what university provides nice and high quality living experience

[tropicalfish]

Following on from the interesting St Andrews thread, Which universities/towns provide the nicest/easiest accommodation for their students. I am looking for a university for dd that provides good overall experience in the time that they are there also taking into account whether they are able to meet friends through their place of residence. Am very interested in hearing of peoples experience good or bad.
TF

That's very recent. The year before they guaranteed it. It may be in an inter collegiate hall but all first years were guaranteed a room. Kings have a rule regarding within the M25.

That is if they are your first choice. Not guaranteed if it is your insurance

It's seems clear to me.. (cut and paste from UCL website)

Single Students
All single first-year undergraduate students entering UCL for the first time and requiring accommodation are guaranteed a place provided that:

-they apply for accommodation no later than 31 May of the year in which they intend to enter UCL, and;
-they have received and firmly accepted an offer of a place on a degree programme at UCL, conditional or unconditional, by 31 May of the year of entry, and;
-they have not previously lived in or studied in the London area (i.e. within the M25) as a student at a Higher Education Institution

Students who meet the above criteria, holding a conditional offer, will receive an accommodation offer after their offer status changes to unconditional.

Insurance students
If you hold UCL as an insurance offer, you must be prepared to plan to find accommodation for yourself using University of London Housing Services.

Late applicants
If you are a new undergraduate entrant and are applying late, you must be prepared to plan to find accommodation for yourself using University of London Housing Services.

Study abroad and Exchange students
Full-time undergraduates attending UCL on Junior Year Abroad (JYA), Erasmus or Exchange programmes for a full session are considered equivalent to first-year undergraduate students for the purposes of allocating accommodation. Students intending to attend UCL for less than an entire session cannot be guaranteed a place in residence due to the limited number of spaces available.

Accommodation for couples (married or in a civil partnership) and those with children
UCL accommodation for international students and partners who are married or in a civil partnership is available at Bernard Johnson House, Neil Sharp House and the University of London’s Lillian Penson Hall and International Hall. There is limited UCL accommodation available for students accompanied by children. Students with children are advised not to bring them to London until firm arrangements for accommodation are in place. Applicants requiring more information are advised to contact UCL Student Accommodation.

That seems clear. I think I will phone them just to check. I wonder why the admissions officer told me something different. Many thanks. TF
(off to join MI5 now!)

It's worth remembering that wherever she goes (assuming she gets a place somewhere) ... even medics usually only live in halls for the first year. DD1 is 5th year now and none of her cohort lived in halls after the first year, and to be honest the medics are slightly apart from most other courses because of their schedules and so bond pretty quickly with each other anyway.

And wherever they go they will be sent all over the place, which is right royal pain if they can't drive/don't have a car (DD1 doesn't).Most spend a fair bit of time travelling and catered hall timings are not always ideal. DD1 is at Peninsula and there all medics were put in self catered for this reason.

Good luck to your DD ..it's a wild ride

Hi Medusal,
Thats a really good point about them being sent all over the place. I know it must be different from place to place but does this happen roughly when the clinical work experience begins, so in year 4?
Thanks.
TF

Hey TF. Any interest in a 2016 Medical school thread? It sounds a bit premature, but we have out UCAS talk tomorrow and I am very aware that DD needs to go to some open days, sort out summer work experience, book her UKCAT test and more, all whilst trying to get the best AS UMS possible. It feels like quite a marathon.

I have no idea whether DD will be one of the 60% who does not get an offer, so we have worked up plan Bs (Eire) and plan Cs (Buckingham). I recognise that getting a place is only the start, but if she does goet place the rest is up to her. I can resign from mother duties and start planning cruises. (We probably not cruise people, but after two decades parenting we will want to something for ourselves.) DD is determined t study medicine. Up to her, but I will be very relieved if/when she gets a place.

DD1 is at Peninsula (now Exeter) and her clinical experience started in month 1!!! Which is why she chose it.. Peninsula are known for turning out F1s who are actually up to the job because by the end of med school they have been up and running the whole time!

Currently she is in GP placement..with her own consulting room and own patients (which I find awe inspiring frankly... to me she's just my baby girl but the outside world see her as a real grown up ) She loves it.

