If you are both a new student and have just moved away from home, it may be a good idea to read some advice about life in student accommodation.
Create a cozy and comfortable living space
Most of our single units are provided with furnishings such as bed, desk and chair, wardrobe and book shelf. You have to bring anything else you need, but this doesn't have to be expensive! Take a peek in your grandmother's attic, go to a second-hand store or have a search on finn.no. An armchair and a small table, a rug on the floor and perhaps a lamp can make your living space much more cosy, and most single units have space for these extra furnishings.
When you move in, you can also check if there is a swap shelf or swap room at your student housing area - here you can find nicely used items for free!
Remember to bring personal objects such as photos and things that are important to quickly make your dorm into a home.
Use the picture rails
Our housing units have picture rails with hooks to hang pictures or other things on. Remember that you are not allowed to make holes in the walls!
Shared bathrooms and kitchen
If you are sharing a bathroom with someone, you should agree on when and how to clean. Agree upon which items you feel are personal and which can be shared.
In the shared kitchen, you have a unique opportunity of making friends for life! It is always a good idea to get to know the people you are sharing with, but you don´t have to become best friends. The key is mutual respect.
Gather all residents who share a kitchen for gaming nights, "taco Friday" or perhaps a cozy supper on a Sunday evening!
Set a cleaning list
To ensure a pleasant and positive environment, people who share a kitchen should agree on how to arrange cleaning, order, routines, emptying the rubbish bins and maybe also shared purchases and meals. Ask your fellow residents what they think of as shared items and what are personal items, and be clear about what you want to share or not. This prevents misunderstandings and potential arguments! A good tip is to make a cleaning list and preferably a kitchen chat in a social channel that suits most people.
Read more about cleaning in shared kitchen.
Mina and Truls live in dorms at Fagerlund Student Housing, where they share a kitchen with 12 others, and talk honestly about what it's like to live in a shared student accommodation.
A social environment
People live close to each other in student accommodation. It is important that you take care of each other! Be clear and discuss situations that create problems between residents before they escalate into major problems. If you are an international student, an ice breaker might be to ask questions to your fellow Norwegian residents about everyday life in a Norwegian home.
If something is still bothering you in the shared kitchen, or if you need help from a competent person for other things, there is a student relations counsellor on campus! You can read more about the service here and find out where you can drop in for a chat, or go straight to the contact form to arrange a chat (tell us which residence you live in):
Contact student relations counsellorDo something together!
Sometimes it can be difficult to get to know those who live around you. Feel free to use the welfare host if you need help getting to know more people in your hallway or in the shared kitchen. It is an important task for the welfare host to arrange social gatherings that help the residents get to know each other better.
Check out the Sørøst-calendar to find things to do - or submit your own event.
Mina and Truls are students at USN Campus Vestfold and talk honestly about what is the best and most difficult thing about living in a large collective in Fagerlund Student Housing in Horten.
Household contents insurance
Please note that residents in our student housing is NOT covered by our house contents insurance. It is therefore necessary to make sure you have your own insurance.
Read more about house contents insurance in our student housing FAQs.
See all our student housing