[oakbluffs]

Hi Guys,

I'm Gareth and I'm the Hall President of Carr-Saunders for this year, which means if any of you end up at Saunders in September I've got the job, along with the rest of the committee, of organizing your Fresher's Week. I remember when I was applying for accommodation I had so many questions, and often it was hard to find someone to talk to. So if you're after a small hall (150 undergrads, almost no postgrads) that's in a really great area and only a short walk from LSE then you should really consider Carr-Saunders. Feel free to ask anything you like on here. I can't promise you an unbiased answer, because my time here's been wicked so far, but I can tell you anything you want to know, even the negative stuff. You can get a decent description of the halls on the LSE accommodation site, but it doesn't really say anything about the student experience at Saunders, so that's where I can help you the most.

So fire away.

[rachie_low]

(Original post by oakbluffs)
Hi Guys,

I'm Gareth and I'm the Hall President of Carr-Saunders for this year, which means if any of you end up at Saunders in September I've got the job, along with the rest of the committee, of organizing your Fresher's Week. I remember when I was applying for accommodation I had so many questions, and often it was hard to find someone to talk to. So if you're after a small hall (150 undergrads, almost no postgrads) that's in a really great area and only a short walk from LSE then you should really consider Carr-Saunders. Feel free to ask anything you like on here. I can't promise you an unbiased answer, because my time here's been wicked so far, but I can tell you anything you want to know, even the negative stuff. You can get a decent description of the halls on the LSE accommodation site, but it doesn't really say anything about the student experience at Saunders, so that's where I can help you the most.

So fire away.

Hi, i would like to find out (as honestly as you can please ) - how clean are the toilets in Carr-Saunders? and also what's the toilet-student ratio like?
I've never had to share toilets before so I'm pretty skeptical about it as opposed to applying to places like Bankside with en-suite rooms

also, having a small population of only 150, do you feel it limits the amount of friends you make? oh and whats the student population like! ie. internationals/home students Thank you!!

[Chrisl12345]

(Original post by oakbluffs)
Hi Guys,

I'm Gareth and I'm the Hall President of Carr-Saunders for this year, which means if any of you end up at Saunders in September I've got the job, along with the rest of the committee, of organizing your Fresher's Week. I remember when I was applying for accommodation I had so many questions, and often it was hard to find someone to talk to. So if you're after a small hall (150 undergrads, almost no postgrads) that's in a really great area and only a short walk from LSE then you should really consider Carr-Saunders. Feel free to ask anything you like on here. I can't promise you an unbiased answer, because my time here's been wicked so far, but I can tell you anything you want to know, even the negative stuff. You can get a decent description of the halls on the LSE accommodation site, but it doesn't really say anything about the student experience at Saunders, so that's where I can help you the most.

So fire away.

Is the hall catered or are there facilities to cook yourself?

[Ooo'Yeah]

(Original post by oakbluffs)
Hi Guys,

I'm Gareth and I'm the Hall President of Carr-Saunders for this year, which means if any of you end up at Saunders in September I've got the job, along with the rest of the committee, of organizing your Fresher's Week. I remember when I was applying for accommodation I had so many questions, and often it was hard to find someone to talk to. So if you're after a small hall (150 undergrads, almost no postgrads) that's in a really great area and only a short walk from LSE then you should really consider Carr-Saunders. Feel free to ask anything you like on here. I can't promise you an unbiased answer, because my time here's been wicked so far, but I can tell you anything you want to know, even the negative stuff. You can get a decent description of the halls on the LSE accommodation site, but it doesn't really say anything about the student experience at Saunders, so that's where I can help you the most.

So fire away.

Hi, since the halls are catered, does this mean that most of the people in the halls go down for their meals, because there only really seems to be one self catering hall, High Holborn which is quite expensive, so I was wondering if many people cook for themselves at Carr Saunders, and what the cooking facilities were Also how long does it take to walk from Carr Saunders to the LSE buildings? Thanks

[oakbluffs]

(Original post by rachie_low)
Hi, i would like to find out (as honestly as you can please ) - how clean are the toilets in Carr-Saunders? and also what's the toilet-student ratio like?
I've never had to share toilets before so I'm pretty skeptical about it as opposed to applying to places like Bankside with en-suite rooms

also, having a small population of only 150, do you feel it limits the amount of friends you make? oh and whats the student population like! ie. internationals/home students Thank you!!

Hi there!

Well the toilets are kept very clean by the cleaners, although obviously, being in a student residence, the toilets do occasionally get in a bit of a state, but you're going to get that wherever you go. They're also unisex. I'll be perfectly honest I've never had an issue with them, the showers are powerful and the bathrooms never get busy. I certainly wouldn't let any worries about toilets stop you from applying, because once you get used to it it's really fine.

