Is there life in Scarborough campus?... (Halls Of Residence At The University Of Hull)

Member Name: ronniec

Product:	Halls Of Residence At The University Of Hull
Date:	14/02/01 (280 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Modern building, all rooms are en-suite, some rooms look out to sea, fully catered prices, ten seconds from the lecture halls.

Disadvantages: Very pricey, curious atmosphere, people walking past your room, slightly out of town.

Since September 2000, Hull University has officially taken the former University College Scarborough over, the latter now being a campus of the former. Although it is a small campus, and situated somewhat more than a bike ride from Hull itself, it deserves attention nonetheless as those living there frankly won't give a damn about the rest of the university.

At the present moment in time I'm a first year student at the Scarborough campus. You may still find references to UCS in places, as with all bureaucratic organisations it takes time to get down to the nitty-gritty of a takeover - simple things like changing letterheads, signs and logos (even down to the website addresses). You should be aware that all your dealings will now officially go through Hull university before you come into contact with the specific administration department at the Scarborough campus.

I joined in something of a rush, initially having decided not to bother going to uni before changing my mind at the last minute and applying in a hurry. Their literature leads on to believe the halls are packed by January every year, but in the end I was "lucky" enough to get a room in the halls of residence - or so I thought. Four months into the first term they were still advertising the spare, unoccupied rooms and I can see why.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the halls. "The halls", a rather archaic and intimidating name, are actually a single modern building (built around 1992 as conference accomodation, then bought by the university), and the rooms themselves are all en-suite and quite attractive. The en-suite facilities in particular are a real bonus as the thought of traipsing up and down the halls every time you want to do the business has never particularly appealed to me. Even after long months of solitary showering (with the exception of several drunken episodes, which I shall not cover in detail here), I still have nightmares of
long, echoey corridors and cold, damp bathrooms with ice-cold powerjets. But in reality, the small shower and toilet room is functional so there can be no complaints in this respect.

With blocks from A-F and three floors in each with ten rooms per floor, it is quite a large building with something like 180 rooms. This caters for the majority of freshers who wish to stay in halls, and as I mentioned, this year it even proved to be excessive as not all rooms are filled. You may be lucky enough to get one of the second or third floor disabled rooms (as ridiculous as that sounds, especially considering there is no lift access) which are slightly larger than all the others on the floor. An average room is around fifteen feet from door to window and eight feet wide. This does sound a little on the pokey side but proves to be more than enough room for even the most acrobatic of sexual gymnastics (or so I am told).

There are a number of "premium" rooms - getting into one of these doesn't require paying £2/minute, but relying on pure chance. As unusual as it is for me, I think I must have the best room in the entire building. I am currently in a third floor room, facing out and away from the rest of the university, with a geometrically-perfect line of sight right down to the sea, which is beautiful to wake up to at any time of the year. Late at nights, if you listen hard, you can even hear the waves crashing against the shore. Somebody once told me that was my toilet overflowing, but it's a nice picture nonetheless.

There is a certain something about the place, however, that niggles. The atmosphere is quite strange, as the building encircles a central grass area, so it feels like you're always under scrutiny. If you're lucky enough to get one of the very few rooms that face outwards with a sea view, you've struck it lucky. For the vast majority, and those living on the ground floors in particular, you will soon tire of
people walking past your room and looking in through your windows seeing all your business. Lighting is also a little unusual, employing softer yellow tones which can make the corridors feel a little gloomy.

One kitchen is shared per floor (ten people), which works out well as most people (those who choose to pay to) in the halls get £5 worth of food a day to spend at the canteen, meaning you spend little time actually cooking. If you're anything like me, you'll probably only use the kitchen maybe once a day at nights. Unfortunately there is no cooker or hob in the kitchens - only a microwave - which can be a major inconvenience for those who like to eat something better than endless microwave fare. It should also be mentioned that the entire campus is non-smoking, your room included, so unless you are adept at sneaking a crafty smoke out of the window (an action I do not advocate, obviously), smokers may find this an inconvenience.

Perhaps the worst aspect of the halls is the price. Cayley Hall costs £2450 for what is roughly a 36 week course. I've been told by friends at other institutions that this is well above average and as my loan has shrunk I've begun to get more and more bitter and resentful for having to pay what does seem a very high price (a bit like the Germans after WWI, only with fewer sausages and inbred monarchs). This price does include £500 worth of food from the canteen (or more accurately, £5 per day which does not carry over from day to day) but when you consider it is possible to rent a room privately for as little as £25 per week plus food, you can see how expensive the halls are at around £70-80 per week.

It is hard to summarise the halls at Scarborough. There is nothing wrong with the building itself, and it's located in one of the nicest areas in Scarborough, around fifteen minutes from the town centre (along The Most Boring Road In The WorldTM). But at times it has a very curious atmosphere
and I, for one, am already looking forward to getting my own place for the second year.

If you're thinking about coming to Scarborough, feel free to e-mail me (address on my profile page) and I'd be happy to answer anything I've missed out here.

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