New undergraduate students – you’re about to go on an exciting journey into higher education. Before you start your degree or equivalent course at university in the autumn, there are a few things to consider. If you’re planning to stay in halls (and most undergraduates will), the one major choice you need to decide is between catered or self-catered accommodation.

There are benefits and drawbacks to both.

How do you feel about cooking?

The main reason most students opt for catered halls is that they don’t have to worry about grocery shopping, budgeting, and preparing meals. At times of high impact academic work, you’ll be grateful to tumble out of the library and straight into a canteen where you can get a hearty and healthy meal. If you’re often tempted to spend money on ready meals or buy too much junk food, this is an option.

However, if you have special dietary requirements such as allergies or coeliac disease, or halal/kosher you may prefer to oversee every meal you make to ensure you’re able to adhere to your individual needs.

One or the other could prove expensive

Catered halls are outwardly expensive, and you might cringe at the cost of your weekly rent compared to others. However, long-term you might end up saving money if those students don’t know how to budget properly and end up spending a lot more money on food. At least your weekly outgoings (minus luxuries and going out) are stable, so you don’t have to worry about skipping meals.

Catered halls can be expensive for students who are especially resourceful, good at budgeting, and know how to make things like curry and pasta sauces from scratch.

Cooking is a life skill and good for your mental health

There are reasons to decide whether to stay in catered halls or self-catered accommodation that go beyond the financial. Not everyone likes cooking of course, but it is an important life skill which you’ll need for the rest of your life. You never know what you can rustle up with a few random vegetables when you’re stuck for ideas. But… and this is an important “but”, it makes you think outside of your box.

With free recipes all over the internet, you can save yourself a lot of money by shopping smarter and cooking from scratch.

Final thoughts

There is no one-size-fits all answer here. It’s all about what’s best for your individual needs, taking into consideration your budget, preferred living style, and whether you like to eat alone or in groups. Always consider your personal priorities for living, but don’t ignore what is actually an important decision.