to think these are shite facilities?

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

Before you all start I know it's not my battle to fight and DD is accepting of the facilities but, hey, I've just been deserted by a child and I'm allowed some leeway to be disgruntled.

Moved DD2 to university recently to her dream course, that's all wonderful.

She didn't get any of her 3 accommodation choices and has ended up in a very old (30+ years?) block which is actually materially better than we expected.

BUT there's 15 girls (university doesn't mix sexes ffs) across 2 floors sharing 2 showers 2 loos. Meh that's sort of bearable. 15 boys in same set up on the bottom two floors.

The kitchen is obviously a converted bedroom. So you can imagine the size of it .

There's 6 cupboards (2 of them wall so very shallow). And 3 drawers. So there's not even a cupboard shelf each.

There's one fridfe freezer.

One undercounter fridge and three undercounter freezers.

Not even half a fridge shelf each.

Plenty of freezer space though.

2 free-standing cookers which probably manageable.

No table. Obviously. As the room is a student bedroom.

There's a breakfast bar tucked in between
Bedrooms in the corridor with room for two people to sit at. But there's only one stool. Boys have two stools.

No common room or any communal space in the building. Nowhere to bond with flatmates really.

If she'd just have been allocated the same block but two flats across there would have been 8 to a large kitchen with a fecken table . This was the block open in applicants day and I counted 5 cupboards in that so still under resourced but definitely doable in comparison.

She's happy and doesn't want to swap as people are all lovely which is the Main Thing and I'm so relieved she's content - i don't want to interfere or achieve anything. And she's 18 she'll adapt as hundreds of students have in this Halls before her.

Just want my AIBU to be:

AIBU to think these facilities are fecken pants?

My daughter lived in halls both here and in Spain and shared a house here. Both were excellent and large purpose built .
I would query the safelty standards . Do speak about it .

Sounds pretty crap but also not unusual.

In my first year there were 12 of us (mixed) with 3 loos, 2 showers and 1 kitchen. Fortunately kitchen was a fairly decent size and we had a cupboard each and a shelf in fridge and freezer each. Though we didn’t keep much in them as it would just disappear straight away!

I’d really recommend a little one person George foreman! You can do SO MUCH in them and wipe clean 🤷🏼‍♀️

Sounds fairly normal. At most Unis the accommodation varies a lot, and so does the cost.

If she doesn't like it she can ask to move to better, more expensive accommodation as there are always people who drop out in the first couple of weeks.

You know that saying Misery Loves Company? Well it's true.
people do bond over their shared suffering (if being in a first world country with shelter but (gasp!!) having to queue for a loo is suffering)
She will make Friends over one of those wonky stoves and probably only eat Pot Noodle and Cup-A- Soup in any case.
Some of my funniest memories come from when I was in Halls. It was dank, dark and cold and I loved every ruddy second!!!

When I was in uni halls, the halls were all mixed. We did have large kitchen with a table but not many cupboards. Fridge freezer was a stand alone one and only one. Most of us just used to write on what was ours and didn't have specific shelves.
The main thing is she is happy and they can get away with costing £1000's because they need somewhere to live 🙄.
But tbh when I was at uni (6 years ago) especially in my first year I was drinking more than I was eating. As a mother myself now I see how stupid that was and how worried my mum was! 😳

It does sound grim but she may adjust quickly, make the best of it and, let's face it, it's not forever. Maybe next year she'll go into a flat/house share with friends and have better facilities.

The toilet situation sounds miserable

Get one of those tiny little dorm room fridges for her room.

Aah remember it well, some of the best years of my life.

Last year my son was in a student halls which was divided into flats. He had his own en suite bathroom, and the (enormous) kitchen/common room had 2 lovely looking cookers, 2 big fridge freezers, a TV and a dishwasher! I would have bloody moved in there in a moment...

It does sounds rubbish but it's a great leveller. She'll be so fine and have the best time. God I miss uni!

DD was in the shit accommodation at a RG. Shit because it was cheapest. They had five (mixed sex) to a flat. So one shower and one toilet and two sinks between five. Two family fridge freezer between five. So a shelf and a drawer in the freezer each and a bit extra. One wall and one base cupboard each.

It was very cramped. Your DD must be bordering on unsafe. My DD had a very small flat, very small rooms and very small kitchen and bathroom.

She's lucky to get halls at all! She'll be fine!

OP, when were you at university (if, that is, you went to university)?

I'm 48 and this sounds pretty standard for halls back in the day. I had a brilliant time, though.

I now let out student houses, and the students are all very spoilt. They have things like radiators and tumble dryers. No queueing with all the old ladies in the launderette for them.

Just sorry I never got to throw a potato at any shaggers, ShinyMe. 🤣

Sounds pretty much like the halls I was in - it was fine, people kept stuff in their bedroom and we used to gather in one of the girls rooms to hang out. It was fun

I toilet for 7.5 people does not sound ok. I don't think a landlord could let out a flat that only had that. I'm quite surprised actually, I thought halls were all en suites these days

there aren't enough toilets. I was at boarding school and we had 2 dorms of 22 girls and 2 toilets and 3 showers. It was shit.

My halls were 14 to 2x loo and 2x shower. It was fine. It’s not like everyone was getting up in the morning anyway 🤣

The year before that (I changed uni) I was even in a shared bedroom.

It would certainly be lovely for her to have nicer facilities, but it’s fine. It’s for what? 9 months then a shared house next year? Don’t worry

@ChaosTrulyReigns how much are the students paying for this awful facility?

Yep, sounds crappy. When I went to uni back in the late 90s the rooms were all ensuite (but very tiny - like, caravan size) and had a kitchen between 10 rooms.

However, the floors were mixed sex and all the boys on my floor were absolute dickwads who would get drunk and "mistakenly" try and get in the wrong bedroom doors, so I would have preferred single sex, I think.

However, I totally agree that roughing it is the best bit. I formed friendships in those halls that are still going strong 20 years later.

That sounds so exactly like my first year halls,

Bit grim but certainly a right of passage IMO! Strengthening experience for sure :)

Can you add a mini fridge in her room?

My DD went to a live in riding schoo apprenticeship when she was 16 and the accommodation was a run down cottage on site, she shared a room with several mice and a rat (shudder) and failed to tell me before she left.

Its fine. Stop interfering and being a helicopter parent, which is far more harmful to your beloved offspring's university experience than 2 loos and 2 showers. tbh first year students, no matter how perfect you think yours is, will ruin any decent facilities after a few months. Its probably safer for everyone for them to have less.

I'm struggling to see the horror at the building being slightly older than 30 years though.