While the shared flat was tried out in the 1960s as a protest against stuffy, controlling parenthood, today it has established itself as the most popular and most frequently chosen form of sociable living among students. In contrast, the spacious single flat offers a comfortable, quiet after-work place in a stressful everyday life between a packed Master's programme and two part-time jobs. Are 32 square metre single flats with a new kitchen and clean bathroom the end of shared flats? We visited students within their own four walls.

Stella Diettrich (22) and Till Ziehm (23) sit at the wooden kitchen table and peel apples for a cake that is destined for the evening flat-sharing party. Tea water boils in a brass-coloured kettle on the gas cooker. On the wall shelves and on hooks next to a colourful wall of postcards, a large collection of whisks, potato mashers and companions indicate that cooking together is on the agenda. The budding environmental scientist and physics student live with Regine Albers (24, landscape ecology) and Kirsten Kleis (24, English and philosophy) in a four-room flat in an old building. Finding the flat was not so easy.

The fact is that only one in ten students has a room available in a hall of residence. The free housing market must therefore provide the largest proportion of accommodation for students. However, the offer does not always match the tight student budget of 250 to 500 euros per month on average. This was the result of a survey conducted by the Student Union and the General Student Committee (AStA) in the winter semester 2015/16. According to a survey by a property portal, the average rent in Oldenburg for a flat of up to 40 square metres is 9.46 euros per square metre. The larger the flat, the cheaper it is. It has therefore been proven that living in a shared flat tends to be cheaper than living alone. However, the financial factor is by no means the only argument in favour of shared housing.

"This is where community happens."

For Stella, Till, Regine and Kirsten, it's the shared moments that make up the quality of life and the sense of well-being. A spontaneous breakfast in the shared kitchen can last longer or a cookery evening with ten people can take place on a Sunday in the shared flat one floor below. "In our shared flat, it's not only practical that we benefit from the household items we each bring with us - we are now really well equipped and don't have to buy everything individually. It's also that our different skills enrich everyday life in the flat share. I was able to help Stella set up her bed," says Till. "And when Till has clothes to sew, for example, he comes to me with them. In return, I've learnt a bit of cooking here," says Stella. Most of the time, they don't have to make many compromises. On the contrary, they both agree that it's great to improve their communication skills in this way.

"The shared flat is simply the place where community takes place," says Dr Norbert Gestring from the Institute of Social Sciences, who researches urban sociology. He points out that studying should be seen as a phase of life that extends youth, known as post-adolescence. This is a phase in which you can try out a lot, for example living with people of the same age in a shared flat and negotiating living arrangements together. In principle, however, a single flat is also a good solution. "Every step out of the parental home can be seen as a step towards emancipation. In contrast, shared flats offer good opportunities to learn social skills," says Gestring. People living in shared flats are more likely to learn tolerance and how to deal with conflicts than those living alone.

"The social component was a matter of course 30 years ago, when nobody would have thought of building lots of individual flats," says Ursula Sontag, Head of the Student Housing Department at the Oldenburg Student Union. This is why the first hall of residence of the student union in Huntemannstraße still had corridors with 16 rooms. In 2011, these were refurbished and converted into single and double flats. The Studentenwerk was thus able to meet the changing demand from students. However, the majority of student residences today are still shared rooms. In Huntemannstraße, for example, there are still 11-bed shared flats in addition to the renovated flats. However, the waiting lists for single flats are the longest. According to Sontag, this is also due to higher expectations of a flat.

"Being allowed to throw everything away"

For Vanessa Witt (27, Sustainability Economics), it was clear after being accepted to study in Oldenburg that she wanted her own flat. However, the waiting lists for flats in the halls of residence were too long shortly before the start of her studies. So she found her 35-square-metre flat, including some furniture, via online admissions, where she can now often listen to loud music, take her time in the bathroom and postpone cleaning and washing up as she wishes. A spacious living room with a three-seater sofa in front of a large flat-screen TV is perfect for a film night. Keeping things tidy is easy with floor-to-ceiling cupboards.

Miriam Fels (25, integrated media and teaching degree) sees the advantage of her 19-square-metre flat, which is perfectly utilised down to the last centimetre, as being able to throw away her bag, jacket and shopping after a stressful day. Miriam says that her small but cosy flat has also been a financial stroke of luck. It's easy to cope with the fact that there's hardly any space between the desk chair and the bed. And who can claim that they only have to take one step from the bed to the front door? Somehow she is already torn between a shared room and a single flat. "But with my three jobs and my studies, I'm glad to have some peace and quiet at home."

And what is the students' absolute favourite form of accommodation? The Studentenwerk and AStA survey also clarifies this. At 33.9 per cent, shared flats are in first place, followed by single flats at 27.4 per cent. Not a big difference then.

Lina Brunnée (25, editorial trainee), Michaela Boelsen (28, finance assistant) and Jana Sander (28, retail sales assistant) have found that acquaintances can become friends in shared flats. The three have recently finished their studies or completed their training and continue to live in the same shared flat. There is so much space in the 130 square metre 4-room flat with its living room, spacious hallway and large kitchen that up to 50 people gather in the flat for parties. The three believe that shared flats are always an advantage - whether in multi-generational houses, student life or in old age. "You have people to talk to in all situations, you can help each other and share the household," says Lina.

So do smart single flats - such as the 138 new single flats of the student union in Artillerieweg - mean the demise of shared flats? Not at all. Residents repeatedly emphasise how nice the lavish meals, spontaneous evenings and conversations are. To summarise: shared flats are and will remain an integral part of student housing, and with full conviction.

Sarina Lux