Blaenwern Hall- not quite a country mannor (Halls of Residence at The University of Wales, Aberystwyth)

Member Name: timmah10

Product:	Halls of Residence at The University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Date:	18/03/06 (1927 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sea Front

Disadvantages: Hill

As a second year student still in halls I have decided to review my halls of residence having now had two years living in them and something to compare it to.

Well those of you looking to move to aberystwyth may wish to know about the halls, well there are lots and lots once you include all the sea front one and those in Llanbadarn, this review is concerned with Blaenwern hall but almost all will apply to all seafront residences (not alex halls).

Cost:
Unfortunately the link to the acommodation fees website is currently down, so i will update this when i get more info. The cost is usually around £800 a term for a seafront room which is very reasonable compared to the other acommodation (especially since over a third of rooms have a sea view). Since you can even stay in this hall over the holidays and don't have to move out each term, except summer then it really is good value. for more information on cost see:
http://www.aber.ac.uk/residential/en/accommodatio n/paying.shtml

Distance from campus:
Those of you who have been to Aberystwyth will be aware of the hill at which the uni sits atop. Blaenwern halls is at the very bottom of this hill on the seafront and so when i need to get to campus i have to set off 25-30 minutes before the lecture is due to start. After the first few climbs you will realise that the hill really isn't that far and in many ways all the advantages of living in town outwiegh the journey. For students looking to study any of the rural subjects then you will have at least an hours walk uphill to Llanbadarn campus so this hall is probably not ideal for you, and anyone looking to study at old college or the school of lifelong learning then good news, they are just down the street! A taxi up to main campus costs around £2.50 and a bus pass is available for £30 a year, however i would recommend walking as it is good for your health.

Distance from town:
Blaenwern hall is around 5 minutes walk from the centre of town which makes shopping and going to the pub far easier than living up at campus, remember that walking up the hill whilst drunk at night or with shopping will be much harder than before a lecture with just a notepad and pen.

Parking:
This is one of the best halls for parking in that there is a lot of space both round the front and round the back, most of the halls however do have carparks- Blaenwern does not, but this does mean you don't have to pay out for a pass. One word of warning is that when parking on the seafront there will be the ocassional night which is stormy and causes rocks to be chucked up at cars and damage them!

Room Size:
Blaenwern has some of the biggest rooms i have ever seen in a student hall. Some are even big enough to fit a few couches in, my room is the smallest of the lot by a long way but still measures around 3x5 metres, my bonus is however i have the only room with a skylight!

Facilities:
All seafront rooms have undergone refurbishment around two years ago making them really nice to live in. All come complete with large desks(with 3 draws), A bedside table (with 3 draws), a cupboard (with you guessed it 3 draws inside), a bed with matress and a really funky office chair- the type with wheels, adjustable back and adjustable suspension. There is also a set of shelves above the desk, maybe for books I'm not sure but most people keep beer or DVD's on there. All rooms now have high speed internet connections as standard, the speed differs from hall to hall, mine currently says it is running at 400mps (i doubt my network card can even take that!)

This is one of the few halls that provides ample plug sockets, my room has two sets of two on the desk and an extra socket on the other side of the room, extensions are still usefull but at least I dont have wires trailing everywhere. My room does have a carpet as do all in this hall and it really is a rather nice room. Posters are allowed so that really will make those white walls look a little less daunting and there is a notice board in all rooms so you can pin various items to that.

My flat has two bathrooms as there are 9 of us, however the other 3 flats in the building contain fewer people 4-6 and so only have one bathroom. Each bathroom has a shower and a toilet, unfortunately it is the students responsibility to clean it in this hall so despite actually being nice and modern it could soon end up fairly dirty.
My flat also has two kitchens, however one contains nothing more than a few cupboards and a kettle so is useless. All 4 flats have extremely large kitchens, the largest I have seen, and all have sea views so you can look out whilst you eat. There is a kettle, cooker, microwave, fridge and a freezer in each kitchen- the number of people sharing simply depends on the number of people in the flat. Cleaning the kitchen is again the students responsibility in this halls so again don't expect it to stay clean very long.

All rooms come with a working radiator and properly closing window, unlike some halls and so you should be nice and warm despite the cold offshore winds. Maintainence are really helpfull here too so if your room does break in any way they will be right out to fix it.

It has a back garden, you wont get that oncampus! Although it is lacking in grass and is currently just tiles we intend to add some plants soon ready for summer. It will be good for the barbeque enthusiast but really lets remember we are only 10 metres walk from the sea anyway.

Security:
All rooms have a magnet key system so there is no way someone will have a copy to get into your room, the door to the flat also has the same, as does the front door, however if you choose to leave the doors open and let strangers in this is all useless. My hall has not been broken into unlike some and unless someone leaves a door open i doubt it will be as the locks and doors are really heavy duty. There is an intercom system on the front door for people to call you if they want to come in so if like me you live on the top floor you don't have to walk all the way down to let them in.

Rules:
All rooms in Blaenwern are non-smoking and the fire alarms are calibrated appropriately. It is possible to cover the alarm with a condom or such like but this is very dangerous and could lead to you being thrown out and prosecuted (or worse...) The kitchens are also non-smoking but i find most people do not mind people smoking in here as it is so large and the alarm will not go off.
Incense and candles are also prohibited as in all aberystwyth halls, believe me, i found that out when the fire brigade turned out to extinguish my nag champa!
Other than that this hall has very few rules that you wont find anywhere else, and a visit from the porters is incredibly rare (like almost never) unlike many of the halls, so if you want to stay in naked playing indoor golf with the oven and some eggs no one will be likely to tell you not too.

Food:
This hall is self catered as with all off campus halls. I would personally recommend this as after living in a catered hall last year i can safely say the food sucks! It will taste nothing like the food they have on open day, also it seems to work out really expensive to eat in the catered halls so beans on toast it is!

Conclusion:
This is one of the cheaper halls, but also one of the nicest. with little interference from warderns you are free to do what you please. The walls are nice and thick too so you wont have to worry about waking people up at night. It is warm, modern and safe so i would really recommend it, especially for the more independant student. Those who like to be more near the university will be better suited to campus, but i enjoy the walk and the calming atmosphere given by a sea front room.

for more info including pictures and a map see: http://www.aber.ac.uk/residential/en/accommodation /gwal.shtml

Summary: a modern yet cheap hall