Accom at University of Bath

[NotDonna]

DD has just firmed UoB and is starting to look at accom options. They don’t open til May so she has time. She likes the idea of self-catered and is happy to share a bathroom. She has to rank 7 choices so I’m not sure how likely it is for students to get their top choices.

Can anyone recommend accommodation and let me know any positives / negatives please?

Hi @NotDonna

DD at Bath

I always say you don't pick Bath for its accommodation. DD chose larger flats as we didn't know if there would be more lockdowns and she wanted a bigger bubble. She was in WW, one of the refurbished.

Cons: looks like a prison, big flat with more than 1 kitchen so the flat tends to split, there's no decent communal area where the whole flat fit at once.

Pros: location was good for SU and lectures, near green space and new outdoor communal area. Room had a sink, loads of decent storage and shelves. Sharing with 17, they all found like-minded friends.

@fortyfifty Thank you. Is WW Westwood? Which block in Westwood as there seems to be a few and all slightly different. Was that her 1st choice?

It was her first choice - although we had to put 10 and worked backwards with least favoured first and that's where we ended up. She was in one of the flats arranged vertically, so about 7 or 8 split levels with lots of little flights of stairs. It's very strange - I can't think what the architect had in mind when designing it.

Do you know what the students think about that eat & drink card that’s included in some accommodation. I’m not sure it’s great value if your DC is a decent cook.

I'll ask DD.

Mine is in Eastwood which was her 3rd choice. She wasn't happy at first at the thought of sharing a bathroom but it's been absolutely fine.
There are 13 of them in the house, 3 floors, one big kitchen, and a shower and loo on each floor so pretty easy to keep clean. 11 of them have really bonded well, 2 of the boys don't socialise with the rest of the house- coincidentally they came from the same secondary school (apparently there are loads of kids from this particular school at Bath and they all hang out together)
The ones with the food and drink credit are because the en-suite bedrooms mean the kitchens are much smaller (apparently) The actual bedroom bit is also much smaller ("absolutely tiny" says DD) to accommodate the en-suite.

Also, they say it's random allocation but I think there is a certain amount of non randomisation.
The allocation comes in dribs and drabs as soon as the closing date arrives. DD knows people who were allocated in July for example whereas she found out on 6th September!

Ok - DD has seen a Quads kitchen and said it was huge and well equipped for cooking. Most don't use all food credits to eat in 1st year and roll them over to second year. She thinks the food is pretty basic on campus - there's not a canteen where you would sit with others at a set time, just the usual eateries pizza etc...

Shared bathroom really didn't bother DD. There were 2 on the same floor of her accommodation so they allocated them male and female.

Mine was in quads last year - was a brilliant choice. The rooms are tiny but lots of clever storage, led lights and a tv, and an en-suite. 10 rooms to a flat with a giant kitchen dining room and also a social space in between 2 flats. Laundrette was very close on the ground floor.
He had the meal credit, used it occasionally but mainly cooked. Meal credit stays with them if unused and so he uses it to eat on campus now he is in his second year and living down in bath centre. It means he doesn't need to take a packed lunch with him for days he has lectures.

I think the quality of the food on campus is pretty good tbf. When my daughter's house was without electricity for a few weeks in January, they were given food credits to use, and it seemed very good quality and lots of choice.

She definitely wants to try to get into halls on campus rather than in the city. There is an accommodation section on the website where you can see all the halls & the costs (if affordability is an issue).

My Ds wanted self catering as he likes to cook. The only downside is that it’s a bit of a trek to a supermarket though the on-camps shop is ok for topping up.

Don't put the halls in town as one of your choices. My DD knows someone who put it as his last choice and was given it, and someone else who didn't put it at all and was given it. A boy from one of the halls in town moved into her house just before Christmas when a girl left.
The U1 bus that runs from campus through town stops right near Sainsbury's.

Thank you. Yes she absolutely wants a room on campus! The allocation hasn’t opened yet so we can’t see how they are listed, for example do you choose ‘Westwood’ or the specific block on Westwood like ‘Mendip’?

I don't think you choose down to the level of the block. My DD could choose WW refurbished and WW not refurbished as two options. Ditto Eastwood.

When I last looked, over 20% of U of Bath student accommodation is now down in the city centre, so a good proportion of first years will end up there.

In addition, whilst many DC get their first choice, the 'clustering' of favoured options means many cannot.

So, I suspect, the best mindset for inbound DC is to make their choice selections, but not overinvest in them, and make the most of whatever the outcome, whether up or down the hill.

I don’t think she’ll be hugely fussed which accom on campus but would defo prefer campus. She doesn’t care about ensuite, which the majority are, as they’re mostly in the £7-8k bracket. Think she’ll have to include these in her 7 choices as there’s only Westwood & Eastwood self catered, shared bathroom. Norwood is a No as above the SU and nightclub. I think including Norwood there are only 7 on campus choices anyway.

Good to hear, NotDonna. When I last looked, ensuite rooms (in terms of numbers of rooms vs listed options) were actually in the minority at U of Bath (about third of the total if I recall), so even if she feels she needs to include them in her 'list of 7', shared bathroom arrangements are, on average, more likely to be offered. TheStudentRoom is also a good source of info but I'm sure your DD has that covered.

The Westwood blocks are listed differently. There's Mendip and Quarry together (or sth, can't remember exactly) and then the others. Likewise Eastwood. Terrace and Green are listed separately.

I would go Quads if you can afford it - close to one of the big eateries and the buses, mostly nice flats.

There are also off-campus options in the city which are nice.

Thanks @bathsh3ba is your DC in Quads?
Aren’t they almost £9k? They do look the nicest but not sure re value given she’s very happy to self cater (great cook) and to share bathrooms.

Hi @NotDonna , I work at the university so this is my impression from what the students tell me and seem to like. I'm not involved in Admissions or Accommodation though, so not sure of cost. There do seem to be an increasing number of city centre options. However all students seem to end up happy with their accommodation wherever it is.

@bathsh3ba ah thank you! We are there tomorrow for an offer holder day so maybe we can look at some accom then as the open day we attended was a ‘mini’ one. Either way, she’ll be fine wherever, like you say!

We were taken to Polden last year, so hopefully you'll be able to see something. That was the only one being shown. The girl who showed us round was in Westwood I remember. Our day was at the beginning of the Easter break though and everyone had gone, whereas they finish this Friday but hopefully you'll see something. As pp says, everyone seems fine wherever they end up.