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University of Manchester
University of Manchester
Manchester

What's it like living in Manchester?

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Original post by tillytots
In terms of room decor, OH and WP seem pretty identical, only difference is WP is cream and OH is lime. WP depends where in your flat you are depending o the sizes of the room, my room is one of the smallest but my flat mate has a 'sloping' room and it's massive, either way the rooms are great I find.

In terms of the whole single sex thing, ground floor flats are al male, then the rest are basically all mixed minus some, I think they're trying to integrate it so every flat minus ground floor is mixed, no matter what though, you'l meet a ton of people outside your flat. I'm guessing the hike in price refers to the fact that we're closer to the city.


I'm moving to fallowfield next year and although I'm excited, I'm going to miss the convenience of WP! It's amazing just rolling out of bed at 8:45 for a 9am and still being on time, plus everything is in walking distance for the most part :P


how many share bathrooms/kitchens? also, you dont have many anti-social internationals like other city halls?

Also, what was the price for WP for this year? Did you buy a bus pass anyway (150 quid was it? Or is that just for fallowfielders?)
University of Manchester
University of Manchester
Manchester
Original post by victoryshinesonus
how many share bathrooms/kitchens? also, you dont have many anti-social internationals like other city halls?

Also, what was the price for WP for this year? Did you buy a bus pass anyway (150 quid was it? Or is that just for fallowfielders?)



My flat has 7 people, but I'm at the end of the corridor and every other flat seems to have 8 or 9 there are usually 2 toilets, 2 showers and sinks it depends. There's enough room in the kitchen (just about) for everyone to have their own fridge shelf and cupboard. You'll either have an open plan kitchen/common room (great for parties!) or they're seperate (down side to this is that in these flats where it's separated, there is often no window in the kitchen)

There are lots of internationals yes, but it's fine, they either socialize or you'll never even know they're there. On average there seems to be about 2 per flat, mine has 4 which isn't the norm but it really hasn't bothered me in the slightest. On the first day when I met all my flatmates I was worried but these worries were gone in hours, you get to know everyone in your building and everyone is really tight knit, there is a good sense of community here.

I can't remember the exact price of WP a week I pay £1161 a term and I think it's roughly £88 a week? Haven't bothered with a buss pass and I don't know anyone who has in WP, it's not necessary.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by tillytots
My flat has 7 people, but I'm at the end of the corridor and every other flat seems to have 8 or 9 there are usually 2 toilets, 2 showers and sinks it depends. There's enough room in the kitchen (just about) for everyone to have their own fridge shelf and cupboard. You'll either have an open plan kitchen/common room (great for parties!) or they're seperate (down side to this is that in these flats where it's separated, there is often no window in the kitchen)

There are lots of internationals yes, but it's fine, they either socialize or you'll never even know they're there. On average there seems to be about 2 per flat, mine has 4 which isn't the norm but it really hasn't bothered me in the slightest. On the first day when I met all my flatmates I was worried but these worries were gone in hours, you get to know everyone in your building and everyone is really tight knit, there is a good sense of community here.

I can't remember the exact price of WP a week I pay £1161 a term and I think it's roughly £88 a week? Haven't bothered with a buss pass and I don't know anyone who has in WP, it's not necessary.


I suppose WP is easier to work in than OH. As there is less of a 'party' atmosphere? To be honest, im more in favour of clubs than flat parties.

so you should have at least 4 or 5 British peoples in your flat? That's fine, I was just worried about being the only domestic.
Original post by hughcapet
It's like this:



:lol: The whole country is like that.
Original post by Bellissima
what's it like compared to living in london?

i want to live in london because i love the city but the course in manc is awesome..

obviously i will choose course over city..


London is great :biggrin:

Which uni(s) have you applied to in London?
Original post by victoryshinesonus
I suppose WP is easier to work in than OH. As there is less of a 'party' atmosphere? To be honest, im more in favour of clubs than flat parties.

so you should have at least 4 or 5 British peoples in your flat? That's fine, I was just worried about being the only domestic.


I don't exactly know what you mean by a 'party atmosphere', usually what happens here is groups gather at a nominated flat for pre drinks then head to a club. It is quieter in the sense we don't have people racing up and down corridors and playing music really loud at 3 am, there isn't constant vomit everywhere or anything like that. You'll get noise when people are heading out, but that's about it.

