University of Essex

Living on campus was the best, one cool thing is that we had a cleaner, and you get to live with more people, in my case they were mostly english people so I got contact with natives and international students as well, it was just the perfect balance.

I thought living in the towers was great fun, I met 15 people in my first day there. The room was big enough and cheaper than private housing and the internet connection was great to have. My flatmates and I cooked for each other and made trips to the supermarket together so it was like living with a family away from home. I loved being able to get up 10 minutes before class and still make it there on time!

Accommodation ranges in price and standard but campus living, particularly for first years, is a great way to meet lots of people and become accustomed to university life. It is convenient for getting to classes on time and there are plenty of eateries, shops, and banks on campus. Wivenhoe Park provides pleasant surroundings for living and studying, and there are plenty of ducks around.

Don't miss the castle park. It is beautiful in the summer with lots of activities such as food fairs etc or you can just relax listening to a local orchestra.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are pretty expensive out of season. Buy locally produced goods, go to markets, check out the free local papers for classifieds and for free local events. Check out the local area when deciding where to go - this could make a difference as to how much you spend on local transport between your university and accommodation and the city centre.

It depends on you to interact with people, even tought it is really easy and people is really friendly, you need to be open all the time.