For both students and parents, one of the most important questions is where the student should live during their university years. Studying in a foreign city like Budapest can be a new and a bit scary challenge, especially due to the country’s cultural differences.
After deciding between renting an apartment or choosing a student residence, the next big decision is whether to live alone or in a community. Both options have their advantages, but community living offers numerous benefits that can ease university life and contribute to personal development.
Why is it worth living in a student community? Here are our 10 best reasons:
- Easier to Make Friends
- Bonds and Long-Term Relationships
- Support and Help from Fellow Students
- Motivation and Study-Friendly Environment
- Cost-Effectiveness
- Shared Experiences
- Enriching University Life
- Maintaining Private Space
- Expanding Social Connections
- Independence and Personal Growth
How Ready Is the Student for the Choice?
Before making a decision, it’s essential to consider whether the student is mentally prepared for independent living. Have they already spent an extended period alone? How do they behave in a community versus in solitude? Can they take care of themselves? Living alone presents more challenges, while community living provides a supportive environment.
The Advantages of Community-Based Student Life
1. Easier to Make Friends
Shared spaces and time spent together create opportunities for forming new friendships. Students not only help each other with studying but also enjoy their free time together. Socialization has a positive impact on students’ mental health.
2. Bonds and Long-Term Relationships
Friendships formed in student residences often last a lifetime. We have even seen cases where two roommates first became close friends, then moved into a shared room, fell in love, and after finishing university, continued their lives together.
Stories like these are why we love running Diáklakás.
3. Support and Help from Fellow Students
Living in a community means students always have someone to turn to, whether for academic or personal issues. Problems can be resolved faster in a shared living space since there’s always a helpful roommate around.
Additionally, at Diáklakás, we regularly hold “parent meetings”, where students can share their concerns, questions, and requests with the management and owners of the residence. We do this not only to support our students but also to improve our services for both current and future residents.
4. Motivation and Study-Friendly Environment
Living with students who have similar academic goals promotes discipline. In a community that values learning, focusing on studies is easier, and motivation is stronger compared to studying alone in a private apartment.
5. Cost-Effectiveness
Is it cheaper to live in a student community? Yes! Many students at Diáklakás shop for groceries and cook together. This not only reduces individual food expenses but also strengthens the sense of belonging.
What other costs are shared when students live together?
- Utilities
- Internet
- Common building fees
- At Diáklakás, there are no elevator fees.
- There are no hidden costs—everything is clearly discussed between students and management in advance.
6. Shared Experiences
University life is not just about studying. Living in a community allows students to celebrate birthdays together, plan events, and create memories that ease homesickness and enhance the overall university experience.
7. Enriching University Life
Shared housing enables students to experience university life beyond just academics. It’s a great way to form close friendships.
Students can grab coffee together in the morning, go out for dinner after a long day of classes, and relax, play games, or hang out in the evening.
Or they can go out for drinks or clubbing together at night. This also increases safety—even though Budapest is considered a safe city, it’s always better to go out in a group at night. And parents living far away can sleep more peacefully knowing their child is surrounded by trusted friends.
8. Maintaining Private Space
If a student wants to withdraw to study or relax, they always have the option to retreat to their private room.
9. Expanding Social Connections
Community living provides the chance to meet both international and local students. Friendships in a multicultural environment can lead to invitations to visit friends abroad, which can be an entirely different experience than simply traveling as a tourist.
For example, we’ve had a Japanese student invite all their roommates to Tokyo, only requiring them to pay for the flight, while they provided the accommodation. Similarly, a student from the countryside invited their housemates to their family’s equestrian estate for an entire weekend, where they enjoyed horseback riding and hiking together.
10. Independence and Personal Growth
Community living also promotes independence. Students must learn to adapt to others, take care of themselves, take responsibility for their own affairs, and handle everyday challenges. In doing so, they gain valuable self-knowledge, which will be incredibly beneficial in the future, regardless of what goals they pursue.
For Parents: Why is Community Living Safer for Students?
For parents, it can be challenging to know that their beloved child is living and studying far from home in a new city. In such cases, community living offers peace of mind, as parents can feel reassured knowing that their child is not living completely alone.
- Shared spaces are always active, making it less likely for someone to be left alone in an emergency.
- Roommates look out for each other: if someone feels unwell, others will quickly notice and notify the appropriate people.
- Community housing follows safety rules that ensure the well-being of all residents and promote harmonious living.
Additionally, at Diáklakás, both of our student residences are equipped with security cameras and a coded entry system, ensuring maximum safety for all students.
What Are the Disadvantages of Community Living for Students?
A lot depends on the specific community itself. If there are too many toxic individuals in a student community—although at Diáklakás, we carefully screen applicants in advance to prevent this—it can negatively impact a student’s overall mood and lower the quality of their university experience.
If a community has multiple problematic members, they may disregard common rules. However, in such cases, the community naturally filters them out as a form of self-regulation.
Additionally, as the owners of Diáklakás, we intervene when necessary and ask disruptive students to respect the community rules and align with the rest of the group. Usually, we only have to mention it once. 🙂
Social life may interfere with studies. In a great community, students enjoy spending time together and organizing group activities. In extreme cases, this could lead to neglecting university responsibilities, which could negatively affect a student’s academic performance.
While living alone may seem like an attractive option due to the sense of total freedom, community living offers numerous advantages that make university life easier. It is not only more financially favorable but also mentally and socially beneficial.
Before making a decision, it’s worth considering what kind of lifestyle the student prefers and what level of support they might need during their university years.
