New students face futile search for accommodation
The Leaving Cert hasn’t even drawn to a close yet – but already hundreds of Galway students are set to be disappointed....because they face a futile search for college accommodation in the city this September.
That’s because the current third-level student crop are so desperate to hold onto their houses and flats from the current academic year that they are prepared to fork out thousands through the summer to avoid the scramble for digs in August.
Since the accommodation crisis began four years ago, the lack of student housing and rising rents have forced many students to either commute to the city on a daily basis – or bunk on friends’ couches indefinitely.
The prospect of driving or using public transport to get into the city every day has become less attractive for Galway students in recent times with chronic traffic congestion making the commute even more arduous.
In an effort to avoid this scenario, several families – from across the county and beyond – are paying up to four months’ rent on a city property through the summer, despite not needing it until September.
Outgoing Welfare Officer at NUI Galway’s Students’ Union, Daniel Khan, said that the union is aware of the practice and while they wouldn’t encourage it, they understand why students are feeling the pressure to do this.
“We wouldn’t get a lot of students telling us that they are doing this but we know it is happening – we’re not going to tell students not to take these houses because it is their decision to make but this is far from an ideal situation.
“A lot of students are coming back without accommodation sorted for the first semester and that means they’re not getting off to a good start – when you’re couch surfing or struggling to find accommodation, your college work is going to suffer,” said Mr Khan.
He said that efforts were being made by both the Students’ Union and the university to tackle the problem.
See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.