Storm in boarding house prices, new students "turn around" to choose dormitories

Bão giá nhà trọ, tân sinh viên — Dormitory of students of Hanoi National University in Hoa Lac. Photo: VNU.

“Boarding is very expensive, register to stay in a dormitory to save money for your parents.”

This is what Nguyen Trang (from Nam Dinh) heard in recent days. Her family and relatives all advised her to choose to stay in a dormitory when she went to Hanoi to study at university to save money.

Dormitory or college dilemma

Sharing with Tri Thuc - Znews, Nguyen Trang said that there is a high possibility that she will pass the university entrance exam in Cau Giay district - an area with a large number of students. If renting a room, the female student may have to spend from 2 million VND per month, not including electricity, water...

"If my family doesn't advise me, I'll still consider living in a dormitory because the rent is too expensive," Trang shared.

Similarly, with a score of 26.4 in the 2024 high school graduation exam, Duong Yen (from Nghe An) registered two wishes: Military Technical Academy and Hanoi University of Pharmacy. Calculating that the possibility of passing the military school is lower, Yen has begun to gradually learn about accommodation and living if she studies at Hanoi University of Pharmacy.

These days, Yen has been searching online for rental prices around the school. After surveying around, Yen found that for 3.5 million VND, she could rent a room of about 20 square meters, with a bed, wardrobe, kitchen table, and private bathroom. Yen is quite satisfied with such rental rooms. However, 3.5 million VND is a rather high price for a female student's family if she cannot find a roommate.

Yen turned to learn more about the school's dormitory. The location was only about 1 km from the school, the female student thought that going to school would be convenient. The cost of staying in the dormitory was also reasonable, the monthly rent was only a few hundred thousand dong, much cheaper than renting a room.

However, Yen is still concerned because dormitories often limit entry and exit times, which is inconvenient if she has a part-time job. In addition, Yen is also concerned about security and hygiene issues when hearing from the older generation that "dormitories are not clean and are prone to theft". In addition, not being allowed to cook is also an issue to consider.

Nguyen Trang also heard about "anecdotes" in the dormitory such as not being allowed to go out at night and come back home at night, easily arguing with roommates, friends bringing their lovers to the room...

Considering herself an easy-going person, Trang is not too concerned about this issue, but she is still a bit worried about cooking. If the dormitory does not allow cooking, female students will have to eat out. Thus, the cost of food is quite expensive, along with the risk of eating unhygienic and unnutritious food.

Boarding house prices increase, dormitories "reign"

Sharing his experience with new students, Luu Hieu (a second-year student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport) said that a year ago, when preparing to enter school, he was also confused about whether to stay in a rented room or a dormitory. However, the price of a rented room was up to 3-4 million VND/room and with the increasing price trend, Hieu "turned around" and chose to register in a dormitory.

Here, each semester, Hieu pays 2.5 million VND, which means he only has to pay 500,000 VND per month for the room. Adding the electricity, water, and internet costs of about 150,000 VND, the male student saves his parents quite a bit of money when the cost is only 1/5 compared to renting a room.

The dormitory also has many amenities such as private toilets, study desks, dining tables, personal lockers, garages, libraries, etc. Hieu's room can accommodate 3-8 students (depending on the time) but the area is quite large so it is still airy. Security here is also guaranteed, to enter and exit, students must swipe the card that was registered initially.

Although the dormitory has limited hours, closing at 10:30 p.m., Hieu doesn't find it inconvenient because even though he has a part-time job, he chooses a nearby place and finishes early so he doesn't come home late.

What Hieu finds most enjoyable is finding like-minded friends in the dormitory. Because he is arranged to live with second- and third-year students, Hieu’s first year is “easier” as he is often supported and helped by seniors in his studies and activities.

“Of course there will still be inconveniences such as not being able to cook, having to eat out, the cost will be a bit higher, and food hygiene and safety are not guaranteed. However, my experience in the dormitory is much better than the money I have to spend, so at the moment, I still have no intention of moving out," Hieu shared.

Similarly, Minh Huyen, a student at Hanoi University of Procuracy, also pointed out the advantages of living in a dormitory.

First is the price. Huyen lives in a 6-person dormitory room, the room rent is 400,000 VND/month, electricity and water are cheaper than the price of the residents and the Wi-Fi is 300,000 VND/month with a TV package.

The second thing Huyen likes about living in the dormitory is that she gets to live with her classmates. Therefore, when studying and reviewing for final exams, the whole room can support each other, and the class schedule is also quite even, so everyone feels comfortable and not affected.

Right from the moment they checked into the dormitory, Huyen and her 5 roommates agreed on some rules, so in general, everyone lived together in harmony, without any conflicts or arguments.

The third thing is that the dormitory of Hanoi University of Procuracy allows family visits. Huyen said that if parents want to visit their children, students just need to register in advance with the management board, and parents may be assisted in arranging a place to stay overnight.

“What I don’t like about living in the dormitory is that I can’t cook, I have to eat out, and the dorm closes early so it’s hard to go out late,” Huyen said.

Lessons learned from staying in a dormitory

After a year in the school dormitory, Minh Huyen has learned some lessons for new students to refer to.

Regarding dormitory registration, Huyen advised that you should register as soon as possible to avoid running out of space. At her school, only about 60% of students are allowed to register for dormitory, with the condition that students do not have a Hanoi household registration.

While living with her roommate, the female student advised the new students to be neat, clean and to respect each other's privacy.

Huyen gave an example that during the time the whole room is studying or resting, you should not make noise or talk too loudly to avoid affecting others.

Right from the moment of checking in, according to Huyen, students should boldly discuss with their roommates the principles of living together such as keeping clean, not using other people's personal belongings, not bringing their lover to the room...

"Choosing to live in a dormitory means you will live with many people, so you should not keep your ego too high to avoid causing conflicts.

In addition, you should not elect a department head but maintain equal rights and be fair in money matters, so everyone will live together more easily," Huyen said.

Source: https://danviet.vn/bao-gia-nha-tro-tan-sinh-vien-quay-xe-chon-ky-tuc-xa-20240802163048428.htm