Lancaster University Colleges

[DeadOrchid]

DS has accepted an offer for Lancaster and from my understanding he has to put a preferred college when accommodation opens up.

if any of you have got any info about the different colleges from a student experience (rather than the website) I’d be very grateful. And do students tend to get their preferred college or is it more random than that.

He’s not really a party person, if that makes a difference.

Thank you.

Some great comments, my DS has an offer for Engineering and is looking like firming Lancaster. He is interested in Cartmel as it is quite out of the way, has nice looking social spaces (he isn't really into pubs and can't drink due to medication) and it's own music practice room! How quiet and out of the way is Cartmel? He is quite happy with a 10-15 minute walk and it looks like all the Engineering buildings are in the middle of campus.

Cartmel is at the bottom of campus but it doesn't mean its out of the way as such. Because the university is collegiate, each college has its own bar, JCR and shared areas and so they all have good social spaces. Going down the spine from top to bottom you (now) have:
County
Bowland
Furness
Fylde
Grizedale
Pendle
Lonsdale
Cartmel
Graduate

Alexander Square is broadly in the middle (a bit further North than South). It's between Bowland and Furness but bear in mind that County and Bowland are now very big colleges. County is what used to be County and the old Cartmel college. Bowland is what used to be Bowland and the old Lonsdale college. This means that although that list of colleges makes it seem like everything is at the top of campus (because there are only two colleges North of Alex Square), it isn't really. Plus there are supermarkets and restaurants etc down in the South anyway.

Lonsdale and Cartmel are new and a bit further away but literally you are talking a couple of minutes. Everything is very accessible. Cartmel has a really great and enormous social area and it's far more common room like than bar like which means it feels like a nice comfortable environment for non drinkers as well as drinkers.

Believe me, it really doesn't matter where you end up since everyone loves their own college and there are very regular bar crawl nights from the top of the spine to the bottom (or vice versa if you live in one of the south spine colleges). It certainly isn't the case that students only go to their own college's bar.

The university nightclub, The Sugar House, is in town. Buses run frequently directly to and from the Sugar House.

Thank you @WednesdaysPlaits that's really useful. I am getting a very good feel for Lancaster, everybody I speak to that has been there or knows somebody there are very happy.

Interesting to see how the college 'types' have changed in the last 25 (TWENTY FIVE?!?!) years - Fylde and maybe Grizedale were the sporty ones back then.
Grizedale also had the legendary shite disco, only good thing about Pendle was the proximity to Wibbly Wobblys.

I was Lonsdale during the era when the bar was upgraded from shit to fancy - tbh I preferred it when it was shitty!
I hope all your DC have a great time - I enjoyed my degree, discovered rugby, had a year living in Canada and found my best lifelong friends of all time.
Lancaster was perfect for me.

Its a great University. I went there in the early 90s. DS is likely to firm it for September. I also have other links there so know it very well. It's a really sociable and friendly campus, whether you like drinking or not. I'd say unless you're a real party animal then probably don't pick County or Grizedale since the town house set up means that house parties happen (which isn't great if you want to study or sleep and one of your housemates has invited hoards of people over). Instead go for one of the blocks with fewer bedrooms per kitchen.

Cartmel, Lonsdale and Pendle all have a more chilled, laid back vibe than the other colleges but still really friendly and sociable.

All I will say is - Lonsdale "Simply the best" !! (and I went during the shitty bar era)

Haha - as an ex Cartmelian I'm laughing at some of the college stereotypes, too, @WednesdaysPlaits!

When I was there 15 years ago, Cartmel was quiet/boring (I chose it based off it being the nicest accommodation), Lonsdale was party central and sporty, and only weirdos were in Bowland because its accommodation was horrible.

All my other impressions of the colleges were based off the unflattering chants... will fondly remember singing "Fuck your tree and your courtyard too" at County on the spine bar crawl.

OP - to throw my hat in the ring, I loved Cartmel. Barker House Farm (the central point of the college) was a nice place to get food and had a little tucked away room you could work in which I loved, the accommodation is good, and you felt far enough away to be able to not be in amongst campus chaos if you didn't want to be.

The campus is so small that distance isn't really a thing for any of them, so don't worry about location of lectures - all mine were in County so the opposite end of campus and it was still only a 10 minute walk.

Honestly, I think your DS will be happy regardless. It's a great uni and campus life was fantastic. A different experience to being in a big city uni but I don't know anyone who didn't love it.

When I was there 15 years ago, Cartmel was quiet/boring (I chose it based off it being the nicest accommodation), Lonsdale was party central and sporty, and only weirdos were in Bowland because its accommodation was horrible.

In my day Lonsdale was also party central but I'm informed its currently more chilled. It entirely depends on the people there at the time.

I was right at the top next to the Great Hall. Most of my seminars were down in the management school. It makes no difference. In fact I think its better to go all over campus (more chance of bumping into the boy you fancy..)

Omg, the Shite Disco! The Sugar House! And what was that club in Morecambe that did a student night, there was a bus there and you had to queue up at 9am on a Monday for tickets… can’t remember what it was called, but had many a happy night on that extremely sticky dance floor 😂

THE CARLTON! 🚌💃🕺🍺🍻🥂🍷🥃🍸🍹🧉🚌

or The Empire!

