"I was comforted by the sign in one hall whenI dropped off my son about no noise after a certain time but people don't seem to respect the signs. They also try and put you on a corridor with people with similar requests - eg I am a quiet person or I am a noisy person but that doesn't seem to work for everyone either."
Signs dont work! Plus there is a bizarre problem in self-catered flats, at least where our DC are (different elsewhere as a friend who runs private student accomodation at another University assures me) that security don't "hear" noise themselves, they need it to be reported to them. So even though one party in DDs old flat was keeping the flat across the street awake until the early hours, unless a student reports it, security will not take action. The flat then face a "whole flat fine". So any student reporting will both incur the wrath of their flatmates and face a financial penalty. Worse still if drugs are then found, as the whole flat can be held responsible. Disaster for law or medical students.
And as for choosing whether you want quiet or not, you not only have to describe yourself correctly, but rely on up to eleven others to use the same terms to describe themselves. And not change dramatically once they leave home.
At the end of the day it is luck. DD would have been absolutely fine had she started in her current flat. I am a bit ranty because when things go wrong, there did not seem to be much in place to protect students. Her senior resident was brilliant, and rightly urged her to move, but senior residents are likely to disappear as a cost saving measure. No student is likely to go to central University welfare just because their neighbour won't use headphones, or has become completely nocternal, and though arriving at a remote placement with only two hours sleep can explain an off-par performance, it wont help your assessment.
But fine now. DD ended up missing some of last term, so lots of study and no "fun" for her (and I suspect after clearing vomit and witnessing come-downs she is well prepared for work in a busy A&E but less keen on taking part herself) and will lose a couple of weeks over the summer catching up with placements etc. That said she fully expects to enjoy next year, and is happily making plans. But this year was tough, way too tough, and the very sad thing is that next years students face even less support provision within halls. Perhaps they plan to put up more posters.
I understand that students themselves are planning to protest about the lack of welfare support. Even Big Brother participants struggle with being stuck in a house with people they don't know. I don't understand why 18 year olds should be expected to manage in a set-up where basic parameters of courtesy are not respected or enforced.
We need a thread next year where I can be the positive one whose DC is having a wonderful time.