[goewyn]

Hi guys, just kicking off a new thread for discussion of accommodation, visas, drinks, and all else that may come up over the next months.

(Original post by theapplicant)
- What are the quality of halls in relation to amount they cost? Would it be worth going for private accommodation instead?
- How much time are we given to accept an offer? Because part of me wants to just accept, send everything off and be done. The other part me says I should still wait to see what KCL and UCL decide on me. I'm still 99% certain i'd go to LSE even with either of these other two option, but I feel it is still sensible to wait out the results of my other applications. But UCL, f.ex., could take over another month I think.
- Have any of you received the offer letter yet?

I haven't looked much at accommodation yet... I'll have to get my research on a little later in the picture when applications are open, everything has been so busy since Christmas!

There's a guide for offer holders on LSE For You which I skimmed, it pretty much said you have all the time in the world to accept your offer. No limit. 1 month certainly no object. I'm holding off too until I know a bit more about funding.

I haven't received my letter yet, and it's almost the 4 weeks they quote. Then again, it may have been delivered but eaten by snails already My letterbox is a scary place.

[crystal.chan]

Do you think only unconditional offer holders will receive offer letters? is yours unconditional, goewyn?

[goewyn]

(Original post by crystal.chan)
Do you think only unconditional offer holders will receive offer letters? is yours unconditional, goewyn?

Yeah, mine's unconditional. But doesn't it tell you on LSE For You? On mine it says your letter was posted 13 December, wait 28 days, etc.

[PKU_Research007]

If you got accepted does something LFY tracker say offer reply form???

[goewyn]

(Original post by PKU_Research007)
If you got accepted does something LFY tracker say offer reply form???

You need an offer for an offer reply form... ie. yes indeed PKU! Sounds promising

(Original post by crystal.chan)
x

Crystal, this is the reply I got from LSE:

Applications for new first year students for places in LSE halls open on
1st February 2011.


All offer holders will be sent details of how to apply for places in
halls.

[theapplicant]

I sense this thread will be filling up slowly

[goewyn]

(Original post by theapplicant)
..

It'll do.

"We ask that you submit the form within six weeks of receiving your offer, if possible. If you are not able to submit the form within this time, DO NOT WORRY. You will not lose your offer, nor will we assume that you do not wish to take up your place."

The deadline for accepting is 31 July 2011. "If we do not receive your form by this date we will assume that you will not be taking up your place."

I'm relieved by this, as it means I don't need to worry about waiting until the end of March to accept the offer while I wait to hear back from Oxford.

[Vozhak]

i am here, i can chat on this thread now! yes yes yes.

[goewyn]

(Original post by Vozhak)
i am here, i can chat on this thread now! yes yes yes.

Haha, well done

[kibrux]

Just to say I am sooooo thrilled to be able to post here!!!
Congrats to all of you!!

[goewyn]

(Original post by kibrux)
Just to say I am sooooo thrilled to be able to post here!!!
Congrats to all of you!!

To you too kibrux Are you a local or international student? I saw on the other thread that you hadn't gotten any GSS either - another scrimper and saver for the next 6 months like myself? Will you be applying for accommodation in the halls or organising it privately?

[Vozhak]

(Original post by kibrux)
Just to say I am sooooo thrilled to be able to post here!!!
Congrats to all of you!!

(Original post by goewyn)
To you too kibrux Are you a local or international student? I saw on the other thread that you hadn't gotten any GSS either - another scrimper and saver for the next 6 months like myself? Will you be applying for accommodation in the halls or organising it privately?

hey congrats to both of you again, i would really like to get started on accommodations and stuff like that, i am international and the places are not guaranteed right, plus the costs is so high, i have limited allowances so this is my train of thinking:

LSE accom. are 23-45 minutes away by bus for like 150 a week

further out is not so much further for a lot less, i mean god damn Cambridge is 45 minutes away by train where rent is like 60-100 a week.

i am so confused what to do, plus being far away makes this more difficult.

[goewyn]

(Original post by Vozhak)
LSE accom. are 23-45 minutes away by bus for like 150 a week

further out is not so much further for a lot less, i mean god damn Cambridge is 45 minutes away by train where rent is like 60-100 a week.

i am so confused what to do, plus being far away makes this more difficult.

The website says new students are pretty certain to get accommodation approved - I'm not sure if this applies to postgrad but I can't see why it wouldn't. Being international and applying early, you will get accommodated in the halls I'm sure.

Not sure where you got your info from but I don't think it's correct. Bankside house is 140/150 per week and is a 25 min walk from uni, Butler's Wharf is 112 and 25 mins by underground, Carr-Saunders 25 min walk 110. Roseberry Hall 25 min walk, 125/week, etc.

Grosvenor House looks lovely but it's nearly 200/week .

Remember the further you live from the centre the more you'll need to pay in transport, which if I remember anything about London, is not cheap

[Vozhak]

(Original post by goewyn)
The website says new students are pretty certain to get accommodation approved - I'm not sure if this applies to postgrad but I can't see why it wouldn't. Being international and applying early, you will get accommodated in the halls I'm sure.

