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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Accommodation disappointment

76 replies

lightisnotwhite · 31/08/2022 17:04

I know it’s DS’s problem and it might all be lovely but DS got his last choice out of 6.
He had to put down three that were not en Suite but these were all older buildings near to central campus. He’s got one close to the middle.
He really wanted the blocks further out as he likes green space and isn’t bothered by a walk or cycle.
In addition he’s 6’4” and the block he’s allocated has some of the smaller rooms at 8m2 with a single bed. The two accommodation blocks he wanted were 13m and 16m and have the three quarter beds.
He was so excited about going but this has been a real disappointment. I don’t know what to say really apart from “it will be fine”. 🙁

OP posts:
HouseOfWaffles · 01/09/2022 08:42

I would encourage him to try and find a swap as the accommodation he has might appeal to someone who doesn't want to be further out. I would have thought most people would be put off by walking or cycling in every time.

Some universities have dedicated social media pages where you can post what you have and what you want for swapping. When you have a match you contact the accommodation office.

Where my dd is going you can only swap with someone of the same sex so the mix of students doesn't become imbalanced.

cantkeepawayforever · 01/09/2022 08:53

Just on the single bed point - ds is of similar height, and has always had a single bed (we bought plain, solid wooden beds when he and dd moved out of the cot as toddlers, and they’ve kept them, albeit with regularly renewed matresses).

What IS really important, though, is a good double sized duvet…. all the difference between cold toes and comfort!

trampoline123 · 01/09/2022 08:58

I remember being disappointed but actually had the best time in my halls and am still best friends with the people I met 12 years on.

He'll have extra money for beer. Will be too drunk to care where he sleeps.

People will drop out of uni quite early on too so might be a chance to get one of their rooms.

It's just for the first year too as he'll find his own shared house in the 2nd one.

LuftBalloons · 01/09/2022 09:07

He’ll be fine.

On a general note, I’d love a Venn diagram of the parents/students who insist on all sorts of luxuries in student accommodation and parents/students who complain about the level of fees and loans.

And I second a PP advice for your DS to watch The Young Ones! Ground-breaking television but also a wonderful parody of dire student accommodation. Any hall is a luxury by comparison.

Twizbe · 01/09/2022 09:14

Which halls is it at Warwick?

I went there as did DH. He was in Westwood and is 6'7. He stuck his chair at the end of his bed and brought his own double duvet. He was comfy enough lol.

He's very shy too but made a good group of friends in halls and came out of his shell loads.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 01/09/2022 09:20

DS manages fine in a single bed at home and when he was in halls and he's taller than your ds.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 01/09/2022 09:21

LuftBalloons · 01/09/2022 09:07

He’ll be fine.

On a general note, I’d love a Venn diagram of the parents/students who insist on all sorts of luxuries in student accommodation and parents/students who complain about the level of fees and loans.

And I second a PP advice for your DS to watch The Young Ones! Ground-breaking television but also a wonderful parody of dire student accommodation. Any hall is a luxury by comparison.

Yes quite, dh and I couldn't believe how nice ds's accomodation was and that was the cheap option! DS however,thought it was like a prison.

INeedNewShoes · 01/09/2022 09:23

I'd find out how the students communicate and post on there offering a swap. There'll be people who'll be gutted to be far out away from all the action who will want to swap.

With the best will in the world the admin aren't going to get it all right for everyone.

PaulGallico · 01/09/2022 09:29

He will be fine - very soon his friends and his course will be much more important to him than his room. I think it is a real shame that we (including myself here) have become so hung up on facilities/quality of university accommodation and have become so over involved. I guess it is the result of university fees and expensive university flats - we have such high expectations. Sorry but in the nicest possible way you need to tell him to 'make the best of it'. My son had a small room, smallish bed, frequently blocked plumbing, numerous electricity outages, noise..and shared an incredibly messy kitchen - he was really happy - it's called life.

Shiningstarr · 01/09/2022 09:31

He will be fine. I was in the grottiest halls of residence with a small room and single bed, and still managed.... got up to all sorts....

pimlicoanna · 01/09/2022 09:32

I bet as soon as he's there and makes friends it won't be such a major thing.

