Hi there! Welcome back again. If you managed to make it this far into the series, kudos to you! We are halfway there.
Since we have covered the financial aspect in our previous session, let us tackle another important aspect of studying abroad, that is finding the right student accommodation for the upcoming academic year.
This article will cover the topics of student accommodation and I believe the alumni that I have interviewed have stayed both on and off-campus. Well, less talking from me and let us see what they have to say about the topic.
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Q: Did you stay on-campus or off-campus?
Wei Li:
I stayed on-campus.
Aradhna:
I chose to stay on campus. Despite it being slightly more expensive than off-campus accommodation, I was more assured of its safety particularly as you do not have the luxury of viewing your housing choice in person.
Furthermore, I felt that as a student at the University it would be easier to seek redress on any issues with my campus housing than it would at a privately-owned external accommodation.
Clement:
On-campus.
Brandon:
On-campus.
Archie:
Off-campus.
Q: Where did you stay? Was it near the University?
Wei Li:
I stayed at a flat called BT2.It was located just 15 minutes from Queen’s main campus (0.9miles), where I would say is considerably quite near to the campus.
Aradhna:
I stayed at Crown Place which was highly central to all my lectures and tutorials. Most of the time it took me no more than 5-7 minutes to get to my classes.
Clement:
I stayed at Windsor Hall which was near the main eateries and a 5-10 min walk to center of the campus.
Brandon:
It was at a student accommodation called Talybont. It was about a 20 minute walk from where my classes were being held, but that was the furthest accommodation I could’ve picked as I wanted a place that was 2 minutes away from the gym. There are accommodations as close as 5 minute to the law building if you desire.
Archie:
I lived in an apartment called Forest Road House, a private accommodation which was about half-an-hour walking distance from Colchester campus.
Q: How much was the rent?
Wei Li:
The weekly rent was £ 140. It was slightly more expensive because the whole building was brand new when we first moved in. The current reduced price is £124 for an en-suite room.
Aradhna:
The rental cost at Crown Place currently is £160.30 weekly for 39 weeks.
Clement:
Around £125 per week.
Brandon:
It cost £4,800 for a 10 months contract, which averages to £480 a month/ £120 a week (inclusive of water and electricity).
Honestly, this is slightly above what you would normally pay for a non-university accommodation in Cardiff and if you can find people to stay with before you arrive, you can easily get away with paying as little as £80-100 a week.
Archie:
The off-campus accommodation offers flexible payment methods compared to university hostels and the rent was affordable as it only costs about £380 per month including utility bills!
Q: How was it like living at your accommodation?
Wei Li:
It was pretty fun and safe at the same time. The Residential team organized a lot of meaningful social events for us to participate and engage with other students living in BT2. It was pretty safe staying at BT2 accommodation because the reception opens from 8.00am to 10.00pm, 7 days per week while Security night staff are on duty every night to take care of our safety.
There is also a great social space for all students living at BT2 and BT1 and it is open 24/7. The Coffee Bar serves free tea and coffee every evening (sometimes they offer snacks!) and it is a great place to meet up with friends.
During student holiday weeks and summer, the opening hours of the Coffee Bar will differ. There is a table tennis table, Nintendo Wii, Xbox, TV screens and computers for browsing the Internet, Skyping home or for private study.
Aradhna:
I loved living at my accommodation! In addition to the fact that it was located not far from all my classes, it was also highly centralised as it was basically at the heart of campus. It was also very close to a Café Nero and on the same street as 2 Subways, a Greggs, a Tesco outlet, stationery store and a Barclays bank branch among others. The city centre was also just a 15-minute walk downhill.
Crown Place also organises many activities for its residents including an end of year barbecue, movie nights with tons of free pizza and snacks, as well as a ‘Wellness Week’ during finals with free manicures, food and massages. Additionally, they have a 24 hour reception with pool tables, a general chill out area, laundry room, and even designated study rooms.
Clement:
It had a nice view on the upper floors. The dorm facilities are generally well maintained albeit a little old and it may get a bit noisy as it was quite near min walk to the eateries (where the bar opened at nights).
Brandon:
It was alright. I think accommodations in most other Universities are actually better if you compare it with on-campus accommodation from Cardiff University. I liked the location more so than the room itself.
