Moving house is said to be one of the most stressful things you will have to endure in a lifetime. I would normally agree with this, but confess I found moving into my second year house relatively easy; compared to choosing who to live with, and actually finding a house. Friendships are stretched to breaking point, your much-abused student loan suddenly seems miniscule, and on top of this, you have to find time to maintain the social and academic life you had worked so hard to build (well… at least the social life!). The first hurdle is to decide who you are living with. Are you going to live with your current flatmates? Or maybe people from your course or societies? Either way you’re going to disappoint someone, or even worse, be disappointed by another. It is a very rare thing to say you have everyone you want to live with in your house and do not have anyone you would rather live without. When I first went through it all for the first time in my fresher year I was torn between groups. Everyone had pretty much decided who they were living with and I was indecisive which almost left me without a house. But, I was fortunate that things changed quite dramatically and quickly. Disputes within the groups as to where and what house they would live in and other complications left an opening for me to join a group of friends I was keen to live with. There are always people who are left out, but there are two things to remember. Firstly, you have to be selfish - if you don’t feel as if you can get along with them it is best to be harsh now than find it intolerable later and stuck in a house under contract for twelve months. Secondly, it is not always personal - liking someone and living with someone are two completely separate things; even the best of friends struggle living under a shared roof. The next step is trying to find a house. There our plenty of student houses floating about around campus rented out by agencies or by private landlords. All of course vary in quality and price. It is very competitive and you may view a house that would be gone an hour later. This causes students to panic and search and sign for houses earlier in the year. It may be good to get it out of the way, but do remember there's always a surplus of student housing and things can change within a short space of time at university, especially during the first year. Once in a house, maintaining it to a habitable level is harder than it seems. All it takes is one party or one person not pulling their weight to turn it into a contender for ‘How Clean Is You House?’. Then when autumn finishes and winter sets in you are torn between being snug and warm or saving precious pennies on the gas and electricity bills. I think I have finally solved this problem. It's quite simple: take all the spare pillows and blankets in the house and build your own den in the living room. All the years of practice as a child can suddenly be put into use! Although I may sound pessimistic about moving out of campus into a shared house, I have no regrets as it is an experience that is part of every student’s time at university and one more step towards total independence. Always remember that the Student Union and Accommodation office are more than happy to help and answer questions. So relax, take your time, and happy house hunting! Dan | 