Having a small population definitely doesn't limit the amount of friends you have. That depends entirely on who you meet, what the general group is like and also what you're like. There's a pretty big group of sociable people at Saunders and we all get along really well and go out together and so on. Of course if you don't find anyone at halls there are so many other places and ways of making friends at LSE it really isn't a problem. We've also got a common room which makes for a great place to meet people and socialize. You'll also find that you get to know people pretty well that are on your floor because of the shared kitchens.

With regards to the international/home student ratio it's pretty hard to say. There are a lot of internationals, but probably more home students. Either way everyone gets along fine. It's also almost entirely undergraduate.

I hope I've answered your questions alright, if you've got anymore give me a shout.

[oakbluffs]

(Original post by Chrisl12345)
Is the hall catered or are there facilities to cook yourself?

The hall is catered in that there is a restaurant on the top floor where you pay per meal. It's £2.80 and you get a really decent portion, the food's pretty good too, there's always something you're bound to like. As for the kitchens, they have everything except an oven, which is a bit of a pain, but the restaurant makes up for this, and I've found that the hob/microwave/toaster set up really is sufficient, especially since I'm not a brilliant cook!

[oakbluffs]

(Original post by Ooo'Yeah)
Hi, since the halls are catered, does this mean that most of the people in the halls go down for their meals, because there only really seems to be one self catering hall, High Holborn which is quite expensive, so I was wondering if many people cook for themselves at Carr Saunders, and what the cooking facilities were Also how long does it take to walk from Carr Saunders to the LSE buildings? Thanks

With regards to the cooking facilities I'd direct you to my above post. I think what most people seem to do is mix it up a bit, cooking some nights and eating upstairs on other nights. The canteen only offers evening meals Monday to Friday, then brunch on the weekend. The brunch is wicked though, you get 5 items for £1.90. Believe me, it'll really come in handy, especially during freshers!

It's about a 20-25 minute walk from LSE, depending on the time of day. I always walk via the British Museum, which is quieter and also means getting to walk past a few squares along the way. It'll take you just as long to get the tube/bus.

[rachie_low]

(Original post by oakbluffs)
Hi there!

Well the toilets are kept very clean by the cleaners, although obviously, being in a student residence, the toilets do occasionally get in a bit of a state, but you're going to get that wherever you go. They're also unisex. I'll be perfectly honest I've never had an issue with them, the showers are powerful and the bathrooms never get busy. I certainly wouldn't let any worries about toilets stop you from applying, because once you get used to it it's really fine.

Having a small population definitely doesn't limit the amount of friends you have. That depends entirely on who you meet, what the general group is like and also what you're like. There's a pretty big group of sociable people at Saunders and we all get along really well and go out together and so on. Of course if you don't find anyone at halls there are so many other places and ways of making friends at LSE it really isn't a problem. We've also got a common room which makes for a great place to meet people and socialize. You'll also find that you get to know people pretty well that are on your floor because of the shared kitchens.

With regards to the international/home student ratio it's pretty hard to say. There are a lot of internationals, but probably more home students. Either way everyone gets along fine. It's also almost entirely undergraduate.

I hope I've answered your questions alright, if you've got anymore give me a shout.

Hey thanks for the detailed answer. I was also wondering - How do you feel Carr Saunders fairs in comparison to Rosebery, which is twice its size and in a different location. In terms of facilities and people and rooms etc. Also, do you think the 20-25minutes walk is ridiculously long? Do you think it has a big influence on your school experience? Thanks!

[oakbluffs]

(Original post by rachie_low)
Hey thanks for the detailed answer. I was also wondering - How do you feel Carr Saunders fairs in comparison to Rosebery, which is twice its size and in a different location. In terms of facilities and people and rooms etc. Also, do you think the 20-25minutes walk is ridiculously long? Do you think it has a big influence on your school experience? Thanks!

From what I've heard I think you get a pretty similar experience at Rosebery and CarrSaunders, in that they're both small halls, even if Rosebery is twice the size of Saunders. Location wise I would say there's more going on around Saunders, as it's literally a 10 minute walk from Oxford Street, Regents Park etc. But Islington is a nice area, and I spoke to their President last week and he said it was wicked. I couldn't comment too much in terms of facilities, people and rooms as I don't know what it's like over at Rosebery, but I've visited a friend there and her room seemed pretty similar to mine in terms of size. They're surprisingly big! This probably isn't an entirely unbiased answer but I think overall Saunders is better just because of the whole small hall atmosphere we've got, but Rosebery was my second choice and I'm sure I would have been happy there too.

