Next year I'll be going to University somewhere, and because of this, last Friday I went for a look around Bradford Uni. The course looked great (Peace studies, if you're interested), the staff were great, but then I saw the halls of residence.
I can't say I was a fan- it was like a prison cell. The rooms, that had apparently been refurbished were just white brick walls with a window that looks out on to another brick wall. In fact, Prisoners actually get their own toilet.
I didn't like it much- but then again, I probably don't know I'm born, and I've just been underexposed and protected by my parents from what "real life" is actually like.
Anyway- I was wondering if anyone who is currently at (any) University would be kind enough to tell me what their accommodation is like? I'd be interested to know whether or not it's all like this, or what I saw was particually good or bad, just so I can get a feel for whats on offer. If I could see a photo of what your halls of residence are like, it'd be great.
Maybe I'm just trying to make up for time lost to slacking when I should have been visiting Universities over the summer?
University Accommodation
Sounds about normal for student accomodation to me. These days I believe that broadband internet access for a nominal fee in halls of residence is quite common - any mention of that? I Didn't know that the Bradford peace studies course was still going - thought it was an eighties thing - what exactly does it involve??
If you can, have a look at older halls (if it's an old-ish uni) because they tend to have bigger rooms. They also tend to be catered - also, I cannot recommend enough getting a wash basin in your room. Even if that's all you get in terms of an en-suite, it will make your life SO much easier.
Also as whatsisface points out, many halls have ethernet points which should give you something like a 10meg (20x standard broadband and I miss it sorely) connection for about 100 pounds for the year.
What you've seen is an average place though, and of course you get to pay handsomely for the priviledge. It's really what/who you do in there that counts!
Also as whatsisface points out, many halls have ethernet points which should give you something like a 10meg (20x standard broadband and I miss it sorely) connection for about 100 pounds for the year.
What you've seen is an average place though, and of course you get to pay handsomely for the priviledge. It's really what/who you do in there that counts!
Knight knight
Modern halls do tend to be practical, cheaply built affairs which are just whitewashed concrete blocks. They also to tend to build them extremely close together and extremely high to fit as many rooms as possible into what is usually quite a small site (at Plymouth uni there are a couple of blocks of the Robbins hall which are only 18 inches apart).
They are however, usually quite warm and comfortable and the fact that you usually get inclusive bills, a phone line in your room, free/cheap lightning fast internet access, and have ready access to an ensuite option are all bonuses, I certainly loved my time in halls and really missed them when it came to leave. Look beyond the lack of plastered walls - it will probably turn out to be the flashiest room you ever have in your life.
They are however, usually quite warm and comfortable and the fact that you usually get inclusive bills, a phone line in your room, free/cheap lightning fast internet access, and have ready access to an ensuite option are all bonuses, I certainly loved my time in halls and really missed them when it came to leave. Look beyond the lack of plastered walls - it will probably turn out to be the flashiest room you ever have in your life.
Speaking of telephones and broadband internet, I've heard that some places have very restricted internet access (ie. certain ports, protocols and sites blocked/filtered) and telephones that charge a fortune for incoming and outgoing calls.They are however, usually quite warm and comfortable and the fact that you usually get inclusive bills, a phone line in your room, free/cheap lightning fast internet access, and have ready access to an ensuite option are all bonuses, I certainly loved my time in halls and really missed them when it came to leave. Look beyond the lack of plastered walls - it will probably turn out to be the flashiest room you ever have in your life.
Is this common amongst universities to do so?
They tend to block everything related to p2p file sharing. They have to or they get sued - you can still use IRC of course to get stuff, and it's worth learning. Phone calls, just get your parent to phone you back - internal calls to your neighbours (and here at manchester all over campus) are free though.
Knight knight
I was in the so called 'grotty' accommodation at UW Aberystwyth last year but, compared to the other 'moderner' halls we had the upper hand. My hall was a traditional catered 1960s complex (complete with greying pebbledash on the outside) which looked as ugly as hell! The rooms had no carpet bar a small few (including mine 
) which had been carpeted by previous occupants.