Yeah,I don't think in any case you'll be the only british person in your flat.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 106
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Bellissima
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Original post by Dee Leigh
London is great :biggrin:

Which uni(s) have you applied to in London?


haha i know i love it there so much!! i haven't applied yet i am taking a gap yah for travels.. i probably didn't do it the best way i should have deffered but oh well..

i'm gonna apply to UCL and another one.. haven't decided yet :/
Reply 107
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Bellissima
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Original post by TheMeister
If you want to know anything and everything about Manc, just PM me. I'd be happy to help.


thanks dude i'll bear that in mind i'm sure i'll have plenty of questions :tongue:
For reference, this is what Wikipedia has to say about Manchester weather:

Manchester experiences a temperate maritime climate, like much of the British Isles, with warm summers and cold winters. There is regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year. The city's average annual rainfall is 806.6 millimetres (31.76 in)[62] compared to the UK average of 1,125.0 millimetres (44.29 in),[63] and its mean rain days are 140.4 per annum,[62] compared to the UK average of 154.4.[63] Manchester however has a relatively high humidity level, which optimised the textile manufacturing (with low thread breakage) which took place there. Snowfalls are not common in the city, due to the urban warming effect. However, the Pennine and Rossendale Forest hills that surround the city to its east and north receive more snow and roads leading out of the city can be closed due to snow.[64] notably the A62 road via Oldham and Standedge, the A57 (Snake Pass) towards Sheffield,[65] and the M62 over Saddleworth Moor.
Original post by internet tough guy
aren't most northern universities like this?


how comes manchester gets singled out :s-smilie:


Granted, Northern England is rainy in general. But Manchester lies in a flat area bordered by hills; I believe the Pennines prevent low rainclouds from passing over the city, that's why the place gets rained on so often.

That, and I'm from Manchester, so I can say what I like about it :colone:
Original post by Dee Leigh
:lol: The whole country is like that.


The amount of rain varies across the country. The south and the east get more sun while the north gets more rain, especially the North West. Still, the North West has the best quality tapwater in the country, so there are compensations. :smile:
Original post by victoryshinesonus
x


Thought I'd give you the OH side, for comparison :biggrin:

Ah, it's a bit more expensive than OH isn't it?
I was going to go and check on the accommodation.manchester.ac.uk website, but it's down atm. However, Oak House is £82pw without a basin in your room, £92pw with. IMHO, though, the basin isn't worth £10pw (I have one atm) - all it does is means you have to walk two metres further in the morning to brush your teeth and throw up when you're hungover (although the boys seem to think that it's a legitimate place to pee....).

What's the decor like compared to OH
Manchester's accommodation office seems to view plaster as being an unnecessary luxury, so most accommodation is built of exposed breezeblock inside. Oak House's is in a non-obnoxious shade of pale green, and (as WL said), WP is cream)

also, is there more sharing in OH for bathrooms and kitchens?
In each flat, there are 8 people, one kitchen / diner (two ovens, four rings, one microwave, one kettle, one double sink, six dining chairs, two low chairs, 1 or 2 tables and any other things you choose to purchase e.g. a toaster. Bathroom wise, there are two loos, one bath (with shower over the top) and one shower cubicle.

Oh and are boys and girls divided in WP like OH?
The 'flats' are over two floors, with 4 boys on one and 4 girls on the other.

Think I might choose WP, more convenient location. From the sounds of it, OH and fallowfield is for pre-drinking, then you hit town, before wasting money on a taxi or struggling to catch the bus?
You will tend to do your pre-drinking in Fallowfield (and if you live in city, you're likely to have friends down here and so end up starting your night in Fallowfield anyway sometimes!). Then there are a lot of pubs (Revs, 256, Ram & Shackle, Friendship Inn, Wetherspoons etc.), and a couple of small clubs (e.g. Twisted) so you can have a legitimately good night without ever leaving Fallowfield. However, there is a tendency to go into town after that. I've never "struggled" to catch the bus, and you do get to play the back seat of the bus game (a game so legendary I heard about when I was travelling around Australia!) and suchlike. You can catch a taxi if you want - it'll cost you £2-3 per person each way, depending on which club you're going to.

