As a kind of established student tradition in Newcastle University, most first year students look for houses in Jesmond, when starting to think of their living situation in their second year of university. It’s usually a fairly stressful time, as there is a limited amount of available houses, and the ones that are rented at reasonable prices are usually taken off the market by the early birds, who figured out who they want to live with at the very beginning of year one. There are many forms to be filled out, deposits to put down, and decisions to make. Who do I live with? Is it worth it to pay 10 pounds more for a good street? What if the house has mould? Is it worth getting a bills package? Moving into a house is a big step into adulthood, however the already nerve-racking step is made even more difficult for international students, especially those coming from countries that are under sanctions at the moment.
With most agencies, each student who is to live in a house in Jesmond needs a UK guarantor over 25 years old. However many international students, especially those travelling from afar, come to the UK alone, not yet knowing any people their age, let alone full grown adults. Usually, if a student doesn’t have a UK guarantor, they are made to put down a deposit larger than the rest of the tenants, which seems like a reasonable compromise, until the landlords request the larger deposit, along with three to five months rent upfront. Most students do not have that kind of money to spend at once, especially when not given much notice. While the idea behind the request is understandable, the amount and the distrust does sting a little. It’s hard enough to come to a new country alone, it just seems mean to make these students “pay” for it.
And then they do find a house. Have a viewing, put down the deposit, fill out all the necessary forms… Most tenancies don’t start until midsummer, so what to do with all of their belongings which they couldn’t possibly take home for the summer and then bring back up again? As their future housemates? Sure, they could probably take a plant to two, maybe a good friend with even take a few boxes. But one’s entire life packed into a student housing room would take up somewhere from five to ten fairly large boxes, and if they’d like for their housemates to stay their housemates, they probably should’t ask to take ten big boxes and a dehydrated cactus home for the summer along with their own stuff.
Second year of university isn’t really like any other. You’ve already made friends and seen your new town, so there’s no stress with that, and yet there isn’t yet the pressure of dissertations and graduating and moving on from the university life into the real world. One could say it is kind of like the “last hurrah” of just being a young adult who can still come home at 5 in the morning and make their 9 am lecture and then do the same for half the week. Living in Jesmond gives students so many social opportunities, great living conditions, beautiful views and walks, and certain students really shouldn’t be deprived of all those wonderful things just for not having been born in the UK.