The walk really isn't a big deal, you can get up 35 minutes before a class/lecture starts and get there on time. Living in London you end up walking everywhere anyway, unless you get the tube/bus, but if you're living centrally often there's no need to take public transport. The walk is actually quite pleasant and I wouldn't say it's had a detrimental effect on my university experience whatsoever. Plus it's an excuse to do a bit of exercise! In terms of it affecting where you apply for accommodation, I don't think it's worth factoring in, because it soon just becomes a normal part of your day, and if you've got friends to walk in with, which I can guarantee you will because there's always someone you know walking in to a lecture/class at the same time as you, it goes by really quickly.

[Milan.]

Hey all

im also at Carr-Saunders halls im the Vice-President for the student committee
i'm happy to answer any questions aswell

i've also been fortunate enough to have visited nearly all other halls and been around them so i can help you compare and contrast them with carr-saunders

[rachie_low]

(Original post by Milan.)
Hey all

im also at Carr-Saunders halls im the Vice-President for the student committee
i'm happy to answer any questions aswell

i've also been fortunate enough to have visited nearly all other halls and been around them so i can help you compare and contrast them with carr-saunders

yay hello could you please give a rough comparison between rosebery & carr saunders please
Also, I'm having trouble deciding between High Holborn and those two!
Oh and the unisex toilets is CS seem a bit dodgy :/
Thank you (:

[Milan.]

(Original post by rachie_low)
yay hello could you please give a rough comparison between rosebery & carr saunders please
Also, I'm having trouble deciding between High Holborn and those two!
Oh and the unisex toilets is CS seem a bit dodgy :/
Thank you (:

roseberry is pretty similar in terms of the interior to carr saunders
the rooms are similar size similar layouts
roseberry is much larger, more people
roseberry has small showers which are hand sensor operated, you'll find that whilst trying to dry yourself you might accidentally activate the sensor lol...
roseberry is a very social hall
i liked how roseberry have breakfast in the mornings... but i suppose thats nothing amazing since people just about wake up in time for lectures

where carr saunders is better in my opinion is the location
carr saunders is located in the best place i could imagine, 5 mins from oxford street, a walk to all clubs in picadilly circus leicster square
good distance to LSE, same as roseberry approximately 25 min walk
roseberry is in a more quiet area where there isnt as much around
roseberry you're paying a few less £ per week but to be fair living in an area like carr saunders's you'll be more than happy to pay that extra few £

erm, not sure what else i can mention, keep asking questions!


re: high holborn....
its expensive, thats the main thing for me, if money is not an issue then i suppose high holborn is a very nice place, i've seen inside and the rooms are amazing and the place is very nice overall... in terms of social life, i dont hear many positive things, but the friends i have there seem to be enjoying it! there is a large population of orientals in high holborn
the location of high holborn is equivalent to carr saunders, they're both just opposite ends of totenham court road


the unisex bathroom and toilets at CS are not toooo much of a problem, people have such different timetables and times for doing things that you hardly ever encounter people at the same time in the showers, there are plenty of showers and there are two rooms per floor so you'll never be waiting for one ever.
the toilets, there is one female cubicle in each toilet block and theres a womens toilet on the ground floor...
i dont think people have a big problem with it, you get used to it! unless you want to be another £30 to £60 more at another halls for en suite, i think the unisex toilets work just fine

[rachie_low]

(Original post by Milan.)
roseberry is pretty similar in terms of the interior to carr saunders
the rooms are similar size similar layouts
roseberry is much larger, more people
roseberry has small showers which are hand sensor operated, you'll find that whilst trying to dry yourself you might accidentally activate the sensor lol...
roseberry is a very social hall
i liked how roseberry have breakfast in the mornings... but i suppose thats nothing amazing since people just about wake up in time for lectures

Is carr saunders not very social then? Haha how does one define 'social' anyway

[Ooo'Yeah]

(Original post by Milan.)
Hey all

im also at Carr-Saunders halls im the Vice-President for the student committee
i'm happy to answer any questions aswell

i've also been fortunate enough to have visited nearly all other halls and been around them so i can help you compare and contrast them with carr-saunders

Hi, I was wondering since most of the halls are catered, do you know many people who cook for themselves, and if these people do, do they miss out on the social side of going down to dinner with other people, or do people tend to go down to eat at different times?

[darrold]

Bankside sucks

[Milan.]