Different medical schools have different approaches. Peninsula are primarily PBL..problem based learning.. ie independent study with fewer lectures but hands on from the beginning. Other schools are lecture based and slower to get the students in practical work..all turn out F1s at the end :)

DD1 can't drive ( unfortunately she had a load of massive seizures following a simple tonsilectomy last year so is legally banned and probably has epilepsy so unlikely to drive for a while yet!) but despite all they were told about drivers getting further away placements and non drivers more local.. all bull.. she has to travel long distances on the bus/train.

Needmoresleep... book that cruise now It is so stressful. DD1 wanted to be a doctor from the age of 4.. she had no back up plan (tho also had a place to read biomed) She needs work experience (pushing trolleys in the local hospital is fine, Dd1 also did loads with a local disabled kids group as her brother has autism), get fab A levels and a total committment to the realities of being a doctor for interviews!

DD1 was a normal kid from a state school... bright but had no extra help or amazing extra curricular activities.. but her passion and sheer bloody mindedness showed in her application... and she will graduate as a doctor this July.... it's doable even tho you may go grey in the process!!!

despite all they were told about drivers getting further away placements and non drivers local..it's all bull

Of course it is! And rightly so!!

Why the hell should a non driver be allowed the local no commute hospital over a driver who went to the time and expense to learn/fund driving?

This policy would have incited medical students with anger! Why should I, who worked two jobs to fund a car suck up the 90minute commute each way, at a cost of sixty pounds a week just so miss 'I never learnt to drive and I don't want to get the train' can swan around!
No thank you!

Medical students don't get travel expenses and here it's all allocated regardless of drivers/non.

Most medical students are happy to give lifts etc but the first jumped up shit who told me it was unfair they were at my far away hospital or that I had to give them a lift because they didn't drive....they walked!!

Was that post really necessary? Medusa's dd is not driving for medical reasons not because she can't be bothered to learn. Pity you didn't learn some compassion along the way.

holidaysarenice

Which, I suppose, is one argument for London, espcially if parents already live in the City. Good public transport including night buses, scope to live at home, and the cost saving from not running a car.

Medusa, also thank you for your reply. The next 15 months seem daunting. There are so many hurdles. Yet clearly this is only the start. What happened to your DD sounds pretty scary. However she has done so well and is almost at the end. I hope she is enjoying her GP placesment. DD spent a week with a GP and really enjoyed it. One decision for DD will be whether PBL or more traditional teaching will suit her better. She seems fine with understanding and remembering, and is very practical. However her dyslexia means that self-study, when it involves reading, and exams, are more problematic. She ought to get the grades required, but needs to work out where she is most likely to thrive.

Medusa

I don't know of this has been covered elsewhere.

Your DD has epilepsy, this would probably mean she would have a disability, a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. This means the uni has a legal responsibility to ensure that reasonable adjustments are in place. This could mean she is entitled to have closer, easier to travel to places. Also there is a DSA fund that can be used for all sorts of different things to support her thru her studies.

Needmoresleep.. DD1 is also dyslexic .. and it hasn't held her back at all really, though she would have ranked higher this year had her essays been better written .. luckily in medicine they only make a small percentage of their overall ranking (ALL med students are ranked as they progress which affects their eventual Deanery and job choices) and passing ISCES/OSCES which are the full on 'diagnose and treat this patient' assesments are far more important.. thankfully!

ImamtheDevilsAdvocado... unfortunately we only found about about DSA this year.. (she's been eligible the whole time !!!) Very annoying but a bit to late to worry about it now really and she didn't want to make a a fuss or be different . Which I do understand as sadly having seizures (and some of hers have been right corkers...terrifying tonic clonics) is still looked as askew even withing the medical profession . We are hoping she's on top of them now, however being able to be behind the wheel of a car is a way off yet... she just gets on with it.

And Holidaysarenice... for your information medical students DO get travel expenses... so the driver is not worse off that the non driver financially. Not all students CAN drive.. not because they are lazy but because they may be unable to (like my DD1 .. seizures = no license) My DD1 works a lot of bank shifts to survive at Uni..but still couldn't have a car no matter what!

I really hope you aren't a doctor... compassion bypass?!

Any knowledge about accommodation at Southampton? Wessex or Highfield halls are our choices thus far.