How do university students’ living situations affect their student experiences in terms of academic performance and social life?

Absztrakt (kivonat)

University students’ lives is a widely researched topic, this study attempts to investigate the students’ living situations and their effects on the students’ student experience, especially in terms of academic performance and social life. The relevance of this research is great since there is very little data on this topic in a Hungarian context. Qualitative research was conducted using a semi-structured interview guide, that analyses fifteen responses on the matter thus it gives great insight into the subject but also excludes a lot of other aspects that might be relevant if this study had a wider scope. The study gives answers to the two research questions: How does one’s living situation affect their student experience in terms of academic performance? How does one’s living situation affect their student experience in terms of social life? The research method used is a semi-structured interview that gave more room for respondents to give more elaborated answers, and the data gathered was analysed with thematic analysis, breaking down the analysis into three different living accommodations examined: dormitories, apartments or flatshares, and parental homes. The research shows that the way the living environment affects academic performance and social life is less significant than one might initially suspect if it is not an extreme case – for example, living very far from the university – and it depends heavily on the students’ personal lives, personalities, their respected major at university and decision making.