Oxford student housing

[funnyperson]

Where is the best place to find a pleasant student house in Oxford: Large light rooms, large kitchen, heating which works, clean functional showers, period property, safe neighbourhood, walking/cycling distance to Parks Road. How much would normally be paid? Or is anything decent college owned?

Oh dear I can't help thinking Cowley sounds dreadful. yellowstone I thought you had 3 DD- are they all going to live in college?

There seems to be some sort of student housing list which gets published and everyone wakes up early to secure a house on the list. Does anyone know what that is about?

But I could be confused between Cowley and Cowley road.

Cowley Road is not too bad, quite stuenty, but Cowley is much less good and quite a long way out of Oxford. I really would not suggest Cowley.

Don't undergraduates still have to live within 3 miles of Carfax? In which case it is definitely Cowley Road, and it's fine (well, student-grotty, but otherwise fine ) - she sounds like she has it sussed and doesn't want her DM to interfere

"adventure" aside, if there is any chance of getting a room in college, then I would jump at it as it is way cheaper.

vixsatis are you a Somervillian, then?

DD1 has done her time in Hurst St, DD2 is there now and DD3 gets to avoid it because Magdalen provides rooms in college for all three years, which as far as I'm concerned makes it a good college choice.

That having been said, the livers-out really do seem to like it. It's me who doesn't, on their behalf. It's their first experience of living properly on their own, with the whole of their college year housed nearby and a deeply relaxed take on housework. It has apparent/ evident charms.

Maybe see if 40 Hurst St is being let this year - it's a cut above the rest. Or 31, that's pretty nice, or was. Both are let by Premier, she might beat the rush!

Thank you. The charms seem to mainly be related to having the rest of the year group nearby. I wonder if the closeness of yeargroup happens in all years. It is stressful and time consuming for them having to find a place and I do think there is plenty of time later on in life to cope with things like bills and housework. But as you say, they like to be independent. it would be so much easier if the college bought and maintained the houses and allocated the second years to live in them.

DS1 had a friend at Oxford Brookes University, so not sure if they live in the same parts of the city as the Oxford University Students, but when he went to visit him one summer they had a BBQ in the front garden complete with seating which were 2 old sofas.
They got a few amusing comments from passers by.
DS1 thought it so amusing that he even told us about it!
Having seen the state of the houses DS1 lived in in Nottm, i wouldn't worry about what it looks like when they move in as it will only get worse.
DS2's house looked lovely in September, but he says its a bit of a sty now (although he says his bedroom is tidy - well that'll be a first then!) I said to him why don't you have a rota (as DS1 did by 3rd year- obviously they decided they couldn't cope with the level of filth for another year) and DS2 thinks that everyone is too embarrassed to bring it up for fear of looking like a stick in the mud. But then someone will have a blitz and decide that as they did it last time that they won't do it again until everyone else has a turn. Hence the house gets worse and worse.
DS2 says he has been in houses this term where there is a rota up in the kitchen.

Yes there is a rota up in my DS kitchen and they must be sticking to it because the house was cleanish when I went unexpectedly once. The stairs needed hoovering in the corners but hey they were clean in the middle! The washing up had been done- apparently there was an almighty row about an unwashed cereal bowl in the first week and ever since everyone is good about doing the washing up! I rather like the way they take pride in it.

I lived on St Mary's Road, between Cowley Rd and James Street - was a disgusting slum! Then I lived on Jeune Street on the other side of Cowley Road and it was like a different world - so much nicer. There was a tree growing in through the wall of the back bathroom though...
Happy days. They might get burgled if they leave anything in the house over the holidays but should feel safe walking/cycling home at night.

My DD has already decided not to go down the Cowley Road route.
She has got a group of six and they hope to live in College owned,self catering accommodation. This is not a cheap option nor is it guaranteed as graduate students have first dibs.
Sorted by ballot!
Why,oh,why does she have to sail so close to thekeep me biting my nails(not literally) esp after her admissions adventures

harbinger I agree it is so soon after they have arrived. My DD is getting exhausted and this is added stress. She now seems to be ill again having got over freshers flu. I cant see why all this isn't done next term like everywhere else in the country.
I dont think you need to worry as there are loads of houses in Cowley and they are mostly all the same. I'm sure she will find a house if she doesnt get in on the ballot.

