If you are planning to study abroad, you are surely wondering what will be better? Live in a family home, or opt for the student residence. Both have advantages and differences and in this article we will tell you which accommodation is best for you? according to your different needs.
What is a student residence?
A university residence is a building often managed by the university or language school itself, whose main objective is to provide accommodation for students, especially from abroad. There are many benefits of living in a room like this, such as comfort, living with other university students and living in an environment created for educational development.
Living in this type of accommodation allows foreign students to experience a 100% university lifestyle, building an educational life that will leave countless memories over time.
Among the advantages of living in a student residence is that this type of condominium normally includes student services such as the dining room. In this way, you will not have to worry about buying food or learning to cook, because some of these accommodations provide you with the necessary food or the facilities have communal kitchens that students are allowed to use.
You must inform yourself well, because depending on the cost, a number of meals are included or not and it also depends on whether we are talking about food throughout the week or only on class days.
This type of accommodation includes other facilities such as free Internet and access to libraries when you need additional material. Best of all, is that in a student residence you will be sharing space with other university students, so if you require any special help, you will always find a partner who can help you or who is in the same situation as you.
One of the main advantages of university residences is the great independence with which you have, in these spaces you will be able to live with other students who, like you, have moved away from home to continue their educational life. It should be noted that this type of accommodation is only available to students of legal age.
In this case, there will always be a plan for the night, an event to go to and why not? Organize some type of meeting in the residence to clear you of the heavy days study.
What is a family home or homestay?
This type of accommodation allows a foreign student to stay in a local family home. Schools have their own programs to choose the ideal families and receive new students, this option is extremely safe, you will also enjoy the warmth of a family, their kindness and the security that living in a family home gives you.
Opting for this type of accommodation will allow you to learn first-hand the type of culture of the country you are visiting. When we live in a purely university and educational environment, we may not be able to have full contact with the ordinary life of the citizens who live in that country, but living in the house of a typical family will help you learn the social, cultural and , above all, the prototype lifestyle of the native people.
One of the main advantages of opting for this type of accommodation is that the transition between leaving home and living in another country will not be so drastic for a student.
This could turn out to be a totally different lifestyle than you would have at home, away from your loved ones, your family and your daily routines; but living with a local family will help you to make this jump easier to overcome, enjoying the warmth inside a home and the typical coexistence with a family based on safety, the rules of the house itself and the hospitality of the people you live with.
What is a host family or homestay?
What is a family home or homestay?: you will share more than the place where you are living, you will have meals, day-to-day coexistence, you will be able to meet each member, chat with them and spend your free time together.
At first, living with other students your age may sound much more attractive to you, but one way to create lifelong relationships is to live with a family in a homestay.
Another advantage is that in this type of stay you will have to comply with the rules of the house itself, you may not have so much freedom, but this will help you regulate your behavior, especially if you are a person prone to neglecting your studies a bit. .
Something that you should take into account if you choose this type of accommodation is the location…. Families usually live in the suburbs of cities, so it will be normal that you will have to use public transport on a daily basis. The distance from the families to the study center is around 45 minutes on average.
What accommodation is best for me?
To choose the type of accommodation that is best for you, you must analyze What type of student are you? And what kind of experience do you want to take from your study abroad?
You must be totally honest and balance the academic benefits you will have with the fun you can have in this instance. We know that this may be the first time you've left home, so so much freedom overnight can be a difficult thing to deal with.
If this is your case and you fear putting your academic life at risk, it is best that you choose a homestay, since the people you live with will help you in some way to put your priorities in order.
Choosing to live in a family home is not choosing a path without any fun, because you will also have spaces to have fun, get to know the city in which you are living and spend time with other foreign students.
Also, the family you live with is used to receiving foreign students, so they can be quite fun too.
If within your balance between academic life, learning and having fun, taking advantage of this stage of your life gains much more, a student residence may also be the best option, since you will be 24/7 with students of your age, from other countries and willing to have fun during their academic exchange stay.
With this option you must be a very organized person with your priorities in order, capable of knowing how to distinguish between moments of recreation and moments of learning.
If you already have other experiences traveling abroad, or you are a fairly mature person, this will be a very good option for you.
Do you need more info?
Get in touch with a study abroad agent to find out about the accommodation options available at your favorite university or school.
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