From houses littered with half-empty pizza boxes, to apartments full of colour-coded study notes, we reckon we’ve encountered every type of student accommodation.
We all know there are a different set of rules for student living.
For instance, ‘best before dates’ are viewed with exceptional flexibility, a poster of Che Guevara is high-end interior decorating and getting a decent amount of sleep each night is desirable but not essential.
Another thing that is different while in college, is the standard of accommodation most of us are happy to live in… well of course it is, your mammy would never let you keep your room like that.
Here’s five types of college accommodation JOE has lived in or at least, visited for a short, short time. Do you recognise any?
The Dump
Let’s get one thing straight, the place was a kip before we moved in.
Fair enough, we didn’t exactly add value. But by the time our lease was finished, we had completely given up on finding the rasher behind the couch and it’s fairly unlikely the beans’ stains are ever coming off the wall.
If your student flat falls into this category, you probably have approximately sixteen plates in the sink and are considering trading some of your worldly possessions for a clean spoon.
Worry not, simply train whatever it is that’s underneath all the clothes in the corner to clean the place… simple.
The Matchbox
JOE never suffered the fate of the matchbox flat, but we did have mates whose student accommodation was so small they could cook their dinner while sitting on the toilet.
They couldn’t fit a cat in the place, even if they wanted to swing it…
If this describes your student apartment, you’re probably studying in Dublin and reading this article from your living room/bedroom/kitchen.
The Party House
JOE remembers living in this house… well, we kind of remember.
This was the house where everybody started and ended their night out. If your gaf falls into this category, there are probably three people paying rent while each week could have at least 12 people staying there.
Everyone loves the party house… apart from the neighbours, the Garda, the landlord and the quiet housemate who’s screaming from the room above.
The study haven/ really boring gaf
Fair enough, living in this quiet house did help us get the exam results we wanted… the rent was fully paid up but the craic was massively in arrears.
Honestly, you’d have more fun on a wet weekend away with Father Stone than you would here.
To call it boring would be like calling the sea a little bit damp.
If you’re currently living in a house like this, you should probably consider the possibility that you are part of a secret government experiment to see whether someone can actually be ‘bored to death.’
Your partner’s place
You’re name is not on the lease. The housemates wonder when you’re going to give some money towards the electricity and you usually wait until the coast is clear to sneak out the front door.
Don’t feel bad, we’ve all been there – your lease is up, but your other half’s isn’t and it’s only for a couple of weeks until you find somewhere new anyway, right?
Six months later and not only are her housemates considering suing for all the rent you should have been paying, they’ve also become well and truly sick of you hogging the remote control.
Quickly, check is ‘the dump’ back on the market…
Are any of these your student house? Get away from it for a while by travelling home this weekend. You can avail of discounted rates on http://www.irishrail.ie/students. Click here to book.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