DD has been under the weather for at least 4 weeks and has now been to the Docs. All her science friends are poorly aswell, Scarlet Fever and Glandular Fever seem to be prevalent.
Stress is something to be taken quite seriously, esp if under par.

I read somewhere, that first years are 80% ill in Oxford. I think that shows the stress on their bodies.

I think it was along the line that you will be ill most of your first year.

: (

DW got glandular fever in the first few weeks at Oxford. In fact Oxford is naturally a very unhealthy place because it is cut through with multiple streams and rivers with hills around it that trap damp air for weeks in winter.

It has very poor atmospheric quality and I heard of a girl who got a place at Oxford but her parents disuaded her taking it up and she waited for a place at Cambridge because she had severe asthma and the damp smoggy atmosphere of Oxford would have made it worse.

Oxford was also notorious for cholera which is partly why it became a centre for medicine and the Radcliffe Infirmary was built.

That said, early on a sunny Sunday morning before everyone properly gets up a walk through the Christchurch Meadow with the bells ringing across the city is a wonderful experience.

harbinger scarlet fever? Really? I had best let DD know. Thanks.

Nothing much has changed in 25 years, then - half of my year had glandular fever in the 1st year. I just had chest infections - lots of them. In hindsight most of them could have been avoided if my asthma had been better managed, though. I do wonder what the stats are like for other unis - first time away from home, lots of drinking/partying, not much healthy food, and a huge dollop of stress - it's not really a recipe for healthy living, irrespective of location.

hi, i did ppe at oxford a good while back now and lived in many and various places off and around the cowley road - jeune st, rectory road, james street, on iffley road in college accommodation etc. i'd second that cowley road isn't more/less unsafe than the rest of oxford and i really wouldn't worry, as long as she's with friends she'll be fine. jericho is lots nicer but there's a lot less to do and in terms of safety it is a lot quieter at night whereas there's always lots of people around in cowley road at any time of the day. i always felt safer when there's lots of people around. houses do tend to be dumps but it's part of the experience. i hung around in oxford after graduating and moved up and bought my first house in [gasp!] blackbird leys and to be honest, the real cowley and blackbird leys aren't bad either - lots of hype surrounds them (i work in cowley but for years worked for the university itself). i got glandular fever during my finals, i think illness is rife whenever you get lots of people from all around the globe mixing their immune systems, rather than it being stress related.

Yes the stress is also due to good reasons and all avoidable- DD says there are so many fantastic things to do at any one time that they try and do as much as they possibly can as well as keep up with the academics. For instance she is in the greek play 4 times this week, last week she was in the cuppers plays which they rehearsed all hours for, then wanted to watch all the other cupper's plays, as well as go to the union debates and the after drinks not to mention balls not to mention brass and jazz band rehearsals not to mention just plain socialising and exploring plus a steady stream of old schoolfriends all wanting to know what Oxford is like plus, of course, academia and then every other weekend there is a college dance/disco thing in the jcr which they all go to this weekend is queerbop and the college quad lights are all pink with a rainbow flying over the gatehouse. By dint of hard work in the amazing24/7(needed!) library she has been marked at over 70 in all but one of her essays= she emailed them to me because she knew how upset I was after DS mess up last year. So the stress is good stress but stress nevertheless. In fact I have been stunned at the opportunities available -all to a high standard and for every type of person- and very happy with her freshers year group.

Well the stress isn't good if it makes them ill. But what I am getting at is that the reasons for the stress are good ones. ie it is due to doing lots of nice things, not horrible things.

funny the scarlet fever diagnosis is correct.
Interesting to hear about the murky,mistyness of Oxford, may well explain all the chest infections.(Our family doesn't like the bone chilling East wind that Cambridge gets 'straight from Siberia!').
I think that the variety of bugs a student can catch is much greater than normal due to exposure to 'bugs' they have no antibodies to ie internationals.
I also think that stress,be it good or bad, can and eventually will lower the immune system.

Back from a very thrilling two days in Oxford ( 2xplay 1xconcert 4xcafe lots of shopping 1xKingsarms 2xcollege Gardens;) I thought the Magdalen College end of the Cowley road was rather nice and lively. It just depends now if DD and friends can find a 6 bed house!