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Bellerby Court Surrey Uni Accommodation- it is Brilliant! I Highly Reccommend it!

Hi Guys and Gals!

Surrey University is a brilliant university, with a lively social life (Rubix Nightclub, Chancellors Bar :smile:, a friendly atmosphere, a well-stocked modern library, world-class lecturers and superb employment prospects for its graduates. I graduated with my Chemistry Degree at Surrey in 2010 and would highly recommend this uni to anyone who wants to get a good job after all that well-earned studying (and partying!).

On the accommodation side of things, I highly recommend Bellerby Court. Yes, it is off-campus, but not too far (just a few minute's walk away). Tesco's is literally a few footsteps away- very convenient when you need to get some munchies but can't spend too much time away from your studying or socialising!

Bellerby Court has a large, spacious kitchen, fully kitted out with brand new fridge-freezer, toaster, microwave and an electric fan oven that NEVER burns your food, no matter how bad a cook you may be :s-smilie:.

The rooms in Bellerby Court are spacious, clean, fresh-smelling and are fully equipped with internet, phone, modern furnishings and an EN-SUITE (here, here: NON-SHARED!) shower/toilet (there is nothing worse than having to share shower/toilet facilities with those of the minority who perhaps do not share your high standards of personal hygiene!).

Cleaners clean your room on Monday mornings, but if you do not wish to be disturbed, or simply do not need your room to be cleaned at that moment in time, then you can simply put a polite "No cleaning required today, thnx" note on your bedroom door. I knew some residents who preferred to clean their rooms themselves (a hoover is provided), rather than let the cleaners do it for them, but it is up to you. The Bellerby Court cleaners are a nice, friendly bunch, by the way.

Bellerby Court, with its large kitchen, houses 12 people per floor and is a lively social hub- a brilliant place to hold your parties or just to chill out and relax! The Bellerby Court rules, written by some faceless university killjoy, stipulate that kitchen parties must first get permission by the Warden. HOWEVER, we all held lively parties in Bellerby Court on almost a nightly basis (how on earth did I manage to find time for studying?!), yet the warden, whose name is David Carey, is a very down-to-earth, laid-back bloke in his mid-20's (not one of these miserable 'oldies'!), who never seems to mind if you do hold a party without prior permission from the university killjoys!

Please say Hi to David for me- he enjoyed the pumping bass of the Bellerby Court kitchen parties as much as the resident students did! You couldn't wish for a better warden- he was always eager to assist if you needed any advice on university life :smile:

Unlike many of the other Surrey University Halls, Bellerby Court is built like a fortress- the walls are very thick and the sound insulation is FAR better than that of any of the other University halls, which means that you can hold parties and make as much noise late at night as possible WITHOUT disturbing other residents!

Whether you want a quiet night in, are busily engaged in study, or want to pump that bass and party, then Bellerby Court is THE place to live- you will NOT regret it! Bellerby Court is so well built that the person in the room next door can play their music as loud as is possible, and yet you will NOT hear it! So, if you have an early morning lecture the next day, you can sleep in Bellerby Court like a baby- you will NEVER be disturbed! Oh God, why isn't all accommodation built like Bellerby??!!

AVOID Manor Park, Guildford Court and Cathedral Court like the plague- if you live there, I can GUARANTEE that you will NOT be able to sleep properly there :mad:(unless you are a very heavy sleeper). All prospective Surrey Uni Girls who value their 'beauty sleep' please take note and heed my advice! These particular University Halls (Manor Park, Cathedral Court and Guildford Court) are CRAP- they are VERY POORLY built- the walls are paper-thin :s-smilie:

Don't waste YOUR money on the rent for these RUBBISH (and probably more expensive) Surrey Uni Halls of Residence- get your value for money, a lively social life and a good night's sleep (if you have early morning lectures- many of us do- especially those studying Chemistry!) by choosing to live at the BRILLIANT Bellerby Court. Note to all 1st years and Final Years- ensure that Bellerby is ticked off as your FIRST choice on your accommodation application form! You can't get anything better than Bellerby!

