Old University - Only Catered Halls and Shared Rooms

[BathshebaKnickerStickers]

One of the options for my DD (other than staying at home and going to our local - good - university) is a very, very old university where you pretty much, esp as a 1st year need to live in halls.

problem 1 is my daughter has ARFID (diagnosed) so, while she may be able to eat something most days, there would be a LOT of cheese baguettes which seems like a waste of what looks like a good menu.

problem 2 is that due to the nature and age of the accommodation, the vast majority of 1st years need to share a room with a complete stranger. Hat just strikes me as a safeguarding nightmare. My DD is quite shy and has spent 15 years sharing a bedroom with her younger sister. My sister shared a room in 1st year and it was not without problems (and that was 1985) and I shared with a stranger for 3 weeks in 1988. There is also not much difference in the fees for a shared room and the single rooms accessible in later years.

The course and the location would be perfect for her but the catering and the shared rooms sound like they really wouldn’t be suitable for her.

Good advice about chatting with the uni about your DDs needs. DD does a halls job and eating disorders cause lots of problems if uni isn't fully aware and hasn't made enough adjustment eg someone who was allocated self catering but was triggered by flatmates food in fridge and frequently trashed it (a separate fridge for her helped) and someone else who could not be in the kitchen with others cooking (flatmates agreed to her having set times in kitchen until uni moved her to a studio).

As others have said, when applying for accommodation, your daughter should email the accommodation team with details of her needs. You said that she has a diagnosis, so a copy of a diagnosis letter/email may also be required.

She might also want to look at getting a Student support plan (can't actually remember what this is called, but something similar). For example, it can help with extending deadlines etc if she is tired as a result of her illness. Look on the website for the student support disabilities team.

Also, maybe look at DSA (disabled student allowance) as they may also be able to help. York St John uni have a great page which details what type of help may be available for different students - https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/higher-york-access-centre/benefits-of-disabled-students-allowance/