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Imperial College London

London

Which halls of residence in Imperial College London should I apply for?

I got a conditional for 3 As at advanced higher to study physics and when it comes to applying for halls of residence I'm wondering which is best? I'm looking for something relatively close to the uni and physics building, and preferably providing meals with cheapish rooms. Any help?

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Reply 1

Rofl

I don't think any of the halls provide meals anymore. In my time, the only hall which did it was Linstead, although there's a possibility that the newly constructed Eastside halls has adopted this role now.

If you're looking for proximity, then try and go for Beit, Eastside and Garden. Beit is opposite the physics department.

Imperial College London

London

Reply 2

alterbridge06

For proximity go for:

Beit, Eastside, Southside, Garden and Weeks. All are within a five minute walk, if that.

Just a note Eastside is self-catering along with all other halls.

Reply 3

asddawg123

woah wait a minute, have people already got accomodation leaflets and stuff?
i got an offer through ucas but i havent got any of that stuff. should i be worried

Reply 4

alisontully

nah i dont have any leaflets or anything yet but its good to start thinking about it early! :smile:

Reply 5

Moa

If you feel that having 5 min walk instead of 25 min walk is worth £1000 premium each semester, go for close ones.

If not then go for singles at Wilson and Fisher, they are not ultra slick but I rather have extra 80 quid to spend every week, and as I cycle to the college, it takes me less than 15 mins to get there from Wilson.

Reply 6

zafaru123

FISHERRRR HALLLLL....lool, amazing halls in its own way.

Reply 7

lostphotobooth

Fisher Hall is falling down, is it not? I had friends in there last year (09-10 - was a fresher back then, good times) and there were leaking ceilings and whatnot. Heard the same this year from some of the current freshers also?

Go for Wilson House (best halls :biggrin:

). I was there in my first year, and to be honest, I do miss the cheap rent now that I've moved into private accom! Beit is actually pretty well priced for where it is also if you don't mind paying that much. Also, none of the halls are catered so you'll have to learn to cook :tongue:

Reply 8

Rofl

Yeah, Fisher Hall's ceiling fell down in 2007 if I can vaguely remember because of a water leakage. Some of the halls are in need of a renovation, but the ones near college really are top class.

When I applied, I did stipulate that I wanted a hall close to college but I got somewhere quite far instead. It did work out a bit cheaper, but I would have preferred somewhere closer since I missed about 70% of my tutorials and lectures during my undergrad days :frown:

Reply 9

Noise

Yeah Fisher's is supposed to be a bit of a dump. But the people there don't seem to mind it very much. Plus Wilson House's ceiling is leaking as well apparently. Although it's still good value for money. :biggrin:

I think they're considering to sell Fisher Hall (that's what it said in last weeks Felix) because refurbishment would be too expensive.

Reply 10

placebo_effect

What''s your budget? That's the first decision to make. Most Imperial hall single rooms will eat up more than your student loan for the whole year to be honest. If you get a grant + bursary from Imperial you might be able to cover it.

If you have lots of money to spend, go for Eastside or Southside because the halls are lovely and right next to uni. I personally wouldn't choose Beit because some areas are VERY noisy. The halls in Evelyn Gardens - Southwell (my hall!!), Holbein etc are all nice and only 15-20 min walks from uni. Fisher is the exception because it's in Evelyn Gardens but it's horrible on the inside. Orient House and Parsons House are really nice halls but they're a long way from college.

If you only have a small budget, you need to think about whether you're prepared to share a room. At Imperial, very large numbers of people end up sharing a room even though they applied for a single, so it's something you need to consider before you make Imperial your firm choice. Unbelievably there is a guy on my course who was allocated a triple room and he didn't even put it as one of his choices! Can you imagine living in a room with 2 other people for a whole year?! I certainly couldn't!

Oh, lastly, the social atmospheres of the different halls (in general and of course not true of every part of the hall or every group of people living there):

Beit, Southside, Eastside, Pembridge: good

Orient House, Parsons House: not good

Evelyn Gardens: quite good

Weeks, Garden: super-friendly

Wilson: very very sociable and lots of sports as well

I hope that rather disorganised answer helps you in some way :smile:

Reply 11

zafaru123

Original post by placebo_effect

Fisher is amazing I'll have you know lol, all the best parties happen in fisher.

Reply 12

xylar

Original post by placebo_effect

Is Beit Hall really that noisy? or is it tolerable?

Reply 13

xalcro

Original post by xylar

Is Beit Hall really that noisy? or is it tolerable?

Well, the Beit building surrounds the quad where the Union holds a lot of its events, including open-air concerts and the like. However the curfew for these events is always 11pm. Which for a non-Beiter is a bit crappy, entertainment-wise. :P But don't worry, if you live in Beit it won't keep you up late at night or anything. There may perhaps be a bit of rabble if you're trying to work during the day, I don't know how distracting that would be. But if it is a problem, the library is only 2 minutes away. ^.^

Reply 14

xylar

hahaha icic thanks for the input!

Reply 15

trumpetboy101

makes no difference, what i chose had no bearing on what i got. oh and dont go winging when you end up with a double room cos most people get them and no, nobody's gunna trade for a single room.