Speaking from feedback given to me from other Surrey students (I used to be a Surrey Uni Student Rep), the sound insulation/sound proofing in the aforementioned University Halls (Cathedral Court, Manor Park and Guildford Court) is so bad that you can even hear the snoring and toilet visits from the person in the room next door! Also the doors SLAM shut with a VERY LOUD bang! DO'NT live in Manor Park, Guildford Court, and Cathedral Court if you have early morning lectures, are serious about doing well in your studies, or you happen to be a light sleeper! You will NOT have a good time. In fact, it may even have a negative impact on your studies, which might result in you having to to retake exams :frown:!

Whether you want to studying hard, relax, sleep, or have a kitchen party and pump out that bass, you can't beat Bellerby Court! I highly recommend Bellerby Court above ANY other Surrey Uni Accommodation! Yes, it is a little (a few minutes) walk away from campus, but it is well worth it! An added bonus is that Bellerby Court is in very close proximity to Tesco. Yes, food shopping is a boring chore, but when you are at university and maybe do not drive a car yet, you will appreciate the closeness of Tesco supermarket!

Best Wishes,

Cassie.
(edited 12 years ago)

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Reply 1
Thanks for the writeup, unfortunately we don't get to choose which hall we want to live in. I got assigned to Manor Park which initially I was excited about since it's the newest hall, but after reading your post, maybe not.

Also, where is Bellerby Court? I can't find it on Surrey's map
http://www3.surrey.ac.uk/virtualtour/accommodation.html
http://www.surrey.ac.uk/accommodation/docs/campusplan.pdf
Students relax outside, University of Surrey
University of Surrey
Guildford
Original post by touchdown
Thanks for the writeup, unfortunately we don't get to choose which hall we want to live in. I got assigned to Manor Park which initially I was excited about since it's the newest hall, but after reading your post, maybe not.

Also, where is Bellerby Court? I can't find it on Surrey's map
http://www3.surrey.ac.uk/virtualtour/accommodation.html
http://www.surrey.ac.uk/accommodation/docs/campusplan.pdf


Ignore her. I lived at Cathedral last year and it was fantastic.
Interesting to here what Bellerby is actually like. However you saying things about manor park etc without you actually knowing is a bit silly. The walls in manor park are actually pretty soundproof and door don't slam...

Bellerby is just off the road by Manor Park
Reply 4
In reference to Charlotte-Rose: ignore my sound advice if you wish; it is up to you, but I have given an honest, unbiased and critical account of what is good and bad about Surrey Uni accommodation.
I speak from both personal experience and feedback given back to me from quite a few dissatisfied Uni Halls Residents when I was a Student Rep at Surrey.
Many students who have had quite an unhappy and rather sleepless experience in Cathedral Court, Manor Park and Guildford Court had complained to the Accommodation Office about the problem of poor sound insulation and slamming doors, but the Uni had decided that it was too cost prohibitive to rectify the problem (yet they still managed to find £millions for a spanking new library extension).
I had to counsel one final year student who was so sleep deprived from her unfortunate experience in Guildford Court that she had a mental breakdown and had to repeat her entire year again- from scratch!
If you are a heavy sleeper, then you might have no problem, but if you are one of those who have early morning 8/9am lectures or you happen to be a light sleeper, then you would be well advised to heed my advice and avoid Cathedral Court, Manor Park and Guildford Court at all costs! Instead, ask the Accommodation Office if they would be able to relocate you to Bellerby Court, which is one of the better Surrey Uni Halls! Trust me, it is well worth the 5 minute trek to campus. Alternatively, you could cycle or take the 'lazy' option of getting a bus ride to campus. There is a bus stop literally a few yards away from Bellerby Court, opposite the hospital.
Wherever you decide to live, I wish all Surrey Freshers and returning Final Years the very best in their studies. Study hard, party hard and savour the university experience, for you'll sorely miss Uni when you graduate and enter the World of Work!
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by SurreyUniGirl
In reference to Charlotte-Rose: ignore my sound advice if you wish; it is up to you, but I have given an honest, unbiased and critical account of what is good and bad about Surrey Uni accommodation.


