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Halls of Residence at Cardiff University in general
by Anon.
Right, when I found out I was coming to Cardiff I knew it would be a hassle trying to sort out accommodation because it was my second choice uni. I was put into Nevern at Uni Hall and I was so gutted because all my other friends would be at the luxorious Taly. When we pulled up I was absolutely gutted, but this shows you should never ... judge by first appearences.
Most people here are those who put Cardiff as their second choice. The people who put it as their first choice and somehow ended up here seem to be the ones with ensuites. Most people share bathrooms, but this isn't that bad. They'll tell you when you first move in that the cleaner comes on a particular day each week but this is a lie because ours comes around three times a week whenever she feels like it. She does a good job too. Remember to take your bins out from the kitchen though because you WILL get a fine if you don't.
Uni Hall is around two miles away from the Uni itself but don't let this put you off because there are double deckers that run from 8am to 5.30pm so you never have to get caught out in Welsh weather. The bus drivers are absolute legends too, so remember to say hello each day! This won't put you off going out in town either. Taxis cost around £2 per person to get into the centre of town for a night out, and there's also the 52/55 buses that run from Ty Gwyn road until around 11ish which cost £1.50 one way. It's also £3 for an all day ticket if you fancy popping into town on the weekend, when the Uni buses don't run. I would also totally recommend the Uni Hall Bar. They put on quizzes every now and then and always show big things on telly like X Factor, sports matches and Britain's Got Talent.
The rooms themselves are generous in size, more so than the Taly rooms. My room is quite large with a single bed, a large desk, a big wardrobe and a sink. The rooms in East Wing are absolutely MASSIVE. One thing I would recommend is buying a matress topper because they aren't the comfiest. When you move in they'll feed you loads of crap about not putting posters up on the wall and stuff but we all did of course. You'll have a room inspection each semester and they'll tell you things you need to fix by a certain date. For example, one of my flatmates has been told to hoover and take rubbish bins out. It all depends on who inspects your rooms though. Once I was told to take all my posters down and another time they said they'd just pretend they didn't see them.
So trust me, Uni Hall isn't anything as bad as it seems. The only possible downsides are the noise when you're trying to sleep as the doors have a habit of slamming (buy earplugs) and the fact that it's a bit of a hassle to get over to Taly to do sports and see friends as there are no buses that run over there. When it says on the Uni website about Uni Hall having a tennis court and a gym you have to remember that this is a lie! They have started holding yoga and zumba classes recently though. However, if you are sporty Taly is where you need to be.
All in all, I love Uni Hall and wouldn't change being here for the world.
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Halls Of Residence At The University Of Wales, Swansea
by jolenehp21
University accomodation at Swansea uni is in halls on site or in flats in the studen village. I stayed in the student village.
The Flats
The flats are built 2 or 4 stories high and accomodation is arranged in flats of 6. Most flats are single sex but you can apply as a couple to be placed in a couples flat which ... then contains 3 couples. Each flat consists of individual lockable beds rooms, a kitchen dinner, a bathroom, toilet and wash basin. THe kitchen was of good order and came with a fridge freezer which at a oush was big enough for the 6 that were in my flat. THe dinner area came with a table and 6 chairs and was a good place to socialise. The bathroom arrangements were very well thougt out the bath was in a seperate room with a wash basin, the toilet in another and a wash basin in a seperate room, great for 6 girls getting ready for a night out!
The bedrooms
I thought this deserved its own section as its the only bit thats all yours! Each comes with a single bed, a desk, wardrobe, draws and chair. The bed wasn't the best but was comfey enough to crash out on. The best bit was that each room came with an internet connection and NTL home which ment E4, a student staple was available and that the english version of C4 was too! The rooms were quite big approx 10ft x 8 ft.
The Village
The village has its own corner shop, take away, laundrette, library, maintenance office and student bar. The shop was small but well equipt, the take away very cheap and open til late - I recomend the pizza! The bar was the traditional student bar, perhaps a little small for the village but that added to the atmosphere.
Location
THe village is 2 miles form the uni campus but is walkable in around 40 mins. THere is a bus from the village to the uni every 15 mins but these are thike a cattle truck before the first lectures, the ride takes around 15 mins. There is a travel shop n the campus where season tickets for the bus can be bought, these are £80ish for a term or £200ish for the year, they work out cheap if you will use the bus every day as day ticket is £3.50 and are valid on all buses in Swansea. The travel cost is negates lightly buy te fact that the village is cheaper than the halls around £450 a term compared to £520 ish (dependes on room type).
My Experience
Living in the village was great it had an atmosphere all of its own, it was good to get away from the campus, the view from the on site halls was the lecture theatres! The was a friendliness about the village and living in flat style accomodation made those first days seem less daunting. The only draw back was the journey to the campus it took a portion of the day that could have been better spent, and stanfding in the rain at the bus stop was no fun. It also ment planning needed to be done, there were not last minute trips to the library for that forgetten book.
Verdict
All in all an excellent place to start student life, it really feels like a village, has everything you need and if the bus journeys were less than comfortable, they at least gave a chance to wake up before classes or catch up on gossip!
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