Been on my first University open day to day (to take ds, not thinking of going myself 
) and was stunned that to stay in the catered halls they showed us (there were a range of different ones, but just looking at the ones they showed us) cost £5,400 per year, but to stay in the self catered ones only "saved" you £900 at £4500 for the year.
Is this common ? We (and ds) had assumed he would be able to pay considerable less for self-catering, but I can't see the £900 'saving' covering his food for the 39 weeks they said they catered for (which I though odd in itself, as no Universities do as many weeks as schools, but that's another thought altogether).
Anyone mind sharing what they/their dcs are paying, and what they get for that (to be fair, these were en-suite rooms, but not in London or the SE)
Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.
Higher education
Catered / self catering Halls at Universities
BackforGood · 20/09/2013 21:58
Can't tell you off the top of my head, but having a bit of experience with DC 1 and now having DCs 2 and 3 going off, I would always always opt for catered in the first year otherwise the little buggers will drink their food money 
Yes, well, apart from the nice socialising side of things - which I agree is a bonus - I can't see ds ever getting up in time for a "breakfast slot" in a canteen - he'll be sliding in to the first lectures as the lecturer starts speaking, but then by nighttime, he's starving, and has another meal then ~ I can't see that he could do this with a catered hall, which, in truth was most of the reasoning behind thinking self catering.
I am also concerned how they can feed growing teens sufficiently on what is effectively £23 per week, when obviously this isn't just for ingredients, but all associated costs (staff, fuel,etc) in running a canteen.
It's also then effectively throwing away what you've paid for, if you go out for someone's birthday, or are off campus for some reason, I presume. I was surprised in this day and age that they had to go to their own 'hall canteen' too, and didn't have some kind of pre-paid swipecard system that just allowed them to eat at any of the catering places on campus.
I've got a lot to learn I can see
See, that's the sort of thing I mean OldRoan - it ties you to a particular time to eat, which doesn't really work with ds's "time blindness"
Just 
that there's not a bigger saving (ie, the money 'left' for him to buy his own food in).
DD1 was in catered, en-suite accommodation last year at a cost of £5k+ for a 30 week contract.
For this she got breakfast & dinner Mon-Fri and brunch & dinner at the weekend. She managed breakfast/brunch most days and was home for dinner pretty much every night. The flat she was in had decent kitchen facilities - fridge-freezer, oven, hob and microwave so she could cook on the very odd occasion that she didn't like the meal offered in the dining room. She was responsible for cleaning her own room and shower room but the communal areas were cleaned by the housekeeping staff. She was also provided with clean bedding every fortnight.
As a contrast she will be moving into a shared house next week. Rent is a third of the cost of halls. She'll miss her en-suite though
Thanks for all opinions and experiences, ladies - please keep them coming. I never realised how many different options there were! 
DS1 is in his second week of self catered accommodation. Catered was never going to be an option as he's a pretty competent cook and with an aldi 10 minutes away he can do very well for far less than the £50 difference in hall fees.
I was in catered halls and missed more meals than I ate. With uni the price it is now we can't afford any waste anywhere along the line.
As a guideline he's spending between 15 and 20 a week to self cater and that includes a contribution to the communal Sunday lunch that they've decided to cook
BackforGood I went to my first open day last week at Nottingham. DS has been to several on his own or with college.
They have a mixture of catered or S/C and they do use a swipe card for some meals. We didn't bother to look at the accommodation though as he doesn't think it's in his top 3.
His plan is to check out accommodation options once he has offers.
He did look round when he went to Warwick and they only do S/C. The cost options revolve around whether you have en suite or shared bathroom. En-suite seems to cost about £30 a week more!! He thinks having his own w.c is more important than eating.
.
The contracts are for 30 or 39 weeks. If you get the shorter one you have to vacate your room in between terms.
Thanks. Jins - see, that was what I was assuming, that the difference would be £50 a week, as per your example, and I know he could cook for himself for a LOT less that that each week. I now live in hope that what we saw wasn't typical.
Secret - Interesting about the en-suite. We took a friend of his from 6th form with us, and she felt that wherever she went, she wanted an en-suite. She'd grown up with one and was quite shuddery at the idea of sharing with perhaps 4,5, or 6 people horrified her. ds, OTOH, was quite happy, but he's spent a LOT of his life camping with Scouts, etc., and has no problems with the idea of bathroom sharing. If they knew him then I guess no-one else would want to share a bathroom with him though
DS1 opted for SC halls and this worked out well. His friends in catered, seemed to spend as much on food as he did, despite paying for catering.
He also went for 39 week let, which although more expensive was really useful. Being able to stay at uni during the Easter vacation to revise for summer exams was important, as many of the books he needed were in the short-loan collection.
Also not having to lug all his possessions to and from uni each term (they couldn't leave anything in their rooms) was a bonus
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
DS was in self catered in 1st year in a mixed flat. It worked fine and he liked the flexibility. I was amazed he actually did cleaning and was one of the more fussy ones re cleanliness
Despite having an en-suite at home he didn't want to spend the extra on one at Uni as he knew he wouldn't have one in a private rental in the second year and he was right it was the usual grotty student house. He has decided to go back into halls when he returns from his year abroad as it's just easier though probably more expensive.
the 39 weeks they said they catered for (which I though odd in itself, as no Universities do as many weeks as schools, but that's another thought altogether).
DS2 is at Sheffield & their accommodation year is even longer - his room contract was for 42 weeks at about £107pw (en-suite but not catered)
He was home for 4 weeks at Christmas & 3 at Easter, & finished early in June when the contract ran until early July, so they made at least £1000 - esp from the last 4 weeks, when the room was empty & they could use it for visiting overseas students.
I was v v v 
about that (but what can you do?)
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.