Читать книгу How to Succeed At University--International Edition - Danton O'Day - Страница 11

Yes, living in residence can provide the road to a fantastic social life. That road can be dangerous, but it need not be so. The great benefit of residence is that it places you very close to university facilities. You won’t have to waste a lot of time commuting. This will give you more time to devote to your studies and your social life. By not being a commuter, you will be living in a community of students with the same goal as you—getting a university degree. You will develop friendships that will likely last longer than the three or four years you spend at university—perhaps a lifetime. But you will have to remind yourself continually that the reason for your stint in residence is to succeed at university, not just to have a good time. Like real butterflies, social butterflies don’t last very long.

Developing good relationships with other students in residence will provide a valuable aid to your success. If you need some information, notes or other data for your studies, it will never be more than a short walk away. This will maximize the time you can devote to your work.

Most universities have some residences and some can accommodate a large number of students. They will range in structure from multi-roomed townhouses where you and your housemates will share cooking, cleaning and other household duties to bedrooms in high-rise towers where you will live like a guest in a hotel with linen provided and meals served in the dormitory dining room. Sometimes you will have a choice of accommodation, but more often you won’t. Depending upon availability, you may only be able to get into residence if you live out of town or have some other reason for needing university accommodation. If you are interested in living in residence, show your interest early, as accommodation may be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis.

If you share accommodations with other university students, remember to respect their needs and wishes. Do your best to be a good roommate. If you are not comfortable in your residence, this will very likely interfere with your progress as a student. If you do have troubles, try to talk them out with the people involved. If that doesn’t work, then try the residence adviser or someone else in the residence or housing office. Often the wrong people are put together, but with a few complaints and a little shuffling of student bodies, it doesn’t take long to get the right combinations together.