Memories and friendships

Through meeting my friends, and especially by getting involved with the hall committee, I have very much found a sense of belonging in Royce hall. I found it much easier to get involved with events and societies, as events were held nearby on campus. I also met tons of people in shared places such as the dining hall, the paddock, the gym, and so on. I likely wouldn’t have gone to any of these places if I lived off-campus.

Living on campus means that it’s easy to go to other people’s flats and the student’s union for nights out, events, and so on. My Highlights would have to be going to play beach volleyball after high tables at 1am. During the summer when the sun’s out, we would always go to the paddock or any green area and play football, rugby, or frisbee, which is always extremely wholesome.

The best thing about living in halls is the memories and experiences you have living with people. A lot of the time’s its more about the small moments like chilling in the common room after dinner and having a game of darts, but it’s also about going to summer ball’s/ hall events and having the greatest time. I think halls are such a good way to meet new people and try different things that you wouldn’t think of usually trying.

Hygienic shared spaces

I had several concerns about sharing a bathroom before joining my hall, mostly I was concerned that they would be unclean.

But personally, I found that shared bathrooms are really good, and they’re often bigger than a lot of the ensuites and quite spacious as well. They’re also cleaned on a regular basis so there’s honestly nothing to worry about, it’s never been a mess. 

My main concern was that I wouldn’t like the food, but I love the ease of living in catered halls and the variety and options of food given to us. Being catered has also been really helpful for getting into a proper routine and frees up more time to do more on campus. Waking up at a consistent time every morning and developing my own routine based on what works for me has been great.

I also wondered if halls would be cliquey with having student hall committees, but when I came here, I realised that wasn’t the case at all and everyone was welcoming and supportive. In my second year when I returned to halls, I joined the hall committee for Royce as Welfare & Diversity rep. Wellbeing and diversity is extremely important to me because your mental state can have such an impact on your university experience – and I want to do my best to ensure that everyone is having the best time they can! I've done this by putting on events, talking to students, or signposting to better resources. I put lots of effort into planning events, especially for welfare week, for Royce hall. These range from fundraisers, to coffee mornings, to period pain simulator events, to playing an hour of dodgeball for free, etc.  

Minutes from everything

Living in the central village on campus, everything I need is less than a 10 minute walk from my room.

My lecture halls are extremely close by, and there are lots of study spaces such as Pilkington library, Haselgrave and STEM lab in the area, which encourage my friends and I to try work more. I chose to live on campus mainly due to its ease and access to different university facilities. Loughborough has lots of incredible facilities, so it’s great to be just minutes away from these. 

Accommodation options definitely influenced my choice of university as I knew I wanted a campus university and to live on campus. I also wanted the option and security of knowing that I could stay on campus after first year, and that it was a safe place with all the necessities provided. All the staff support teams (wardens, cleaning, security) have been a massive support. Just knowing that they are there if I need anything is extremely comforting and makes me feel safe. 

If you’re considering coming to Loughborough, I would really recommend it. Loughborough University offers the perfect balance of having a packed social life, academic excellence and opportunities to support my aspirations.