Cassie,

I can't work out whether or not you're joking.

Judging your own advice as "sound" hardly shows how impartial you are. In fact everything you have written sounds a lot like a pro-Bellerby sales pitch, and I'm struggling to find a single redeeming characteristic for any other halls (in your opinion).

Everybody prefers different things, and the noise is one minor trade-off of the hustle and bustle of on-campus life (not that the noise is as bad as you make out). Anecdotally the walls in cathedral court are as solid as the walls in Battersea and Surrey court, I'm pretty sure that they are bomb proof! (yes that was an exaggeration, but you get my point).

As a rep I suppose more people come to you with problems than with commendations, so your perspective is probably very single sided.

To everybody else; don't be put off by her scare mongering, although her criticisms are not baseless, noise is rarely a major problem. Halls of residence are noisy (and so they should be!) but you're not all about to become a bunch of sleep deprived semi-psychotic zombies. If you have any particularly noisy neighbors you can either ask them to keen it down, or complain to your court warden.

Oh and extending the library is a far better investment of your money than soundproofing the campus.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 6
i bet she gets commission.
Original post by SurreyUniGirl
In reference to Charlotte-Rose: ignore my sound advice if you wish; it is up to you, but I have given an honest, unbiased and critical account of what is good and bad about Surrey Uni accommodation.
I speak from both personal experience and feedback given back to me from quite a few dissatisfied Uni Halls Residents when I was a Student Rep at Surrey.

I'm saying both I and my flatmates survived Cathedral Court happily. Yours isn't advice, it's opinion. I also speak from personal experience and feedback from other people. I personally would hate to be in Bellerby, I'd feel less safe walking home from work on campus/the club/the town at night.
Reply 8
Original post by SurreyUniGirl
In reference to Charlotte-Rose: ignore my sound advice if you wish; it is up to you, but I have given an honest, unbiased and critical account of what is good and bad about Surrey Uni accommodation.
I speak from both personal experience and feedback given back to me from quite a few dissatisfied Uni Halls Residents when I was a Student Rep at Surrey.
Many students who have had quite an unhappy and rather sleepless experience in Cathedral Court, Manor Park and Guildford Court had complained to the Accommodation Office about the problem of poor sound insulation and slamming doors, but the Uni had decided that it was too cost prohibitive to rectify the problem (yet they still managed to find £millions for a spanking new library extension).
I had to counsel one final year student who was so sleep deprived from her unfortunate experience in Guildford Court that she had a mental breakdown and had to repeat her entire year again- from scratch!
If you are a heavy sleeper, then you might have no problem, but if you are one of those who have early morning 8/9am lectures or you happen to be a light sleeper, then you would be well advised to heed my advice and avoid Cathedral Court, Manor Park and Guildford Court at all costs! Instead, ask the Accommodation Office if they would be able to relocate you to Bellerby Court, which is one of the better Surrey Uni Halls! Trust me, it is well worth the 5 minute trek to campus. Alternatively, you could cycle or take the 'lazy' option of getting a bus ride to campus. There is a bus stop literally a few yards away from Bellerby Court, opposite the hospital.
Wherever you decide to live, I wish all Surrey Freshers and returning Final Years the very best in their studies. Study hard, party hard and savour the university experience, for you'll sorely miss Uni when you graduate and enter the World of Work!


What springs to my mind when reading this thread...

1. This is not sound and impartial advice
2. You speak of being a Student Rep, yet you know not what that entails.
3. Bellerby is not "just a few minutes walk away"/"a 5 minute trek", be honest to prospective students.
4. The fact that you do not paragraph and make the text all bold to get your point across worries me further.
5. The Library is funded differently to accommodation and the issue of insulation and sound proofing in SOME of the Manor Park rooms, has partially been rectified and is a build issue, the university aware right up to the VC personally, who has tried somewhat to sort it. It is not related to the LRC.
6. The Warden has probably changed since you were there.
7. I want to see this oven that can never burn your food, it could be worth millions.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 9
Original post by touchdown
I got assigned to Manor Park which initially I was excited about since it's the newest hall, but after reading your post, maybe not.