(Original post by rachie_low)
Is carr saunders not very social then? Haha how does one define 'social' anyway

carr saunders is one of the most social!
the hall is small, everyone knows everyone literally!
gossip spreads quickly
people go out in large groups together
everything is nearby so doing things together is easy
there is an amazing mix of people from all over the country and world

(Original post by Ooo'Yeah)
Hi, I was wondering since most of the halls are catered, do you know many people who cook for themselves, and if these people do, do they miss out on the social side of going down to dinner with other people, or do people tend to go down to eat at different times?

the carr saunders restaurant is open from 6 to 8pm every weekday
people do go together
people do cook together
everyone does different things, every group of people do different things

a large proportion of people at CS do cook themselves, or warm up their own food etc.
theres always people going up to the restaurant to eat
and theres also people who go out for food often

theres no definitive routine or answer to your question, everyone has varying eating habits, things change depending on what day it is, who is around, what they want to eat, whats in the 6th floor restaurant


i, for example, either have home food in my fridge so i warm that up or buy food from the supermarket or go out to eat... whatever i feel (i've made 6 fried eggs at 3am)
sometimes i feel lazy to go out for food so i check whats on the menu on the 6th floor... i dont eat there often but the food is large quantities, cheap and nearly all the time its decent food!
sometimes if im late from uni or have been out and come back after 8pm then i go out for food somewhere, theres so many places to eat near CS, literally everything imaginable exists near CS

hope this helped

[Ooo'Yeah]

(Original post by Milan.)
the carr saunders restaurant is open from 6 to 8pm every weekday
people do go together
people do cook together
everyone does different things, every group of people do different things

a large proportion of people at CS do cook themselves, or warm up their own food etc.
theres always people going up to the restaurant to eat
and theres also people who go out for food often

theres no definitive routine or answer to your question, everyone has varying eating habits, things change depending on what day it is, who is around, what they want to eat, whats in the 6th floor restaurant


i, for example, either have home food in my fridge so i warm that up or buy food from the supermarket or go out to eat... whatever i feel (i've made 6 fried eggs at 3am)
sometimes i feel lazy to go out for food so i check whats on the menu on the 6th floor... i dont eat there often but the food is large quantities, cheap and nearly all the time its decent food!
sometimes if im late from uni or have been out and come back after 8pm then i go out for food somewhere, theres so many places to eat near CS, literally everything imaginable exists near CS

hope this helped

Thanks Yes it did

[aj12345]

(Original post by oakbluffs)
Hi Guys,

I'm Gareth and I'm the Hall President of Carr-Saunders for this year, which means if any of you end up at Saunders in September I've got the job, along with the rest of the committee, of organizing your Fresher's Week. I remember when I was applying for accommodation I had so many questions, and often it was hard to find someone to talk to. So if you're after a small hall (150 undergrads, almost no postgrads) that's in a really great area and only a short walk from LSE then you should really consider Carr-Saunders. Feel free to ask anything you like on here. I can't promise you an unbiased answer, because my time here's been wicked so far, but I can tell you anything you want to know, even the negative stuff. You can get a decent description of the halls on the LSE accommodation site, but it doesn't really say anything about the student experience at Saunders, so that's where I can help you the most.

So fire away.

hey, I was just wondering whether each room had a sink and mirror? and also how carr-saunders is compared to places like bankside.

[candii]

(Original post by Milan.)
Hey all

im also at Carr-Saunders halls im the Vice-President for the student committee
i'm happy to answer any questions aswell

i've also been fortunate enough to have visited nearly all other halls and been around them so i can help you compare and contrast them with carr-saunders

Hiya,

I just wanted to ask why you think LSE has a negative reputation for not being as social as other London Unis such as King's and UCL, but you say that Carr Saunders and Rosebery Hall are very social so hearing contrasting viewpoints can be quite confusing.

Thanks

[jacky128]

(Original post by oakbluffs)
Hi Guys,

I'm Gareth and I'm the Hall President of Carr-Saunders for this year, which means if any of you end up at Saunders in September I've got the job, along with the rest of the committee, of organizing your Fresher's Week. I remember when I was applying for accommodation I had so many questions, and often it was hard to find someone to talk to. So if you're after a small hall (150 undergrads, almost no postgrads) that's in a really great area and only a short walk from LSE then you should really consider Carr-Saunders. Feel free to ask anything you like on here. I can't promise you an unbiased answer, because my time here's been wicked so far, but I can tell you anything you want to know, even the negative stuff. You can get a decent description of the halls on the LSE accommodation site, but it doesn't really say anything about the student experience at Saunders, so that's where I can help you the most.

So fire away.

It says on the LSE website that "Students wishing to stay over the Christmas and Easter vacations will be invited to apply for a space during the first term." Do you always get a place if you apply? Also does that mean you have to pack away all your stuff if you're not staying for the holidays?
In the summer holidays if you're doing an internship in London, can you stay in the hall?
Thanks