Manchester Uni Accommodation advice

[Anjelika]

DS set to go to Manchester in the autumn. Needs to put down 5 accommodation choices. Will put 2 out of the 3 self catering halls in Fallowfield as Top 2 (the 3rd is an extra £2k a year so off the table). Stuck for what to put down for the other 3.

Wants self catering and ensuite. Two at Victoria Park look good on paper but what we've read online suggests that they are pretty dead social-wise. Can anyone confirm or deny that? Otherwise Whitworth Park sounds lively but no ensuites. Don't really want to go for anything over £200 pw so looking at the cheaper/mid range options. Also looking for flats/corridors of around 8-10 students as fear if only 3-4 it might be harder to make friends. We are going round in circles so any advice much appreciated!

My daughter is hoping for Manchester too. God the halls are expensive🙈🙈. You have just reminded me to remind her to get her arse in gear. I can offer you no advice though.

@LikeSeriously I feel your pain😂DS finally got his backside in gear on Sunday but we were then thwarted by there only being 2 halls that fitted the bill!

I don't think it matters that much, because you won't necessarily get any of your choices. My daughter was devastated to get Whitworth Park (not one of her preferences), but she survived without an en suite (bonus is that you get your kitchen and bathroom cleaned once a week), was glad she had more money in her pocket and was so close to uni. It all depends on who your flatmates are really (she's living with the girls from her flat now), you've just got to make the most of whatever you end up with.

If you get allocated one that's too expensive, you might be able to get a swap, there will be a thread on The Student Room when the time comes with other people looking for swaps.

I'm speaking from 10 years ago experience, but agree with your observation that Victoria Park is a bit dead social wise. I was in Victoria Hall (which I think is called something else now), 4 rooms to a flat really didn't make for the best experience.

I think any in Fallowfield will be fine, en-suite or not en-suite. I had quite a few friends who ended up in the tower and ended up loving it.

And in the 10 years since I graduated Victoria Hall is now a Man Met accommodation rather than UoM, so ignore me as that one won't be an option!

Yes, I’m also 10y out of date but my strong advice would be fallowfield where possible! En-suite is not the be all and end all, but fallowfield was absolutely where the buzz was. I didn’t especially enjoy my 5 years as a student there (medic) but I had a fantastic first year in halls in Fallowfield (Ashburne, mostly girls, which again I didn’t fancy initially but ended up loving!)

Thanks for all the replies. I am inclined to think that any room in Fallowfield is preferable to the other options. To be fair Whitworth Park actually gets good reviews for being very sociable.

Would absolutely agree with this, especially if he is sociable. In my experience most of the international students were in the city campus accommodations and it tended to be quieter in general...

My dc is a second yr at Manchester. They put down all 5 options in Fallowfield. Whilst there’s no 100% guarantee if all yr options are Fallowfield you’ll probably get one.

Mist Dc live in Fallowfield / Withington in subsequent years.

Manchester is a really buzzy university, so "quiet for Manchester" is very different to quiet in general. Whitworth Park is really lively with lots going on, plus it's staggering distance from all the city centre nightlife, and if you're doing a degree with fewer contact hours it's much easier to pop home if you have a couple of hours between lectures. And the bar is dirt cheap.

Fallowfield is obviously very student orientated, but IMO can feel a bit like Plastic Studentland.

This.

I am trying to get my son to get on and do his University of Manchester accomodation choice.
He just looks at the page and says he doesn't know, which I find infuriating.
He has now said he wants Fallowfield catered.
Do you know if Ashburne Hall is single sex corridors and mostly girls?
Eg is there not much chance of a boy getting a room there?
Do you think that it's harder to make friends in the catered accomodation?
Because he 'doesn't know' I feel more responsible for hos choices.
He is usually quite independent and stubborn, and I don't know how to help him decide..

@axolotlfloof I don't have recent knowledge of Ashburne. I do remember it used to be all-women, but hasn't been for quite a few years, so I wonder if the sex balance has shifted in more recent years?

IMO the nicest Fallowfield hall is Woolton, and that's catered. I think it's easier to make friends in catered because mealtimes throw you in with lots of other people.

