It can be difficult to live with someone who was a total stranger until you came to St. Andrews. Communication between the two of you is vital if the room share is going to work.   Perhaps you could start by talking to your roommate about your concerns. There can be common ground which could be agreed on between you about things like tidiness, lights out, bringing friends back. It might be that you feel uncomfortable talking to your room-mate about some things. And so the person to talk to is your Warden.  Every Hall has publicised Warden’s drop in sessions or else you can e-mail your Warden asking to meet. If this situation is making you think that you no longer want to share a room, you should be aware that, generally, there are no moves permitted in Halls within the first four weeks.   Your Warden can discuss this with you too.

Transferring is not simple. For a start, no moves throughout the entire Residence system are allowed in the first four weeks.  This is to allow time for you to settle in. But it is only right to warn you that, generally, there is not much surplus throughout the Residence system. Start with your Warden. He or she will talk the situation through with you and, if they agree that a move is in your best interests, then he or she will put in a supporting e-mail to Accommodation Services. But remember, there may be no vacancies or none in a particular Hall where you may have a friend. And there may also be a difference in cost between one Hall and another.  

It is important to realise that only incoming First Years are guaranteed a place in Hall. So while you are keen to get back in to Hall, it is important to have other accommodation options for next year. Ask people you know to see if they have found accommodation yet and, if they have, if there is a spare room you could have. Spread the word – it can be amazing how that works in St. Andrews (the bubble effect!).  

Try to stay positive and remain open to other possibilities! It is highly unlikely that you will be homeless in September. However, things may work out differently than what you initially expected. If you are feeling distressed about this process please speak to your Wardens or someone in Student Services.

Some returning students do get allocated a room in Hall, prioritised according to specific needs, such as those students who may have a disability, or who have financial issues, or those who have played a significant role in Hall in a previous year. So be sure to highlight such a priority if it applies to you.

If, after applying to Accommodation Services and looking in the private sector, you still have no one to share with or nowhere to live, then you should consider advertising. There are two places where you could do that:-

1. In the Union building (currently on the first floor), there is Noticeboard for Accommodation where both students who have a spare room and those who are looking for a room can put an advert.
2. Try the Sinner (http://www.thesinner.net/mb/) – many students advertise their accommodation needs on there.

You do need to talk to her about this. Living together, sharing a room, needs to be talked about, opinions and options discussed, and hopefully agreement reached. But when it comes to things like looking after her when she is ill and putting up with her love life– the situation may have gone too far. If you find you cannot talk to her about these things or she refuses to change her habits, then you need to think about talking to your Warden. And, perhaps telling her before you do that, might give her the chance to change her ways. There’s no use suffering in silence, the Wardens are there to help mediate difficult situations and things are not likely to change unless you say something.