Not sure where you got your info from but I don't think it's correct. Bankside house is 140/150 per week and is a 25 min walk from uni, Butler's Wharf is 112 and 25 mins by underground, Carr-Saunders 25 min walk 110. Roseberry Hall 25 min walk, 125/week, etc.

Grosvenor House looks lovely but it's nearly 200/week .

Remember the further you live from the centre the more you'll need to pay in transport, which if I remember anything about London, is not cheap

okay well i was looking at some other threads and the 25 minutes from Butler is two crazy transfers on the tube or like 40 minutes in a bus.

well i'll take LSE accom. then but only for 40 weeks i wanna visit and spend a few weeks in Europe during dissertation time!

[goewyn]

(Original post by Vozhak)
okay well i was looking at some other threads and the 25 minutes from Butler is two crazy transfers on the tube or like 40 minutes in a bus.

well i'll take LSE accom. then but only for 40 weeks i wanna visit and spend a few weeks in Europe during dissertation time!

Yeah, I'm thinking I'd want one that's close enough to walk. I'm a last minute rush sort of person and am perpetually late to work at the moment when I catch public transport with transfers rather than cycling

I want to go travelling in the break/dissertation time too! But who knows whether I'll be able to afford it. You can make the decision later, right? What I want to know is whether you can apply for accommodation without formally accepting the offer yet... but I suspect the answer is no...

[Vozhak]

(Original post by goewyn)
Yeah, I'm thinking I'd want one that's close enough to walk. I'm a last minute rush sort of person and am perpetually late to work at the moment when I catch public transport with transfers rather than cycling

I want to go travelling in the break/dissertation time too! But who knows whether I'll be able to afford it. You can make the decision later, right? What I want to know is whether you can apply for accommodation without formally accepting the offer yet... but I suspect the answer is no...

hahahaha well i'm from a very late culture but i am crazy on time all the time, i don't think you can apply before accepting.

I'll be honest with my finances so people can give me better advice.

Full scholarship from Government of Trinidad and Tobago

- All tuition fully paid
- Personal allowance each month (do not want to list figure, but above 500)
-clothing paid for
-books paid for

i need to decide where to live etc. it must be known i need to cook my own food, English food is quite bland and tasteless for me, no offense to anyone, so that is my only hang up.

[goewyn]

(Original post by Vozhak)
...

Apply for a nice hall near uni then, with self catering facilities

[crystal.chan]

Thanks goewyn for your update on the accommodation situation! I don't have to check the accommodation link every day now :P

Regarding what you said about new students being pretty much guaranteed a place, I sadly don't think this applies for postgrads as there are many UG/PG quota restrictions for a number of halls, listed here http://www2.lse.ac.uk/lifeAtLSE/acco...fo/quotas.aspx

But I heard from my friend who's at UCL that international students (regardless of UG or PG status) do get priority when applying for Intercollegiate halls.

As for the offer letter, the LFY situation is rather strange for me On the first day when I saw the conditional offer message on LFY, I remember also seeing a message like 'Your letter was posted on Dec 14, wait 28 days..' but now that message has disappeared >< All it says is that I've got a conditional offer and they're waiting for my final transcript and proof of qualifications. Did your offer letter message disappear too or is it still there?

Damn this stuff has got all of us fretting over every little thing ><

[Vozhak]

(Original post by goewyn)
Apply for a nice hall near uni then, with self catering facilities

mm sidney webb looks good to me - 35 minutes walk, self catered and 118-131 a week not bad.

so let's say increase 140 by 4= 560

but walking all that in winter will not be fun and at night hmm.....

butlers looks good too 105-112 and factoring in travelling it's almost the same as Sidney (75 pounds average travelling 18+ Oyster)

so i am saying an increase to 120 a week by 4=480 +75 = 555


uhh i'm leaning towards butler.

[goewyn]

(Original post by crystal.chan)
Thanks goewyn for your update on the accommodation situation! I don't have to check the accommodation link every day now :P

Regarding what you said about new students being pretty much guaranteed a place, I sadly don't think this applies for postgrads as there are many UG/PG quota restrictions for a number of halls, listed here http://www2.lse.ac.uk/lifeAtLSE/acco...fo/quotas.aspx

But I heard from my friend who's at UCL that international students (regardless of UG or PG status) do get priority when applying for Intercollegiate halls.

You, Vozhak and myself are all international students, and to tell the truth (coming from someone with absolutely no expertise in statistics/numbers in general) those quotas don't look dissimilar to percentages of first year postgrads in general, or if anything, are higher

(Original post by crystal.chan)
As for the offer letter, the LFY situation is rather strange for me On the first day when I saw the conditional offer message on LFY, I remember also seeing a message like 'Your letter was posted on Dec 14, wait 28 days..' but now that message has disappeared >< All it says is that I've got a conditional offer and they're waiting for my final transcript and proof of qualifications. Did your offer letter message disappear too or is it still there?><

Nah, it's still there for me. I guess it needs to come halfway around the world and that's why I'm still waiting.

(Original post by crystal.chan)
Damn this stuff has got all of us fretting over every little thing ><

I'm not fretting, but I do need to send a copy of the offer letter as proof of candidature for a scholarship I'm applying for. A little frustrating. And then there's the snails in my letterbox.