“These will be the best days of your life.” This is often said by an older generation who enjoyed free tuition and better maintenance support. Maybe in many years from now, looking back full of nostalgia I will say the same, but right now I am not convinced that it holds much truth for our generation of students.
I do not see myself reminiscing on my Halifax bedroom or continually filthy first year kitchen. I don’t think that in 10 years from now I will recall the mysterious stain on my floor fondly. And I do hope that in the years still to come I can make better memories than sharing a bathroom with random people.
I think for previous generations, their relationship with their accommodation might be less sour. I can’t comment on how my room looked years before but I can say with a lot of certainty that it would not have cost as much as it cost me now. And if I paid a similar price for my accommodation as my parents did in their time, I could muster up some kinder feelings for my student accommodation.
Instead, as a modern student, I am met with an accommodation crisis. If the building isn’t falling to pieces then it’s more than students can afford. And even if it is falling to pieces, it may still be more than we can afford. It really does put a damper on the university experience.
Once you have managed to scrape together enough for somewhere to stay, you are essentially left with pennies to feed yourself. A student enjoying a Pot Noodle for dinner is a tale as old as time but even now this sad story has been replaced by something sadder: an off-brand Pot Noodle.
I am exaggerating slightly, but it is not far from reality. After paying my rent I have under £500 remaining of my maintenance loan for the whole year. And for many other students, their loan does not even cover rent. There is simply not enough money to cover feeding myself and making these the best days of my life.
Like many other students, I will need to supplement my loan with part time work just to cover my weekly food shop. And here we enter the work paradox. To go out and have fun you need a job but if you have a job you do not have time to go out and have fun.
And again, I do not see myself reminiscing 10 years from now on this restless burnout lifestyle.
That is not to say student life cannot be fun. I think despite the circumstances students face today, we can make the most of the days we spend here. My first year of university was full of amazing memories, nights out and new friendships. And I recognise the privilege, both academically and socially, I have to be here at university. However, I do hope that these won’t be the best days of my life and that in the future the cost of living won’t be so high.