The time you spend at university accommodation is one of the most significant periods in your life and depending on where you live during this time, your experience can vary widely. Most people who study abroad, or even those that don’t, live in some kind of student accommodation near the university, which makes it easier for them to travel back and forth from the campus.
During your university life, your time is usually divided between staying on campus and the student accommodation of your choice. When you spend so much time in a place, it will definitely affect your state of mind and well-being. So it’s important, therefore, to choose a place that offers an environment for you to flourish.
This is where Campus Africa comes in. Let’s delve deeper to find out more about Campus Africa’s Gauteng student accommodation and how it can help in the formative years of your life.
See Also: Key Insights: NSFAS Accredited Accommodation Requirements for Success
How Does Student Accommodation Affect Mental Health?
Starting out at university is a major period of transition for any student. A lot of things are changing, and everything is very overwhelming. This is a time when depression and anxiety can spike. The stress of handling classes, assignments, and tests while moving into a completely new environment by yourself can be extremely daunting.
It’s no surprise, therefore, that where you live during this transition phase of your life is very influential on your mental and physical health. The kind of environment you have to live in can largely shape your entire university experience.
Your room will basically become your home for the next 3-5 years or more. This is where you’ll study, hang out, sleep, relax, and spend most of your time. If the place you live in gives you anxiety, along with all the stress of university, it will be very difficult to keep a stable mind and do well.
Learning to live with strangers can be very difficult, especially if you have never had to share space with anyone before. You’re struggling to adjust to a new life while learning how to take on adult responsibilities and fend for yourself; it’s only normal that mental health problems can arise during this time.
Your living space shouldn’t make things worse. It should give you peace and sanity and a place that will feel like home in a very stressful environment. Many universities around the world are focusing on providing flourishing environments for students to live in so as to reduce their stress and help with their mental well-being.
It’s important, therefore, to choose a place that has a friendly environment and gives you the calm you need to survive at university. Whether it be affordable prices or a comfortable bed, or even the scope to meet new people, student accommodations need to have a student-friendly environment that encourages growth and peace.
What To Look For In Student Accommodation?
If you’re living alone for the first time, it can be hard to know what to look for when searching for places to stay. So here are a few pointers to look for in student accommodation.
Communal Spaces
Having a communal space in your living space is very important, especially if you’re not sharing a room with anybody. With a communal space, there’s a space to meet other students, hang out with them, and make friends. It helps you build long-term, meaningful relationships with others without having to give up on your personal space.
Since everyone living in the same accommodation would have to traverse through these communal spaces, accidental friendships spark up and allow you to make connections with people you might not have approached otherwise. This also makes it easier for more socially reserved people to make friends and socialize.
Privacy
While it’s important to have a space to socialize, it’s also equally important to have enough space for yourself to focus and take a break. For instance, you will probably need a quiet space to study and focus before a test. And since everyone around you might not have the same routines, they might have friends over or might be loud while you need to study.
So, it’s best if you can find a room that you can live in by yourself. This allows you to close the door and get some privacy when you want to study or work. While it might not be possible for all students to have a single room to themselves, establishing certain levels of privacy (separate beds and cabinets, a separate study table) can also help you.
It’s best to have rooms where you can close the door and get some privacy when you want to study or rest, and then use the communal spaces to socialize when you’re in the mood. A good balance between the two is often much better than closed-off, isolated apartment residence halls, where there’s no space for any community.
People
Perhaps the most important factor of all when it comes to student accommodation and the effect it has on your mental health is the people you surround yourself with. Whether it be roommates, housemates, or even the people in authority: the landlords and the RAs (Resident Assistants), these are the people who you will be interacting with regularly.
So it’s important to make sure that these are more or less nice people that make you feel like you’re part of a community. Various studies have found that students who are all well acquainted with other people in their accommodation halls are less likely to give up on the university.
When you’re moving away from your family and all your close friends, it’s important to build a good support system around you. More often than not, these can be the people you stay with in an accommodation hall. If you are lucky and you end up with people you like, then you are more likely to have an amazing university experience.
Conclusion
Your student accommodation can either make or break your university experience. That’s why you should work with Campus Africa to find the best room for you.
With fully furnished rooms and comfortable living spaces, Campus Africa gives you the perfect environment for you to thrive in university.
See Also: The role of accommodation environments in student mental health and wellbeing