Don't worry it is fine, they are just scaremongering...
Reply 10
1. This is not sound and impartial advice
2. You speak of being a Student Rep, yet you know not what that entails.
3. Bellerby is not "just a few minutes walk away"/"a 5 minute trek", be honest to prospective students.
4. The fact that you do not paragraph and make the text all bold to get your point across worries me further.
5. The Library is funded differently to accommodation and the issue of insulation and sound proofing in SOME of the Manor Park rooms, has partially been rectified and is a build issue, the university aware right up to the VC personally, who has tried somewhat to sort it. It is not related to the LRC.
6. The Warden has probably changed since you were there.
7. I want to see this oven that can never burn your food, it could be worth millions.


1. That is your opinion. I give what I consider to be my own impartial and honest advice, take it or leave it. With a high degree of confidence, I would consider my advice to be sound.

2. During the academic year 2009-2010, I was nominated by Dr Norma Denny of Student Care/Student Advice and Information Service as a 'listening ear'/'buddy'- a sort of student welfare counsellor. In my book, that makes me a Student Rep. Say Hi to Norma Denny for me- you couldn't wish for a better person! She deserves a medal for her professionalism. I couldn't thank her enough for all the help she has offered over the years.

3. I am being totally honest- a swift walk from Bellerby Court to campus takes just a few minutes- no more than 5. Unless you are an unhealthy couch potato, in which case it would take closer to 10-15 minutes. Who needs to fork out in excess of £200 (a rip off, in my opinion) for membership of the Surrey Sports Park, when you can enjoy a brisk daily walk in the fresh air?

4. I am fully aware that I am not paragraphing properly; I was feeling very mentally exhausted after a long day's work and was having one of those 'lazy moments'. In any case, this is not an English examination. What is wrong with using bold font? I personally think that it stands out more.

5. ALL of the rooms in Manor Park, Cathedral Court and Guildford Court were built to standardised building specifications, which implies that ALL of the rooms were afflicted with the sound proofing issues. As far as I am aware, they have NOT rectified the problem of poor sound insulation and slamming doors. The accommodation office decided that to upgrade the level of sound proofing would be too costly.

6. I am reliably informed that David Carey, Warden of Bellerby Court, is still there- alive and well! Say Hi to him for me! He was a regular attendee at our Bellerby Court kitchen parties! Some of the other wardens are old misery guts!

7. I appreciate your sarcastic humour, but I wasn't speaking in a literal sense. Let me elaborate: compared to the old 1970's style electric ovens (more like furnaces!) that completely carbonised a Tesco's pizza after just 5 minutes cooking time at a supposedly 'moderate' heat, the modern fan ovens recently installed into the kitchens of Bellerby Court are a HUGE IMPROVEMENT. Of course, ANY oven, if left to its own devices, would eventually burn food to a crisp, but you would have to be a very incompetent cook to burn food so easily in these new electric fan ovens! How I hated the old ovens in Bellerby Court- they used to set the fire alarms off on almost a daily basis! Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep..........it drove me up the wall!

Regards,

Cassie.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 11
Original post by The Beaver
Don't worry it is fine, they are just scaremongering...


Having been a Surrey student myself (and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience), I only have the best interests of the students at heart. Why would I want to scaremonger?

I long for my student days. Perhaps I'll give up my employment and go back to being a Surrey student, albeit a mature 23 year old postgrad :biggrin:

Surrey's MRes in Chemistry looks very appetising. Enhanced qualifications and the opportunity to experience yet more student life- who could ask for more? :wink:
Reply 12
Original post by charlotte-rose
I'm saying both I and my flatmates survived Cathedral Court happily. Yours isn't advice, it's opinion. I also speak from personal experience and feedback from other people. I personally would hate to be in Bellerby, I'd feel less safe walking home from work on campus/the club/the town at night.


Of course, nutters and pervs are around everywhere these days, but rest assured that Surrey Uni and Guildford as a whole is a VERY SAFE place to be. You shouldn't have to fear going out after dark, but as a precautionary measure, ensure that you have a friend or two to accompany you, at least at night anyway.

