first year at the University of Exeter, I am living in Moberly on the West side of campus, which is self-catered accommodation. Here are some benefits to living in this type of accommodation and how these benefits encouraged me to apply for self-catered:
Flexibility
By being self-catered, I can choose when I would like to eat based on practicality and convenience. For example, I am a member of the Snowsports society, so training times are often late evenings (such as 7-9pm Wednesday sessions). I have the choice to eat a meal before I train relatively early in the evening or just have a light dinner when I return home later. I love that I can choose my mealtimes as I don’t have to worry about making it back to campus to eat at set times, as would be the case in catered accommodation.
Choice in food
I have the freedom to cook whatever meals I would like in self-catered accommodation. Not only do I have access to a kitchen full of appliances such as ovens, cookers, and microwaves, but I can also go on my own food shop and buy the groceries I know I love and will enjoy eating. It’s fantastic to be able to pick and choose what I prefer to eat on a weekly basis (when I personally do my food shops), as I am a very fussy eater and crave the variety in my meal plans! I am also a vegan, so it’s really useful for me to try out different foods and see what works best for me, whilst knowing all the food I eat has been selected by myself.
Budgeting and time management
University teaches you many key skills for life but even living in self-catered accommodation can set you up well for adulthood. Not only will you develop your cooking skills, but you will also learn to manage your finances (i.e. how much you would like to spend on a food shop), as well as time management by making sure you schedule in time to shop, cook, and clean up.
Social life
Kitchen areas and social spaces within self-catered accommodation are great for meeting new people and creating new friendships. Whether you cook together, or chat whilst washing up dishes, or play games in the lounge, it’s easy to meet different groups. What I personally love about my accommodation in Moberly is the huge kitchen and dining spaces we have, and most nights we all watch a movie together in the lounge or play card games at the table; there’s always something to do and people to hang out with!
Self-catered accommodation prepares you for the next step in your life whilst giving you liberty in what and when you eat. What’s not to love?