Staying in Northampton: Did I make the right decision?
Just because you’re staying at home for University, doesn’t mean you won’t get the same experience as everybody else. Fashion Marketing graduate, Leanne tells us her story:
There were a number of factors why I decided to come to the University of Northampton instead of moving away.
After a summer of deliberating whether to go take a gap year or go to uni, I decided to take up the opportunity to study Fashion Marketing at The University of Northampton. I was excited to start my University life from home. Out of 7 of my very close friends, I was the only one who decided to stay in Northampton and to be honest, that thought didn’t faze me one bit.
Like everyone else who is moving away, you’re still going to get the excitement of starting a new adventure and making new friends.
But because you’re living at home, doesn’t mean you’ll miss out.
You’ll make tonnes of friends from your course and the societies you join. You’ll befriend their flatmates that you’ve met at parties — It’s just a never ending cycle of socialising and meeting new people! What’s even better is that if your friends are living on campus, you have somewhere to crash in between lectures.
An obvious bonus of going to University in your hometown is that it’s much cheaper! I had a part-time job that I enjoyed and my employer was very flexible. It meant that most of the money I earned, I could either save or spend it on something I really wanted. Of course, I paid my parents board whilst staying at home but it’s nothing compared to paying a monthly rent. You also don’t have to think about budgeting for your weekly shop. I’m telling you now; you won’t get a cupboard full of ‘free’ chocolate in halls.
Even if you’re living at home, you can still get a tiny taster of moving away to University. All of my friends moved away which was the perfect excuse to take a trip out of town. From some of the sights I saw in their houses, I am thankful I didn’t move away. I don’t think I would have coped with the mucky cutlery piled up in the kitchen — yuck!
Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice but then I remember I still had an amazing student experience at The University of Northampton, and I met some incredible people. I don’t have any regrets. Like I said before, whatever decision you make is personal to you. Just because all of your friends are moving away, it doesn’t mean you have to too. As long as you make the most of your experience, you’ll still have a great time. Trust me!