It would be wise to carry a panic alarm and a can of hair spray in the VERY UNLIKELY event that you'll come under attack and need to defend yourself. If you are prepared to part with £200+ for the gym membership fee, why don't you take self defense classes on offer at the Surrey Sports Park?

Take home message: Guildford is, on the whole, a VERY SAFE and peaceful place to be.

Compared to my hated 'home town' of Croydon, leafy Guildford is MANNA FROM HEAVEN! Croydon is a crime-ridden urban dump. Having been a victim of attempted rape :mad:, I became terrified of going out after dark there, with all those dirty cockcroaches lurking around street corners :eek:. Croydon needs disinfecting- and fast! :biggrin:
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by SurreyUniGirl
...


Um excuse me? Don't tell me how to look after myself, I know how to. That's why I said I am NOT comfortable walking alone to and from Bellerby to campus at 3am.

Also, £200 is not extortionate and you cannot compare swimming, classes and the gym to a "brisk walk". I do a "brisk walk" to the sports park from campus every single day. I then spend a few hours in the sports park because I realise a short walk a day is not enough exercise.

I'm sure people have been almost raped in a lot of towns, but you not having the experience in Guildford does not make it a wonderful and safe place - anything can happen anywhere and common sense prevails.
Original post by SurreyUniGirl

1. This is not sound and impartial advice



1. That is your opinion. I give what I consider to be my own impartial and honest advice, take it or leave it. With a high degree of confidence, I would consider my advice to be sound.



Cassie,

Whether or not something is "sound" and "impartial" is not a matter of opinion or open to subjectivity, it is very clear-cut. Your advice is about as far from "sound" or "impartial" as it is possible to be.

You sound like a student who is bitter about having been stuck in Bellerby (does anybody actually choose to live there?!).

Please stop presenting your opinions as fact, it is frustrating and makes you look dim.

Again I'd like to point out, that as a student "rep" you are only approached by people with problems and complaints, I would be prepared to bet that the vast majority of students would disagree with your opinion - simply look at this thread for evidence.

Cheers!
also, i'd say it takes at least 10 mins to walk the 0.75 miles to campus (and then about a further 5 mins to anywhere useful).
Reply 16
Original post by white_mercury
Cassie,

Whether or not something is "sound" and "impartial" is not a matter of opinion or open to subjectivity, it is very clear-cut. Your advice is about as far from "sound" or "impartial" as it is possible to be.

You sound like a student who is bitter about having been stuck in Bellerby (does anybody actually choose to live there?!).

Please stop presenting your opinions as fact, it is frustrating and makes you look dim.

Again I'd like to point out, that as a student "rep" you are only approached by people with problems and complaints, I would be prepared to bet that the vast majority of students would disagree with your opinion - simply look at this thread for evidence.

Cheers!


I have always known mercury to be liquid at room temperature, but never so volatile and caustic! :biggrin:
Reply 17
"Um excuse me? Don't tell me how to look after myself, I know how to."

Ooops! Looks like I've upset someone. :s-smilie:
I had no intention of coming across as patronising or condescending; I just wanted to be helpful. Honest!
I never implied that you can not look after youself.
Now, untwist those knickers :biggrin:
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 18
I've only skim-read the thread, but I'll throw my say in anyway.

First off, out of everyone I've spoken to, very few (less than one in ten) would choose to be in Manor Park (or anywhere else off campus) over the equivalent on-campus room, purely due to the distance, it really can detract from the uni experience. 5 minutes is definitely a bit optimistic to get from Manor Park/Bellerby to campus, it takes that long on the bus! You would want to give yourself 15 minutes to do the walk, it'll probably take closer to 10 though.

You say Cathedral Court is bad for noise, but it really isn't. I was there for my first year, and it's no louder (amount of noise, or wall-thickness) than any other court; if you have problems in CC then you'll have them anywhere. Also I've never encountered this "door slamming" issue, especially as the doors in CC don't shut automatically :wink:.
Considering it takes 5mins just to get from the edge of campus to AP/lecture theatres, then lol! This thread is rather a fail...

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