Original poster
lightisnotwhite · 01/09/2022 09:35

@Twizbe Westwood was one of his choices . The room is 13.4 m2.
He’s in Tocil , it’s only 8m2

OP posts:
MidnightMeltdown · 01/09/2022 09:36

Crap student accommodation is a right of passage. I'm shocked that there are any rooms with double beds, there weren't at my university, and there were more than 20 of us sharing a tiny kitchen. And this was the more expensive a accommodation. University halls isn't the place for luxuries!

He won't even be there for an entire year - he'll survive!

Muchtoomuchtodo · 01/09/2022 09:37

UK bed and duvet sizes don’t get any longer until you get to king sized and I’d be amazed if any university halls offer king sized beds!
I’m sure it’ll all work out op, once he there and settled in with his own stuff, it’ll feel more homely wherever he is.

sashh · 01/09/2022 09:37

Can he change the bed? When I was in hospital accommodation many moons ago you could request they took the bed out and replace with your own.

Quite a few people had futons, something I've had from freecycle before now.

LilacPoppy · 01/09/2022 09:40

He isn't the brightest is he? Why put down irrelevant things and not mention his height.

Twizbe · 01/09/2022 09:44

Ah good old Tocil. The beds are the same in those rooms as in Westwood and the others. there will be a chair he can use on the end.

He'll be fine honestly.

In our second year my DH had to sleep on the floor as his bed was a standard single with a footboard.

Original poster
lightisnotwhite · 01/09/2022 09:46

I do get what people are saying about watching the Young Ones but that only works if everyone is in the same boat. En-suites halls weren’t a thing in my day so there wasn’t any angst about sharing you just did it.

It’s more about asking them to choose, filling out a survey so they could allocate better and then ending up getting the opposite.

OP posts:
sashh · 01/09/2022 09:46

MidnightMeltdown · 01/09/2022 09:36

Crap student accommodation is a right of passage. I'm shocked that there are any rooms with double beds, there weren't at my university, and there were more than 20 of us sharing a tiny kitchen. And this was the more expensive a accommodation. University halls isn't the place for luxuries!

He won't even be there for an entire year - he'll survive!

You should look at some of the private halls, double bed, TV, en suite. Some have studio flats.

www.york.ac.uk/study/accommodation/couples/

PolkaDotShoes · 01/09/2022 09:48

Three out of the eight original residents in DD's flat didn't manage the whole year. One dropped out, and two others moved flats for social reasons.

There is a lot of movement; places will come up in the other block if he still wants to chase them, tell him to find out when he can apply and make sure he keeps in touch with the accommodation office if it's still important to him to get a bigger room and bed.

But I would echo previous posters to say that once he's there, it's so much more about the people than the room size, kitchen facilities and social space. Plenty of people don't get first choices but end up making friends for life that they would never have met if they'd lived elsewhere.

For you, it's all tied in with worry about your little boy heading off into the world, but try not to fixate on it and let it spoil things for him.

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 01/09/2022 09:49

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Original poster
lightisnotwhite · 01/09/2022 09:51

LilacPoppy · 01/09/2022 09:40

He isn't the brightest is he? Why put down irrelevant things and not mention his height.

It’s a tick box thing they send out with the irrelevant things.
He could have put height in the “other considerations” box but didn’t think it mattered because he’d picked all the options he could that had 3/4 beds.

OP posts:
Muchtoomuchtodo · 01/09/2022 09:56

A 3/4 bed wouldn’t be any longer than a single or a double bed and only 30cms wider than a single bed.
You seem to be making this a bigger thing than it needs to be. Surely if your ds was that bothered he would have put it on his original application (though as all the beds are the same length I doubt it would have changed the outcome).

WatermelonSugarSigh · 01/09/2022 10:05

All the comments about the young ones, people going to university in that era at least didn't have the extortionate fees like students today. I'd hope for decent accommodation if I was racking up such a massive debt to get a degree.

NotSorry · 01/09/2022 10:06

My DS went to Warwick and also got his 6th choice - very small rooms the corridors are so narrow that 2 people can't really pass - however he was fine and got on with it and made lots of friends - the bonus was that it was the cheapest accommodation so he had plenty of student loan left for food and going out etc.

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