It's also worth adding that the Fallowfield accommodation site is undergoing a big redevelopment at the moment. I've not been on the site, so not sure how noisy/disruptive this is.

Yeah I would go for Fallowfield then Whitworth. I would go for area over en-suite every time.

In the end DS (on my advice) went for the 2 self catered reasonable priced ensuite ones in Fallowfield followed by the 2 catered ones with shared bathrooms and finally the lovely but very expensive self catered one. We took the advice here and focused on area!

Good luck to him @Anjelika

I loved studying in Manchester. And this year 1/4 of my year 13 class are hopefully going there which is very exciting.

@Bobbybobbins he looked round 6 places but Manchester was by far his favourite. I'm looking forward to visiting and going round the shops!

@Anjelika I hope you don't mind me resurrecting this thread... but you last year are me today! Do you mind me asking whether your DC got either of the 2 reasonably priced Fallowfield halls?

Anyone else with recent experience of Manchester accommodation who can chip in?

My DC also wants Fallowfield, ideally selfcatered, and not bothered by ensuite. There seem to only be 4 in Fallowfield now (I know they are knocking down / have knocked down the tower at Owens Park).

So far she has on her list 2 self catered reasonably priced ensuite ones in Fallowfield; then Ashburne (catered ones with shared bathrooms and also reasonably priced); and 4th is the more expensive Unsworth.

I fear if she puts the more expensive one they'll give her that.

And no idea what to put for 5th, as she is adamant she wants FF.

Do you know if you have to put 5? Could she just put down 3 and cross fingers?

Also, she has grades in hand (on year off), so does that mean she gets any priority?

Thanks anyone!!

@AndTheyFlyTheNest happy to answer you as best I can. DS got a catered hall in Fallowfield. He was a bit unhappy about it at the time but it has been amazing! He has made a great group of friends there and they go to breakfast and dinner together. His friends are all in the same hall as him but on different corridors and buildings. What I would say is tell your DC not to be worried about putting catered down! Unfortunately my DS's hall (Woolton) is being knocked down and refurb'd next year.

I think the expensive hall is a popular choice so hopefully if you don't put it first, you won't get it! My DS put it 5th.

IME the traditional catered halls are preferable as they have a much stronger sense of community. The students eat together and many of the older halls have active students’ associations with really good pastoral care. The ensuite self catered ones are very hit and miss - if they get good flatmates they can be good but they can also be pretty lonely. I’d pick shared bathrooms catered every time in a Victoria Park halls https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/accommodation/student-accommodation/search/dalton-ellis-hall/ Dalton Ellis, Hulme Hall etc

At Anselms and Ashbourne both worth looking at too.

My DS got his first choice accommodation - St Anselm Hall - and is very happy with it. It's catered (breakfast and dinner), lots of character, not en-suite but good-sized bedrooms and v sociable. DH dropped him off and thought it seemed nice but a bit "faded" and I know that the gym is currently closed for refurbishment although DS says no work actually being done that he can see! It's also a fair old walk to the university buildings but nearer than the Fallowfield site. I was shocked at the difference in price between the various options - my friend's son has a place at one of the Fallowfield halls - uncatered - and is paying more than DS at his catered one.

Yes, I was surprised by how expensive the self catering and en-suite bathroom halls have become - cheaper to have a full meal package in an old-style hall than a tiny toilet and shower in a new build. Plus, the social and pastoral side of the traditional halls often makes for a much better student experience.

THanks @Anjelika and others for your input. We guessed that maybe Woolton was maybe closing for next year - so useful to have it confirmed. Annoying, as it means that there aren't 5 FF ones to put down. Appreciate everyone's thoughts re the Victoria Park ones, but she is adamant she wants FF. But I'll pass these thoughts on!
Thanks again!

Victoria Park is more convenient in many ways, as you don't get that slow bus journey in and out, which can be off-putting if you want to be back on site for societies etc in the evening.
Hulme Hall in particular is a 10/15 min walk to campus and a brilliant, sociable hall. It is well-known as the medics' hall but there's a good balance overall and the pastoral care can make a world of difference. There's always the concern if you get a weird balance in a self-catered flat of 8/9 others it can be hard to find your tribe, whereas the catered halls with bigger corridors and active residents' associations really help freshers settle in.