Advice on settling into life in halls

Our staff want to make your halls of residence a home from home. We want your accommodation to be a place where you feel welcome and where you can talk to them about any issues. To help you adjust to your new home and settle into halls life, here are a few tips to help you have a happy, healthy time.

Our top tips

Here are a few tried and tested tips to help you break the ice with your flatmates and settle into your new home:

Then once the dust has settled keep these things in mind:

Look after yourself

Late nights, lie-ins, hangovers, takeaways, and full English breakfasts can take their toll on your health and well-being so try to establish some good eating habits and keep active. You'll find it'll help with your studies and your overall contentment without compromising on the fun!  If you haven't already done it, register with a doctor.

Get to grips with your finances 

Have a rough idea of what you've got to spend each week and try to keep to it. Make the most of special student deals. Most shops offer a 10% student discount too if you show a student ID card. Buy a Totum card to benefit from thousands of discounts and offers. Derby Theatre has cheap £5 deals on lots of shows. Many halls events are free or subsidised, so getting involved doesn't have to be expensive.

See if your flatmates want to buy things in bulk and share the cost. Unibulkbuy is a great website for buying in bulk online. Have a kitty for things like milk which you all need to buy. For good advice on money matters, check out the SMART (Student Money and Advice Rights Team). You'll find it under the Money tile on the UDo app.

Whatever happens, don't bury your head in the sand. Keep an eye on things so they don't get out of control. If you have let your finances run away with you, don't worry, there are people around who can advise you. If you have money worries, talk to your Hall Manager who will be able to signpost you to the Union of Students Advice Team, the University's Wellbeing Team or the Finance Department.

Keep on top of your coursework

Make sure you adopt a good work/life balance so that you are in control of your studies. Speak to your tutor, course representative or someone in our Wellbeing team if you need advice and support.

Keep in touch

The folks at home will be wondering how you're getting on so make sure you keep in touch. It's also worth staying in contact with friends from home. You could arrange for them to come and visit.

Talk to us

Our door is always open. Please talk to your Hall Manager if you have a problem. They have a wealth of experience and are used to helping students with all manner of issues.

Student Tamzin in halls

The answer to all my problems, quite literally is my Hall Manager. I go and talk to her about anything that is concerning me, when I feel like I have no-one to talk to.

Tamzin Burch
First year Marketing (PR and Advertising) student

And finally...

For more information and advice on living in halls, check out the halls FacebookInstagram and Twitter pages.