I'd just chip in and say the more modern superior ensuite blocks tend to be a maximum of 8 per flat, and generally have a pretty small kitchen as their only "social" space, with no TV, no sofa, etc. - just a small round table with 4 chairs! My son was in Fylde superior ensuite in the covid year and it wasn't a good experience as they couldn't "socialise" in the flat due to the lack of space/seating in the communal kitchens - they were expected to "socialise" in the college common room, bar, etc which of course was closed because of the lockdowns!

He was very envious of the students in townhouses who had bigger kitchens and living areas, TV, sofas, and could watch TV together, play board games together etc. Maybe because of the impossibility of socialising in the flat, he didn't really "gel" with his flatmates, and of course, when there's only 8 (or less) in a flat, there's less choice of people to gel with.

He says that if he had his time again, he'd have chosen a town house with more people, but that may be tainted by the covid experience! But, he had a preference for Fylde because of the sporty nature of the college, and Fylde didn't have townhouses!

So, not all colleges are the same, I'd suggest the OP's DS decides what type of accommodation he'd prefer, and then choose a college that provides that kind of accommodation, i.e. ensuite, superior ensuite or shared, then catered or non catered, etc., then numbers of each type of accommodation in each college, which will reduce the number of colleges, then he can look on the map to see location of college relative to his department and the central area, which should bring his choices of college right down to maybe just 2 or 3. The Uni website has lots of info about different colleges and different types/numbers of accommodation in each.

I would also pass on my son's comments that the "normal" standard ensuite accommodation in Fylde college is mostly above the George Fox building and is pretty old and run down and pretty noisy with parties/socialising etc (according to his Uni friends who lived in it). The superior ensuites are in the new/modern block are much better quality, but a lot quieter, few party flats, and as I said above, small kitchens that don't lend themselves to flatmates socialising in the flat!

Can anyone advise whether it is worth going into the catered accommodation please?

Personal preference really. Those in "catered" accommodation are basically given "credit" to use in specific campus catering outlets where they can choose their meals from the "self service" counter, open to all, within certain hours. The range is pretty good really, usually a good choice of options for each course and all very informal. There aren't any designated "dining rooms" for the catered students only and as far as I know, no specific special dining nights etc. It up to the student whether they want to go out to "the cafe" for their meals or whether they'd rather make their own arrangements within their flat.

@Kazzyhoward Thanks for the info. I had envisaged specific dining rooms and a more social experience if you are catered but sounds like that is not the case. Can ‘non catered’ students eat in the cafes too (paying of course)?

Yes, the "cafes" at Lancaster are open to all, even non students! They're typically "cafeteria" style. Not sure exactly how they work these days, but students used to get some kind of "credit" on a card which entitled them to certain items from the menu. They could then pay at the till for additional items, and other students & members of the public would just choose their items from the counters and pay at the till like a normal cafe. All very informal.

Very different to more formal Unis where each college had it's own dining room, set meal times, etc.

F

There are four places where catered students eat. The marketplace which is the dining hall where the county and bowland catered students eat and barker house farm which is where the cartmel and lonsdale catered students eat.

You can then also use credits in either Fylde bar or The Deli if you like.

Catered accommodation gives you breakfast plus one other meal a day.

It's about a 10 minute walk. Not that far

I think the Carlton shut down! When I was there in 2016.

@Spudlet we never ventured to the Carlton, only ever managed Frontierland.
Did however frequent the Sugar house ( avoiding all mention of diamond Blush)
Visited last year and have a picture of my teen stood outside. Was odd.
Lancaster has changed vastly since I left in 94 and is very much now a student city.

“County girls go home alone do dah do dah” 🤣

that was 2006 so I’m sure the chants are a bit more PC these days 😃

Nooooooo! Mind you, I think the accumulated layers of spilt vodka red bull on the floors were probably helping the hold the building up by the time I was there (early noughties) 😂

And Stiff'uns!

I only went the Carlton a couple of times but housemates came back with tales of stiffuns most Wednesdays.

Speaking of sticky floors I worked at the Sugarhouse for a couple of years. Had a few awkward moments on the spine where people clearly recognised me from behind the bar the night before and did that half smile/ wave or recognition thing before realising I wouldn't have a bloody clue who they were

The sugar house 😂

Also when I was at fylde I remember i couldn’t decide what to order so the man behind the bar suggested a ‘rumbaba’. I’m pretty sure that’s what he said- basically rum (brandy?) in a chocolate milk shake. Can anyone else remember if that was a thing or a one off?? I’ve googled to no avail! It was tasty though.

@Colliemayhem DD1 is in first year at Cartmel and very happy - chose a quieter college as not really a party person. As a PP has said, their ‘bar’ - Barker House Farm - is a nice, big social space where people can play pool, board games, socialise, work, etc, not just have a drink. Because Cartmel is at the edge of campus, supermarket delivery vans can stop right outside the flat - as opposed to the colleges closer in where students somehow have to carry several bags over a distance. DD is really happy that she chose Lancaster.