True or False?The most common Res College myths and misconceptions…

A myth, as defined by dictionary.com, is an unproved or false collective belief.

We’ve all heard different myths throughout our lives, and chances are you’ve heard some about what it’s like to live on a Residential College.

While we might not be designing cool experiments quite like Adam and Jamie, we’re here to bust some of the common myths

surrounding college life.

College is just like boarding school, I’ll have curfews and restricted free time. College really isn’t like boarding school at all. There are no curfews as to when you need to be in your room by or when you have to turn your lights out. You are responsible for your own free time too! So, if you want to get Macca’s at midnight, you can!

College is just an excuse to get drunk and party.While some residents do enjoy a good party, this isn’t the norm. College is a place where you are supported through your university learning journey. Partying is allowed, but we encourage all residents to drink responsibly and respect everyone around them. If you do have any issues with fellow residents drinking and partying, please contact the Resident Advisor on duty and they can address the situation.

College staff don’t care about me, I’ll just be a number.USQ and the Residential Colleges pride themselves on being staff at a smaller university and for taking the time to get to know everyone. It might take us a little while to remember your name, but if that happens, just give us a friendly reminder and we will remember it eventually.

I’ll have to share a bedroom with other people.All of our accommodation options at the Residential Colleges have private bedrooms, so you get your own space and won’t have to share with anyone.

If I share a bathroom I won’t have any privacy.There is an option for you to have your own private ensuite bathroom if you don’t like sharing. If you do decide to share a bathroom, you’ll find they are designed to give you as much privacy as possible. If you share a bathroom with only one other person, you can shut and lock the door for privacy while you use the bathroom. If you share a communal bathroom with a block or floor, each toilet and shower has a lockable cubical for your privacy. You can also close the main door to the bathroom area for added privacy.

I won’t have anywhere to watch my favourite TV shows.Common Rooms in every block have TVs with free-to-air television. There is also a TV with Foxtel in each of the Recreation Halls, which all residents are welcome to use. You can also request a TV antenna point so you can watch TV in your room (but this is at your own expense).

Living with so many other people I’ll never get my own space or time to myself.There may be times when it feels like you never get time to yourself because you are always with friends. Whenever this happens, tell your friends that you need some space to study or chill out on your own. Place a do not disturb sign on your door to keep visitors away while you relax. You can also go for a walk, hit the gym, head to the library or visit the shops.

I can’t leave on the weekends.Actually, we encourage you to treat college like your home! Just like if you were staying in your own home, you wouldn’t spend every minute of every day there. You are not forced to stay on college for weekends or the days you don’t have classes. Get out there and explore!

I’ll have to pay for the holiday periods even if I’m not there.One of the many benefits of living on college in Toowoomba is that you don’t have to pay for holiday accommodation if you remove all of your belongings from your room. Alternatively, if you don’t want to remove all of your belongings from your room for the holidays, you can hand in your key and pay a reduced ‘room only’ rate.

I won’t be able to stay during the holidays.You can stay on college during the holidays if you want to. We know that many of our residents have work and other commitments or live too far away to travel home for the holidays. You are always welcome at the Residential Colleges. If you stay for some of the holiday period, you will only have to pay for the time you stay. You can also completely vacate or pay ‘room only’ rates for part of the holiday period.

The food will be bland and won’t cater to my allergies or dietary requirements.The variety of food offered as part of the catered options at the Residential Colleges is quite large. If you have any dietary requirements or allergies, let the college office staff know and they will ensure the kitchen caters for you. If you are really worried about the food but still want to live on college, you could try the self-catered option and cook for yourself.

My neighbour will be noisy and I won’t be able to sleep or study because of the noise. Your neighbour might be noisy, but we have strategies in place to ensure noise doesn’t impact on your sleep or study. Quiet hours are in place from 10pm every night and for 24/7 during the week before exams and the two weeks of exam block. If you find noise to be excessive during quiet hours you can contact the Resident Advisor on duty, who will help you with the situation.

CRICOS: QLD00244B NSW02225M TEQSA: PRV12081 26.8 07.2016 Images © Shutterstock

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We’ve always had a hidden desire to be a little bit like Adam and Jamie, so we enjoyed

busting these myths for you.

What other myths have you heard about living on college?We’d love to hear them in the comments below.