We had bonuses over the newer accom by having slightly bigger rooms and, although old, brighter furniture which didn't enclose the room in. The major benefit was that as our corridors were classes as 'communal' they were cleaned daily including the bathrooms and kitchen, something you had to do yourself in the 'flats' of other halls. Internet connection was Uni standard 10mb with blocks on p2p but nothing else, this was free!
The catered food wasn't too bad either! So don't be mislead by the look of hall rooms, you can brighten them up and make them home!
Gareth
) which had been carpeted by previous occupants.We had bonuses over the newer accom by having slightly bigger rooms and, although old, brighter furniture which didn't enclose the room in. The major benefit was that as our corridors were classes as 'communal' they were cleaned daily including the bathrooms and kitchen, something you had to do yourself in the 'flats' of other halls. Internet connection was Uni standard 10mb with blocks on p2p but nothing else, this was free!
The catered food wasn't too bad either! So don't be mislead by the look of hall rooms, you can brighten them up and make them home!
Gareth
The halls are rubbish. At least that's what you'd think when you first get here.
It's warm, large and friendly.
The only things that get me down are a lack of broadband (would have been happy to pay extra for that...) but instead I have to pay £15 a month for unlimted dial-up (!) which runs little over 30k. Damn it. It's ok to check mail and browse the web. I download large files at uni and put them on a USB flash drive.
Also, it's a bit far from a tube station (that's London for you...) - 20 minute walk to either South Ken, Sloane Square, Victoria or Vauxhall. So it's a bit of a no-mans land. But the buses are good, and if you've got a travelcard then there's no problems with getting around.
Also the people are great here...and it's a nice area. They're knocking the halls down next year as they are AMAZINGLY delapidated. But having said that, it's making the experience here better for everyone...much more of a community.
It's warm, large and friendly.
The only things that get me down are a lack of broadband (would have been happy to pay extra for that...) but instead I have to pay £15 a month for unlimted dial-up (!) which runs little over 30k. Damn it. It's ok to check mail and browse the web. I download large files at uni and put them on a USB flash drive.
Also, it's a bit far from a tube station (that's London for you...) - 20 minute walk to either South Ken, Sloane Square, Victoria or Vauxhall. So it's a bit of a no-mans land. But the buses are good, and if you've got a travelcard then there's no problems with getting around.
Also the people are great here...and it's a nice area. They're knocking the halls down next year as they are AMAZINGLY delapidated. But having said that, it's making the experience here better for everyone...much more of a community.
Good Lord!
In my first year at uni, I had a shoebox room in the halls of residence (which I now believe has been, or will be demolished and replaced with nice shiny new up to date building with en suites!) with a phone socket in it, so if I wanted I could have set up the Internet in my own room, but didn't bother and used the 24hr computer labs on campus - as I stayed on campus for the three years of my undergrad degree, I'd spend most nights online, sometime up until 6am...
Then when I returned to do a postgrad after a year out, I found all the privileges I enjoyed before had been taken away - no messenger software allowed, all P2P software blocked, individual log-ins...
Then when I returned to do a postgrad after a year out, I found all the privileges I enjoyed before had been taken away - no messenger software allowed, all P2P software blocked, individual log-ins...
-
tillyoshea
- Posts: 371
- Joined: Sun 23 Nov, 2003 14.34
- Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
- Contact:
This is where I spent my first year - though last year, the rent was cheaper, we didn't get meals, and we had to pay for network connections. Oh, and the website wasn't quite as dire as it is now.
All this talk of broadband and phone lines... 
In Lincoln university's halls of residence there's no broadband - if you want to access the internet you have to use a pay as you go service through a calling card.
Unless you're in one of the privately owned halls in which case you *might* get a broadband service and probably won't get a phone or have to have it all put in yourself if you want it as if you were in your own home.
One thing I hated most about living in halls was the harsh lighting in my room, and dull narrow corridor of my apartment.
In Lincoln university's halls of residence there's no broadband - if you want to access the internet you have to use a pay as you go service through a calling card.
Unless you're in one of the privately owned halls in which case you *might* get a broadband service and probably won't get a phone or have to have it all put in yourself if you want it as if you were in your own home.
One thing I hated most about living in halls was the harsh lighting in my room, and dull narrow corridor of my apartment.