Did you buy a bus pass anyway (150 quid was it? Or is that just for fallowfielders?)
Bus passes are £185, and it is mainly Fallowfielders who buy them. They're pretty good value, because they cover you for the whole of Greater Manchester, at any time of the day, on any Stagecoach bus, for the whole academic year. So, if you get a job at the Trafford Centre, join a society whose facilities are in another part of the city, or just fancy a day trip to sunny Stockport (or the airport), then you're covered.

It takes about 20 mins from stepping outside my flat to walking into the lecture theatre at uni by bus, and 15 by bike (including getting the bike out of the bike shed and locking it up at the other end) so I'm considering not buying a bus pass next year anyway.

I suppose WP is easier to work in than OH. As there is less of a 'party' atmosphere? To be honest, im more in favour of clubs than flat parties.
There's noise in every halls. However, I've never had issues with trying to get work done and not being able to due to the noise in OH. The standard format of a night out is pre-drinking at someone's flat, and then going out at about 11pm. No one can afford to get drunk purely from the alcohol bought in a club (and going into clubs sober is grim anyway - you just start to realise what horrible places they are really, however great they seem when you're drunk! Anyway, that means that the format for nights out doesn't really vary across halls.

Generally people are fairly civilised anyway - I've never found pools of vomit or other bodily fluids - I think the worst thing is the odd bit of broken glass
Original post by lolablue
I might be a bit biased because I was born and raised, and go to uni in Manchester! But its the best university city in my opinion, show me one major city that doesn't rain or have some crime, if you get over that it has amazing shopping, night-life, restaurants, museums... so many things to do. I've been to a lot of other uni's visiting friends and none of them compare in my opinion.

:ditto: best thing is evrything is quite close, suits lazy ppl like me :tongue:

Original post by Welsh Leprecaun
Definitely the cheapest in the city centre


ive seen cheaper :yep: we are talking bout the one between oxford road and wilmslow road?
How many rooms in Whitworth Park have washbasins?
Original post by victoryshinesonus
How many rooms in Whitworth Park have washbasins?


Not many unfortunately, it's only thorncliffe which has them so about 250? Tbh theyre not worth the extra money i dont think
Original post by tillytots
Not many unfortunately, it's only thorncliffe which has them so about 250? Tbh theyre not worth the extra money i dont think


I used to live in Garstang when they were first opened, then my son lived in Thorncliffe. It was depressing to see how little had changed in 28 years....
Original post by carnationlilyrose
I used to live in Garstang when they were first opened, then my son lived in Thorncliffe. It was depressing to see how little had changed in 28 years....


lol. Manchester really cares about their students :wink: 30 year old accommodation and poor satisfaction levels, and I've firmed them. :rolleyes: I sure hope posters are truthful aha.

Surely a basin is useful, because then all it means is you go to the bathroom just to shower/toilet?
Original post by tillytots
Not many unfortunately, it's only thorncliffe which has them so about 250? Tbh theyre not worth the extra money i dont think


Are there any pictures of thorncliff? And sorry for being annoying but does thorncliffe contain above normal levels of internationals?
Original post by victoryshinesonus
lol. Manchester really cares about their students :wink: 30 year old accommodation and poor satisfaction levels, and I've firmed them. :rolleyes: I sure hope posters are truthful aha.

Surely a basin is useful, because then all it means is you go to the bathroom just to shower/toilet?


30 year old accommodation is pretty standard in all universities, I should think. The halls of residence that were old when I was a student are still being used, and so are the ones my classmates lived in at their universities, too. I wouldn't be too concerned about student satisfaction rates. Manc students have always been a vocal bunch (and I speak as a former one and the parent of one) but I think you'll find they are actually having a pretty good time, really. It wouldn't be the most applied to university as often as it is if there wasn't a good thing to say about it.
Original post by carnationlilyrose
30 year old accommodation is pretty standard in all universities, I should think. The halls of residence that were old when I was a student are still being used, and so are the ones my classmates lived in at their universities, too. I wouldn't be too concerned about student satisfaction rates. Manc students have always been a vocal bunch (and I speak as a former one and the parent of one) but I think you'll find they are actually having a pretty good time, really. It wouldn't be the most applied to university as often as it is if there wasn't a good thing to say about it.


Ah okay, yeah, hopefully it will be good, looking forward to it, just need the grades now :tongue: I think I've been looking at the modern universities too much, because they offer some nice brand new accommodation which makes me drool when compared to Manchester's. But as you say it's probably standard :P

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