Archie:
Some of the perks of living off-campus are having a place for tranquillity or me-time and it offers more privacy while on-campus accommodation could be crowded with gatherings, especially with students before going to Subzero, a University-based nightclub.
Also, the apartment I lived in was strategically located. We were in the vicinity of the supermarket, Colchester town and Hythe station. In other words, the trip to Tesco supermarket and train station was only 5 minutes away and it was only a 10 minutes bus ride to Colchester town from my apartment.
Q: Did you have a shared living space and/or a bathroom?
Wei Li:
I did have a shared living space and kitchen. I had my own bathroom since I was living in an en-suite room.
Residents are also expected to keep the entire flat from litter and in good order. Residents are responsible for cleaning their rooms, the kitchen, bath/shower rooms and any other areas within the flat or house. The accommodation staff will also conduct routine inspections to ensure our living space is constantly kept clean.
My flatmates and I made a weekly cleaning schedule where we will take turns to clean different parts of the kitchen and common areas.
Aradhna:
I did have 4 flatmates living with me and therefore we had a shared kitchen/living room. However, I chose the en-suite option and thus did not have to share a bathroom.
This arrangement did not pose any issues for me because I got on well with my flatmates. We did not have any petty fights over the cleanliness of our shared space because twice a week we had someone who came in to take out garbage and to generally clean the kitchen.
Clement:
I had to share a bathroom with my own small sink.
Brandon:
There was a shared kitchen, but no living room or anything like that. Our rooms were all en-suite so that was nice.
Archie:
My friends and I were living in a four-room apartment with shared kitchen and bathroom, where the kitchen would be our common area for social gatherings.
Q: Looking back, what advice would you give to prospective students looking for the right type of accommodation?
Wei Li:
Stay on-campus if you wish to participate in social events and engage with other students.
Also, all students living in Queen’s Accommodation get free Off-Peak membership at Queen’s Sport, including access to the Elms BT1 Gym. If you stay off-campus, you have to pay for the membership fees. Although private accommodation could be easily cheaper, you might not be able to enjoy the benefits of sharing a social space with people within your cohort, the computer rooms and also free Off-Peak membership at Queen’s Sport.
Aradhna:
When choosing your accommodation, it is important not only to ascertain your budget but also your personality, i.e. whether can you share refrigerator space, tolerate potentially messy flatmates, or the fact that they will have their own friends over and may even throw parties. If not, it may be prudent to choose a studio apartment instead. Additionally don’t forget to research the area your accommodation is located in because the rooms may look nice and be reasonably priced but the area may be really dodgy.
Clement:
Look at the rent per week and compare it with own budget. Location is also an important factor so try to search for reviews from your seniors on whether it is near the main campus, the noise levels, etc.
Brandon:
Location is key. Sure, a nice room is great and all but nothing beats only being 5 minutes away from everything you need – whether that be the gym, supermarket, library or the city centre.
That’s not to say you should look for a run down shack smack dab in the middle of the city over a luxurious studio 15 minutes away. It’s all about the balance between convenience and comfort.
Archie:
For prospective students applying for University or private accommodation, a prompt application (e.g. two months before University intakes) is highly encouraged to secure your offer early as these accommodations are constantly in high demand and the rental may vary according to the hostel you’ve applied.
Students are also encouraged to look at factors such as distance, location, rent, payment methods and tenancy period to suit your needs. University hostel may impose additional rental for students who wished to stay longer until graduation week.
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Alas, yet another end to this part of the series. Personally, I really enjoyed my time staying on-campus. For your information, Wei Li was my next door neighbor.
My experience staying on-campus was rather interesting. I was the only person in my cohort to stay with 4 new strangers, which sounds a little lonely in the beginning. However, I warmed up to my flatmates throughout the course of my academic year and that turned out to be one of my best experiences in Belfast.
As usual, if you have any questions or thoughts about pursuing a UK Transfer Degree Programme, let me know in the comments below! If you liked this series so far, do stay on for more. In the meantime, do let me know your thoughts about the series!
Till then, see you next week in the next part of ‘UK Transfer Tips’. 🙂
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