Maddie Lambert - Why I chose to live in a studio flat

Hello, my name is Maddie Lambert and I am a recent Health and Wellbeing in Society graduate. I studied my course full time and picked up plenty of part-time work experience across my three years of study.

As I was local (ish) to Leicester and wanted to experience living away from home. Because I was unsure of my schedule beforehand, my family and I looked into different accommodation options at DMU. After careful consideration, I ended up living in a studio flat, 10 minutes’ walk (or less) from campus.

Moving out for the first time was a big step, but it was a great learning curve for important life skills and experiences at university.

Life in a studio flat

When I started looking at accommodation, I realised that shared living just wasn’t for me. I really value my own space and the peace and quiet that comes with it, especially when balancing assignments, part-time work, and a social life.

I decided to live in a studio flat, and I’m really glad I did. It gave me the independence and privacy I needed to focus, recharge, and make the most of my time at university. My parents kindly helped me with the costs while I was studying, and the plan was always that I’d pay them back gradually once I was in a more stable financial position. It was a setup that worked really well for us as a family and meant I could focus on my degree without constant financial stress.

Having my own space also taught me a lot about budgeting and responsibility - from managing the rent I could afford and bills to meal planning and keeping on top of household chores. Budgeting and managing money was a learning curve, and there were times when I spent more than I should have. It’s a skill that takes time and practice and, over time, I became a bit more confident with managing my finances and planning ahead - it’s still something I am working on as a graduate.

I regularly commuted home to visit family but instead of taking the train, which was quicker but much more expensive, I made the most of the £3 bus fare cap offer. The journey just took over an hour, but I actually came to enjoy it - it gave me time to read my book, listen to music, or just switch off after a busy week. Choosing the bus over the train saved me a lot over the years, and it became part of my regular routine.

What I'd recommend to prospective students

• Research different accommodation providers and make a detailed cost-comparison based on your individual situation: how far you live, whether you would live in halls, what private renting might cost, what travel costs are, food costs, what can you live with and without etc.

• Plan for worst-case scenarios (travel delays, unexpected costs, increase in cost of living, increase in bills, illness etc)

• Think ahead: when you plan finances, don’t just think per term, think how costs change across the year (term breaks may mean travelling home more often, more social opportunities at certain times etc).

• Explore what your university and other places offer students: scholarships, bursaries, hardship funds, free / subsidised meals, reduced cost services. Often there are more supports than people realise and if you are entitled to it, why not go for it. Also, take advantage of student discounts, sign up for loyalty schemes, and don’t forget to collect those coffee stamps, the small savings really do add up.

• Don’t feel pressured to keep up with what everyone else is doing - not everyone’s in the same boat. Some people can afford to go out often, have takeaways, or go on trips, while others might be working part-time or saving where they can. It’s all about finding what works for you.