Thoughts on student accommodation

[Biscuitsneeded]

DS is doing his application for first year accommodation, going in September (fingers crossed). He has to put 'bands' of accommodation in order of preference. Basically there are shared rooms (which he doesn't want), then some single rooms in purpose-built student flats/houses with shared bathrooms, and then there's a price leap of about £50 a week to have an en-suite room. I am trying to tell him he doesn't need an en-suite room and he will be really glad to have an extra £200 a month for food and/or socialising, but he has older friends who are telling him to prioritise en-suite. I wonder if they have more money than we do, though? Just wondering what is most normal nowadays?

I had all of them when I was at uni
Shared room with shared bathrooms - wouldn't be my choice
Single room with shared bathrooms. Fine but we had ONE shower between 24 of us, and 2 baths which made getting ready for nights out... interesting! Only 4 toilets too
En suite - fine but I would have happily shared a bathroom if there was plenty available

Just be warned there are very few, if any, unis that guarantee the exact accommodation that you apply for. Most you normally do is state the order of preference for types of accommodation and hope. So although you request the cheapest, you may end up with something more expensive.

Dd went for en-suite. She worked in a cafe during her gap year so is used to people being gross and has an en-suite at home which she keeps immaculate so decided that it was worth the expense.

DD1 had an ensuite room in her 1st & 4th year, not by choice. When she was able to choose, she shared and it worked really well, but they were cleaned regularly by cleaners. She was only thinking of the money she was saving. DD2 had shared facilities in year 1 which was fine, and again they were cleaned regularly. She was in a private rental for y2 with shared facilities and that worked. This year she has an ensuite room and large shared kitchen which she is going back to in September.

Both of mine wanted en-suites because these days flats are mixed sex. Fair enough I thought

@Biscuitsneeded His new university friends will probably be in his hall. Some from his course and maybe some from clubs. Mostly hall mates. So they will all be sharing bathrooms. Or not if he decides on en suite. The en suite students will be spending more and might well have more money to spend. No one really discards someone due to sharing a bathroom though. Thousands will be!

Try to persuade him to keep and open mind and see the pluses and minuses of both - he may well not get his first choice of accommodation!

Availability does vary quite widely by uni - as well as price of course.

somewhere like Leeds Uni near 75% of hall undergrad room are en-suite. Much more balance at Bristol for example with slightly over 50% having shared facilities.

can’t really count DS1 as he had quite palatial and also cheap Uni accommodation at Cambridge.

Both his siblings en-suite in first year. One in what I think is the more typical not overly big room, though well designed. That would have cost near 7.5k last year. The other had a really good sized room, big en-suite at less than 5.5k. Both had very good sized and well equipped kitchens, similar size. One serving 12 and the other, again the cheaper one, for just 6 people.

One DC went for a room in a flat with 5 unknown others. 3 loos, 2 bathrooms. Expensive. Unfortunately DC did not get on with the 5 others who were a year younger and mean to the point of sending DC and one other student effectively to Coventry. Rather late DC changed to older, messier hall with not so many loos per head, fewer bathrooms and showers per head ... much cheaper and a much happier experience with more people.

In some universities there are clearly halls where Dc with more money go. At other unis, the ones with money often take the halls with shared bathrooms. It’s odd. Some DC just seem to know where to apply to!

DD just happened to have an ensuite in the first year and on her year abroad. Her priority was paying for her accommodation and bills, not an ensuite. In fact, she chose to share a room, first girl she got on ok(ish) but she moved to other accommodation, the second girl was lovely and she really hit it off with her.

Depending on the area and if you can share with friends (not always possible), they'll be sharing with whoever in a house or flat anyway.

Which uni is it?

My son has been at UCL this year, in one of the inter-collegiate halls. I think the way they name some of their rooms (e.g. "Large Single Shared") makes it sound like they are shared rooms, but they aren't - they're private rooms with sinks, but have shared shower/toilet facilities.

To improve his chances of getting first preference, he selected an option that worked for him but wasn't necessarily an "obvious" first choice for everyone.

My ds has firmed Birmingham. I couldn't see anything mentioned about the cleaning of communal areas so dug around and in the small print of the contract it says all cleaning of communal areas is the responsibility of the students which I was quite surprised about.

Does it depend on who owns the accommodation? Private maybe doesn’t have cleaners so much?

No these are the University owned halls The Vale etc

Same for dd, preferred extra floor space to an en-suite so not worth the extra money. The en-suite rooms she looked at were really small. Her room had a washbasin and that was enough.

One of mine had en suite but the others shaerd and sharing was fine eg one at Bristol in Churchill Hall had a shower right by his bed room which only he and one other used. His twin at Wills Hall had sink in room (looked like 1930s sink and it was inside an ancient cupboard) and a bathroom on their top floor shared with 3 rooms on that floor.

Yes Birmingham is all cleaned by the students (not the stairways/landings between the flats, but anything behind the locked door to the flats themselves is). It tends to just be flats of 5 or 6, and the majority of the blocks have en suite rooms. So it's not 12 people sharing a communal shower block.

DD had communal bathrooms in her first year, but has chosen a smaller room with en-suite for her 3rd year. DS also chose en-suite when he could.

It's much nicer not having other people's muck in the sink and toilet every time you want to use it. Even if the bathrooms are cleaned by cleaners, it's not after every use. There are pinch times when everyone wants to use the shower at the same time.

If your DS's older friends are saying to prioritise the en-suite they are presumably speaking from experience.

It's all about priorities. And what you can afford. What you choose to spend your money on. Ds1 is in Nottingham for his 1st year atm. Top floor room, shared bathrooms, catered. It was the cheapest option by far. It's been fabulous. He's been really really happy there.

Most thirds years never get the option of en suite unless they take a room in a hall of residence. Most don’t do this as they prefer a house or flat.

@TizerorFizz I think that depends on the city! Where DD is, the private market seems split pretty evenly between private halls, normal rented houses/flats, and HMOs (many of them with en-suites). She was surprised by that when it came to house-hunting (and has ended up in an HMO next year).

DDs college has one desk staffed by non academics and student helpers covering all degrees so not sure how useful. I suspect the desk is no where near the department buildings where the picket are?

Have any of the unis given a date when they expect to give proper degree classifications?

My son chose non en-suite and has been very happy with that choice. There are plenty of bathrooms in his accommodation (8 for 16 people) and they are kept pretty clean. I suspect an en-suite would not have stayed very clean!! He also said the standard en-suite accommodation was just not very nice - his room is nicer and cost quite a lot less. This is at Lancaster. Obviously provision will vary! You wouldn't want to share a bathroom with too many people.

Lots of students say they want an ensuite and my DD was no different. On reflection she would prioritise location on campus over an ensuite. Point out they the normally share bathrooms in 2nd and 3rd year. This year DD shared two bathrooms in a six bed house and she were fine.