Accommodation disappointment

[lightisnotwhite]

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”. 🙁

If it's a really big issue ,could he put his mattress on the floor to sleep and bump up the end with cushions if he hasn't got a chair that's a suitable height?

@Muchtoomuchtodo The beds things was just part of it. He really wanted to be further out of the campus closer to the open space and fields. Some of those had single beds but then he’d have the location. The other compromise choices were further out but rooms were a decent size as were kitchens.
As it is he’s right on the campus but also has small bed and room, poor kitchen and bathrooms. If he wanted to be central, the rest would be less disappointing.

Anyway there’s not a lot more to be said. He’ll sort it if he hates it I’m sure.

I forgot, my DS also got stuck with having to clear his room out every term - they don't seem to have those now but he only had to pay for term time

@lightisnotwhite I would suggest what others said - there is a lot of movement the first few weeks - tell him to go to the accommodation office or student union and find out how to move when something comes up he likes better

Ah Tocil... I went to Warwick (a very long time ago) and even then Tocil was seen as bad luck. Westwood rooms are big but it is a lot further from the student union and sports hub etc. He may find when he is actually there he prefers being closer to things. And, as other posters have said, he can put his name on the list to move rooms as some will inevitably come up.
I hope he has a fabulous time, learns lots and makes lifelong friendships. Those are the three things that Warwick gave me. 😊

@Philandbill 🙂

DD works in student accomodation as a resident assistant. Her uni only allows swaps after week 2 (when they find the number wishing to move has decreased considerably as people have got used to things/made friends etc). DD says tell him to be nice to the warden/resident assistant as they determine who gets a switch (students not allowed to exchange themselves to keep mix).

A lot of the newer en-suite halls are quite far from the action.

Admittedly I was there back in the early 00s, but those in Arthur Vick or Jack Martin weren't envied their en-suite rooms. Really once you were there, everyone wanted to be in Roots.

I was in claycroft for my masters year as was DH. Those rooms are small, but fine for what you need them for. I also had to put the easy chair at the end of the bed then, but me and DH could share that single bed when we wanted lol.

I am a lecturer and I don't know about accommodation allocation but my students find that flats are really good for students who struggle with large groups - they are much better than halls/corridors. So that part might actually be better.

I was in claycroft for my masters year as was DH. Those rooms are small, but fine for what you need them for.

Yeah but they’re still 2m squared larger than Tocil.

Anyway it’s fine. He’s going to give it a couple of weeks to see who he’s put in with and says he’s not bothered about it being small.
I think he’s back to being excited so that’s good.

Tocil is a nice enough, middling kind of hall. Its main benefits are its price and location. Its close to all the campus facilities, teaching spaces and the Tescos at Cannon Park, but it also feels quite peaceful as its tucked away from the main roads, the noise and busyness of Rootes and the SU, and has easy access to the nicest places to walk, including the Tocil woods. I could see why someone who said they like quiet, green spaces and walking woukd be put there.

Can he get a note from a doctor confirming his height and that therefore he has a physiological need for a bed that meets his height requirement .. I would consider getting a private assessment for speed and submit that for special consideration

??? 6’4” is ‘tall’ but not ‘extremely unusually so’. As I say, I have a son very much the same height - all men in my family are tall - and ds has a standard single at home.

If he was 6’8”, perhaps - dd had a classmate of that sort of height and he had special arrangements for exams to have a suitable desk and chair. But 6’4” isn’t extreme at all.

Eldest was in Tocil 10 years ago and he's 6 foot 4 too. Smaller flat though. Bed was fine, but definitely take a double quilt. He didn't get particularly close to his flatmates but joined choirs and LARP etc and had an outrageous social life. Was embarrassed when someone described him as the social centre of Warwick. Tocil is green enough!

Can he get a note from a doctor confirming his height and that therefore he has a physiological need for a bed that meets his height requirement .. I would consider getting a private assessment for speed and submit that for special consideration

I can't tell whether this was said in jest or not. I'm assuming so.

I was at a college in Durham where every fresher was in a single bed irrespective of whether they were 6 foot plus or more vertically challenged. There were no en-suites and the showers and baths were mixed sex (it was considered quite sociable to lie in the bath and chat with your friends in the other ones).

No one complained about the small beds (as someone pointed out, most freshers managed to squeeze overnight guests into them) or poky rooms. The rooms were also a lot nicer than some of the tiny and grotty horrors my friends rented in their second year.

Without being patronising, they're students and being in slightly compromised accommodation is part of the experience. I can't imagine many freshers give it a second thought beyond the first week.

All his others were quiet too except Cryfield which he put 5th, ahead of Tocil ( bigger room, bigger bed, toilet shared by 2)
What’s the point of ranking them really. Getting your sixth choice is rubbish when it’s not done on a first come first served basis.
Anyway it’s a good note for next years Warwick students to put lots of reasons why they want the accommodation high on their list.

My DS at UCL has got a hall which he didn't even put down on his list of choices, with no common room, laundry facilities or en-suite. I have told him suffering builds character:) And regaled him with tales of my student days, which were far worse.

At least he got something, and hopefully not too far from Bloomsbury. Hopefully he'll end up happy where he is!
The situation for so many is horrendous right now. Those who had UCL as their insurance aren't offered anything, and all the private halls are also full. Same in other places (Glasgow, Bristol, Manchester...). Manchester are putting students who were guaranteed accommodation in Liverpool. UWE in Newport, Wales. St Andrews in Dundee. And UCL have put some in the Olympic Park halls, 45 minutes away from Bloomsbury by tube.
My son got his 5th choice (one of the two halls he wanted but small room and not en-suite) so is very lucky, and is seeing the bright side (it's a lot cheaper!) So many are going to have to defer simply for lack of accommodation. Or find a room through spareroom etc, or commute from home. Not the experience they were hoping for, I'm sure. So sad for them all and counting our blessings here.

But accommodation wasn't as expensive back in those days. Given the price that students are being expected to pay, they're perfectly entitled to decent rooms, and yes, a choice!

The problem is that there are too many of them, frankly. It's not sustainable for half the population to go on to university. No other country has anything like those numbers.

Absolutely. And the hall he has got is really close to UCL, so he will be fine. Better than fine.

DH is 6 foot 8 and had a single bed all the way through Uni. Normal double beds are the same length as single beds so not much difference other than width. It’s only when you get to king size the beds get longer. Fwiw DS is 6’3 and still sleeps in a bunk bed 🤦🏼‍♀️😁

@gegs73 But with a larger bed you have the option to go a bit diagonal. It’s more room all round, he has massive size 14 feet.
We know 6’3 isn’t exceptionally tall and I think that’s why he didn’t mention it. All his friends are the same height.
Thanks for those who have been to Tocil themselves.
Its quite funny, in real life people have been telling DS about their experiences. One of my friends sons had to share bunk beds at Edinburgh for a term because they were over subscribed!

My DS1 was in the old Cryfield rooms, kitchen shared with 16, tiny room, single bed, design based on a prison, even the corridors were exceptionally narrow. They were the cheapest in Warwick at the time, cheaper than Whitefields. He was able to put 10 choices and just listed them from cheapest up.

DS has a fab time, made loads of really nice friends. They all bonded over competitive frugality!

DS3 was in Oak House in Manchester. Now that was properly grotty!

He’ll be fine, OP.

The old Cryfield rooms were standard single bed. I think they put toilet shared by 6, but in reality one big bathroom with showers and 4 lockable toilets shared by the whole corridor of around 24.