My Little Home Away From Home (Halls Of Residence At The University Of Exeter)

Member Name: Chris H

Product:	Halls Of Residence At The University Of Exeter
Date:	10/02/01 (785 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hassle free, nice food, warm.

Disadvantages: Bit expensive, but the price is all inclusive.

The University Of Exeter, promises to provide accommodation for any Fresher who requires it. This is a promise that they continue to live up to. If you get in through clearing you may have to spend a few weeks in overflow accommodation at the Crossmead conference centre, but you will be fitted into a hall fairly rapidly.

What's it like then? Well the university provides many halls of residence with their own particular character. They can be divided into converted country houses, where you will have to share your room, the more up market Marden Hall where you pay more for fresh paint and springy carpets. Or the 1960's wonders which are Birks and Duryard. All of the halls cook you 3 meals a day and provide a cleaner. There are also university flats which are mainly intended for second and third years, these range from basic flats with communal facilities to enhanced flats with en-suite.

I chose to live in Duryard for my first year, and I loved my time there. Some of the buildings are nicer than others, but they are all perfectly habitable and warm. One of the buildings does have communal showers, a novelty most people got over quickly. I was unfortunate enough to be placed in a shared room, this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be though, and my roommate moved into a single room at the end of the first term. Duryard and Birks were built together and are identical in what they provide, Birks houses 400 students Duryard 600.

You will be sharing a shower, 2 baths and 2 toilets and small kitchen (intended for late night snacking) between about 15 of you. There can be excessive demand for the shower on occasion but you will work something out. The rooms themselves are big enough, and the underfloor heating makes mornings easier to cope with. All of the rooms have a telephone and university network connection (for Internet and e-mail).

I don't know what the food is like now, but when I was there it was lovely, there wa
s always plenty of variety, and I had no trouble finding something nice to eat every night. And this is quite an achievement considering I could never cope with school dinners, and am the fussiest eater around. The kitchen staff try really hard to come up with a varied menu and if you are nice to them you can get bigger portions.

It does take a while to settle in. When you first arrive you think the place is such a dump, but before long you have covered the bare walls, made friends with the people on your floor, and adapted to the different surroundings. I really was quite sad when I left, the building truly did feel like home, part of that was from the people who lived there, and part of it was the building itself.

I am so very glad that I spent a year in Halls, it was a great way of meeting people and having a laugh. It is also a very safe environment in which to get used to living away from home, you have independence but you also have people who look out for your welfare.

Cost wise halls in Exeter are expensive compared to other universities but you get a lot for your money in the shape of staff, good food 3 times a day, and well maintained buildings and grounds. Part of going to university is learning to adapt to a new way of life, this includes living conditions that may be very different to what you are used to. Make the most of any hardships, they will stand you in good stead for the future.

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