WWYD-uni accomodation. 60 pw or 90pw to include 41.50 pw meal card?

[mooshy1970]

We can choose a basic room for 56 pw or a basic room for 92 pw but this includes a 41.50 meal voucher pw .
Just wondered if anyone could advise me having maybe already done this x

Sounds like the meal card option is the best, but does it cover three meals a day and are you a particularly fussy eater? On the other hand, maybe you like cooking - do you think you could feed yourself on 42.00 a week happily?

gosh, sounds like a good deal to me. DS's 1st choice Uni is much more expensive

Yup, definitely the latter is the one I'd have gone for.

That is a really good price for accommodation by the way, back in the middle ages mine was 36 pw in York.

DD1 feeds herself on less than £20 a week so the food option looks expensive but on the other hand there is no shopping or cooking time and they just have to turn up for meals. I would also check the set up - do most people self cater or have the meals? In DD1's halls most people cooked for themselves so her kitchen was a sociable place and anyone who bought meals was a bit out of the loop.

I agree about the prices though her (basic) room was around £90 per week without any meals and DD2's first choice is even higher.

One DSS just finishing Uni, one DSS and my DD about to start. All have gone/will go self-catered. As has been said, student kitchens are a sociable place to be. Plus I dont know about you, but I would hate feeling obliged to eat in the cafe because it had already been paid for - a bit like being on a permanent loop of all-inclusive on your hols

You could probably eat well for less than £40 I would think.

I would go for the option without meals. Loads of the paid for meals will be wasted if friends are going out or cooking together etc. Meal times are likely to be inconvenient if going out or studying or sleeping late etc. Probably doesn't include lunch or will be elsewhere anyway. Doubt it's a bargain, just a money maker preying on parental concern. Not that I'm cynical

Agree that students learning how to budget, plan meals and cook them, along with the washing up, is an essential skill. And how to share kitchen facilities.
There'd be a lot of missed meals as more interesting things get in the way, and it depends how particular your DC are about what they eat.
My DD cooks communally with others in her flat twice a week, and the kitchen is the social hub of the flat

It depends where she is going. Oxbridge it is more usual for students to eat I'm halls, elsewhere most people seem to go for the self-catering option.
If she signs up for room only, can she add the meal card at a later date?

£56 !
That's cheap dd's paying £108 !

That sounds such good value - much less than my two!

My son did a catered hlal for his first year and it was prety marginla whether it worked for us or not - he mostly missed breakfast and weekend meals because the times didnt work for him But for boys, who tend to eat more! - it is quite a good deal.

My DD on the other hand, eats tiny amounts of vegeatrain food and would be subsidisng the meat eating rugby club types! - but would be there at the right time....

You need to consider your DC's own habits really - but it does sound really good value

Mooshy which university is it. Amazing price for a basic room...

I would suggest she go for the 'non meal' option and you give her an allowance for food - this will help her to meal plan, budget etc
basic room price seems good - does this cover electric etc and will she have a bathroom/kitchen/communal room share

Agree with everyone else:
if you self-cater then you have to learn budgeting, cooking, food hygiene, etc.
if you self-cater then it is easier to bond with flatmates as everyone congregates in the kitchen.
chances are that your DC won't get full value from the meal voucher: won't get up in time for breakfast, is somewhere more interesting at dinner time, is away for the w/e, etc.
DD lives on £30pw: that covers all living expenses apart from accommodation and the inclusive bills. So she feeds herself & gets sundry other groceries and goes out drinking for £30pw.

As an extra thought: what sort of people do you think will opt for catered / self-catered? Chances are that hall-mates this year will be flat-mates in the second year. What sort of people does DC want to mix with? I think that I would like to know about their ability to keep a kitchen/bathroom halfway clean before deciding to share with them.

Self-catering means you mix with your flatmates

Catered means you mix with all the other people who are going catered

So it depends if you think that you'll get a lucky draw with the 4 or 5 people sharing the kitchen or if it'd be better to mix with a wider range of people and be more able to pick and choose

It definitely depends if you are in the sort of place where most people go catered, or where only people who can't take care of themselves eat hall food.

It's not as stark as "a lucky draw with the 4 or 5 people sharing the kitchen" though, is it. DD is in a block with about 60 other students and has good mates from across the stairwell as well as storeys above and below. She knows people in other blocks too (it's amazing how many conversations you can start with random people when you are both on the way over to the local Tesco!).

And if flat mates are really dire you can always ask for a transfer.

The block with 60 other students is there whether you are self-catering or eating in the canteen, I was looking at the differences between the two.

Wow that was really really helpful.we have now gone for self catering and she is happy with this and wants to cook for herself on 3 quid a week ! Hee hee x

So which Uni is she going to? Hope she has a great time.

Hi
Shes hoping for Edgehill in Ormskirk x