The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Redhead (Halls Of Residence in general)

Member Name: zoe_page_1

Product:	Halls Of Residence in general
Date:	18/01/02 (355 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: In op (that would be the why you should...)

Disadvantages: Erm, the why you shouldn't section?

So, my children, another instalment from the thrilling life of Zoë….. Despite the fact that I’m not a fresher or final year, I live in halls. This isn’t always a possible option, but here in Manchester we have an abundance of uni owned accommodation, so 2, 3 or even 4 years in halls is a possibility.

~~ Why you SHOULD choose halls ~~

1. Location – I live on campus, our campus is city centre and thus I live in the city centre. Flats on a street less than a minute’s walk away are up for rent at £750 per month on average, for a small one bedroomed place. The area is an expensive one to live in because it’s so central, but being so central makes it handy – I have shops, restaurants, 2 railway stations, china town and the gay village (hey, whatever turns you on) within 10 minutes walk. Most of the student housing (and other halls) here in located Fallowfield / Rusholme / Victoria Park way – and while 20 minutes on the bus isn’t that bad, 2 minutes on foot is nicer. There’s no way I could live within this post code area if I didn’t live in halls.

2. All inclusive rent - most uni fees include all electricity, gas and water charges, and some come complete with insurance too. This can work out as a cheaper option than a house with your mates, especially if you’re leaving-on-lights people. We also get free light bulbs, bog roll and washing up liquid – not much, but it can soon add up. Plus, you don’t have to entrust mummy’s best china to the heavy handed louts you live with, since many self catered halls provide cutlery and crockery and cooking utensils.

3. Meeting people – assuming you’re moving away from home for uni, you might be needing some new friends. While I can’t guarantee that you’ll become best buddies with everyone you meet, it’s nice to have people to talk to for the first week or so at least, until you
start making friends naturally. Many halls come complete with a residents’ association who put on balls and parties (complete with bouncy castles in our case) throughout the year which are good opportunities for meeting people from other floors / blocks.

4. Domesticness – our halls come complete with laundered bed sheets and daily cleaners who leave our bathrooms, hallways and kitchens spotless, and for no extra money apart from a donation to their xmas pressie once a year

5. Food – with my diet being the way it is, there’s no reason to go in catered halls, but if you do eat normal food, and cant/won’t cook then these sometimes offer good deals, with two meals a day during the week, and brunch/dinner set-ups at weekends

6. Facilities – our halls come complete with games rooms, computer rooms, laundry rooms, storage rooms and free satellite TV on each floor

7. Maintenance – if you have a house you often have to ring the landlord who in turn attempts to get a handyman type in for you. With halls this is done immediately via the wardens – complain of so much as a drippy shower and it can be fixed with a couple of hours.


~~ Why you SHOULDN’T choose halls ~~


1. Location – in some places, halls are miles from civilisation, meaning you have to get up at a ridiculous hour and sit on a bus bouncing along a back country road with 102 equally p*ssed off students. Not the best way to start the day.

2. Food - while you might not have to cook it, the food provided in catered places can make aeroplane mush look like gourmet cuisine. Maybe it’s just the mass producedness of it all (cook 400 slices of toast and you’re bound to drop a few notches on the quality scale) or maybe it’s the cooks – after all, if you’re top of the range you’ll be at the Ivy, not Grosvenor place.

3. Rules – you’re not
free to go as you choose if you’re living under someone else’s roof. We have to sign visitors in for example, and we aren’t allowed the same overnight guest for more than 3 nights in a row (and yet different ones are ok – can you say “encouraging promiscuity”?) Also, we aren’t allowed radios on after midnight, or to return home late and drunk – do it and like 2 girls I live with at the moment, the tutor’ll stick a nasty note on your door telling you to shut the f*ck up.

4. Fire practices – always at stupid times, like 6.30 am, and always on days when you aren’t in uni till 1pm. Grrr arrggh. Funny when you see dodgy blokes emerging from your friends rooms, not so funny when you realise yours is the dodgiest of all…., and hiding in your wardrobe doesn’t work where we live at least, cos they come in and cheque

5. Not having permanent rental – we are allowed to keep our stuff in our rooms over Christmas, but not over Easter, meaning everything down to the last pencil has to be removed by 12pm the day after term ends.


~~ Conclusion ~~

So there you have it, the good and the bad. And the ugly redhead? Lives two doors down. Evil girl. I’ll tell you about her one day if you’re good children :-) Halls differ and people differ so what’s right for me might not be what’s right for you, but don’t discount living in halls for more than one year. It can be the economical option, for saving both money and time.

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