By beginning studies in any of Kosovo`s universities, most students, especially those who do not live in the city where they study, mainly have two options of how will they live their student life.
The first question is, how will they live or arrange things to be successful at university?
Most female students live in dormitories.
A smaller number who do not get accepted in dormitory, or by their parents` choosing, live in private apartments.
There are no statistics to show how many students live in private apartments. On the other hand, there are 3,600 students from the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina” who live in the Students` Center (SC) in Prishtina.
Fatmir Sfishta, head of SC in Prishtina, says that they divide space based on demand.
“There are too many demands by students, since living in private apartments is a bit problematic. There is safety at SC and students` parents feel more comfortable if their children go to live there,” Sfishta says.
There are three dormitories for boys and four for girls.
Sfishta thinks that the price for students is reasonable, since they pay only 20 Euro for residency and 15 Euro for food at the cafeteria monthly.
There are cameras all around SC, and according to Sfishta,students can write their complaints and they will be taken into consideration.
For the students who are interested to have a place in the dormitory, the proximity of their housing to the university plays a role in their success.
On the other hand, students who live in private apartments usually live nearer Prishtina.
Doresa Gashi from Istog, a journalism student at the University of Prishtina, thinks that life in a dormitory is typical for students.
“You are surrounded by students, the conditions are good, and there is a learning atmosphere. The dormitories` libraries are full of students, different from the apartment which is considered a family friendly,” she says.
Meti Lezi from Suhareka, a mechatronics student at the Technical Faculty, says he`s satisfied to be living in the dormitory, but he thinks there is a need to build even more dormitories.
Ardit Limani, a social work student at the Faculty of Philosophy, says that the dormitory is the best solution for students.
“Obviously, the conditions are not luxurious, but the price is favorable. It is a good place to socialize with the other students,” he said.
German Language student Argita Tolaj from Deçan, who moved from dormitory to a private apartment, says that life in an apartment is more dynamic, but also more expensive and comes with more obligations.
“Initially, from the financial aspect it is better for each student to live in the dormitory because it is cheaper and they offer warm food twice a day at the cafeteria. One has more obligations in an apartment: you have to pay the rent, the electric energy, water, internet, garbage, which are very expensive for a student. I pay 80 Euro per month for rent so I must save more,” she says, noting that she shares the apartment with three other women.
Eljesa Behluli, a journalism student from Presheva, says that living in an apartment has more advantages than living in the dormitory.
“The apartment has a bigger space which you can use and you can feel comfortable, you can choose the people with whom you want to stay. There is always hot warm water and you can make use of it anytime you want. You can also let a friend stay with you if she needs it,” she says.
Haris Ademi from Mitrovica, a student at the Faculty on Philology,says that he likes living in an apartment for several reasons.
“You can go out whenever you want, you have a bigger space to use and it is a calm environment where I can study more,” says Haris who lives with four other roommates.
On the other hand, Elona Komani from Gjakova, a journalism student, lives in an apartment but thinks that a dormitory is a better solution.
“Even though I pay around 170 Euro for rent, I have lots of obligations and I feel less secure,” Elona says. Since she cooks by herself she has extra expenses.
The director of the Students` Cafeteria in Prishtina, Fahri Osmani, says that there is a menu with high calorie foods, from dishes to drinks, fruits and deserts. There is soup during lunch and salad during dinner.
“The cafeteria is continuously monitored by the Inspectorate of Food and Veterinary Agency. They take a sample and do the Disinfection, Fumigation, and Eradication,” Osmani explains.
The number of the students who eat at the cafeteria, according to him, varies from moth to month.
“1,500 students from private apartments can eat at the cafeteria: 981 students from private apartments got fed during May 2016. During April 2016, 4,017 students who live in the dormitories ate at the cafeteria, whereas during May there were 3,617 students who ate at the cafeteria,” Osmani says.
Naser Kodraliu, director of the Dormitory nr. five says that life in the dormitory has other advantages as well, such as cleanliness, since the dormitory is cleaned every day from 7 o`clock until 2:00.
“The Medicine Center has been put in function again this year, where around 4,000 students of the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina” who live in the dormitories, can get services,” Kodraliu says.
There are libraries inside the dormitories that are open all the time, and libraries outside the dormitories are open until 11 P.M., and during exams time even later.
Fjolla Hajrizaj
