I live with my grandparents at uni and it’s better than your student flat

Let’s be honest, grandparents are awesome. Luckily for me, I get to live with them while I’m at uni. 

They give you money, they say yes when your parents say no and they always give you food. So what could be better than living with them while at uni and you’re poor and hungry? Nothing, that’s what.

My grandparents are no ordinary grandparents: they have iPhones, they replace meals with crisps and they frequently post on Facebook.

They’re practically one of us students, which is great because it means I get to experience the UCL student life while in the comfort of my own home.

Classic HB message from the grandparents

From what I can gather about UCL, most students live in shared flats. Since roughly half the students are international, in most cases it’s inevitable.

But even those who are from London, with their family homes not too far from campus, tend to live out for at least one of their degree years. But why bother when you have everything you need and more at home?

First of all, why pay £200 a week to live with friends in a tiny flat when at home your grandparents provide you with just as much entertainment (if not more) for free? In all my years of living with my grandparents, they have never once failed to amuse me.

Though to be fair, I’m usually laughing at them rather than with them. Plus, when your grandma is an obsessive gamer who puts your Crash Bandicoot score to shame, there is never any shortage of fun and games to be had.

Sometimes what’s even more entertaining is the invaluable and hilarious advice they give. When it comes to boys, my grandma knows just the right thing to say.

The other day she advised me not to take free stuff from boys because they may try to catch me with a net. She claimed to be speaking from experience.

Would your flatmates give you such great advice? I don’t think so.

Another thing that tends to cause hilarious miscommunications is the language barrier. Since English isn’t their first language, sometimes they get things wrong. Horribly wrong.

The shock when I saw gramps one day sporting a pair of socks on his feet that read ‘Horny Devil’ on them is forever imprinted in my memory. Bless, he didn’t have a clue. The awkward part was that my grandma bought them for him. I guess he didn’t get the hint.

Seriously, living at home with my grandparents is in no way dull. They do all the things my friends would do but better, and they haven’t at all interrupted my hectic UCL life.

I still go on nights out, eat junk food and of course study on occasion. You know it’s a good sign when you throw a house party and your grandma is the first one to get up and dance.

In fact, she’s often the life of the party, although sometimes she regrets it in the morning.

Even when I’m stressed out about uni work, they always calm me down with their laid back approach to life. They have the whole Hindu, peace and tranquillity vibe down.

Though if I really need to work, they can also act as my study buddies. Plus, it’s always nice to come home after a hard day at uni to a clean house where the cooking, dishes and laundry are already taken care of.

So before you Londoner students decide that you want to move out of your parents’ house to experience the ‘true’ student life, think again. Go live with your grandparents, because I live with mine and it’s awesome.