Hi, my name is Amy and I am a third-year veterinary student here at Surrey. The transition to university was very scary for me, I am definitely a home body and even now I am in third year, I still get homesick (mainly from missing my dogs- Margo and Mavis).

It was really crucial for me to make my space feel cosy and welcoming to help ease these feelings. When I applied for my campus accommodation in first year, I knew that I wanted to a shared flat but a space that I could call my own as well which is why, I chose band D. Band D accommodation means that you have your own room and bathroom but a shared kitchen. I was lucky to get a Band D room on the Manor Park campus.

I believe that there are three main factors to making the ideal space: lighting (no big lights); familiar objects/photos and lots of comfy fabrics. For me this looked like my Himalayan salt lamp which provides a gentle, warm light that is perfect to have on early in the morning and late at night instead of having the slight buzz of an overhead room light. I also used my desk lamp to study by as this felt gentler on my eyes when I had to be on my screens for a long period of time.

I always have photos of my dogs, other people’s dogs and animals I have worked with on placement all around my room. The pinboard on my door was covered photos which always put a smile on my face when I returned to my room after a long day of lectures and practicals.

I utilised a lot of blue tack/pins and over the year, most of the surfaces of my room had either artwork that I had made or photos I had printed. It was very comforting to be surrounded by the things I loved.

Fabrics can transform a cold, basic room into a cosy and comfy space. I had a hand-woven rug by my bed which made getting out of bed for those 9 am lectures slightly more tolerable. I also had layers and layers of blankets (these accumulated as we got closer to winter). My room was always quite warm, but it was very comforting to be surrounded by soft fabrics, and my weighted blanket was perfect when I was feeling stressed or anxious about university work or life.

Another thing that I used to make my room feel like my own was colour. At home my room is painted two shades of green, and I have a burnt orange carpet- to match my orange-coloured dog, so I can’t see her moulted fur everywhere- so I wanted to my space at university to feel bright as well. As painting isn’t an option in rented accommodation, I introduced colour through fabrics, photographs and decorations.

One of the issues I had with my room was I didn’t have space for a bedside table. As someone who thoroughly enjoys a cup of tea in bed, this was quite problematic for me. I was very lucky that my dad built me a thin, moveable bedside table. It’s simple things like this that make a space feel that much homier.

For the last year and a bit, I have been in a shared house off campus. I began my search for second year accommodation at the end of October/beginning of November as after speaking to people in older years, I realised that housing could be quite competitive. I looked at quite a few properties- keeping an eye out for any mould or horror stories of landlords and in the end, we found the perfect house. I still live with three people from my first year flat and one of them is my best friend who I have been to visit in her home country of Greece!