Best Accommodation at Kent ?
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Best Accommodation at Kent ?Hey I've just confirmed Kent as one of my uni choices and I want to apply for accommodation ASAP.
Which one do you guys think is best in general? Taking into account how close it is to the uni and the nightlife + the general atmosphere of the place, which can you guys recommend?
Thanks a lot! -
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Re: Best Accommodation at Kent ?I might sound biased because I live in them but I would say Park Wood Flats. I did my own research before I picked it and I'm glad I did. Let me give you a quick overview of the pros and cons:(Original post by silverstrike)
Hey I've just confirmed Kent as one of my uni choices and I want to apply for accommodation ASAP.
Which one do you guys think is best in general? Taking into account how close it is to the uni and the nightlife + the general atmosphere of the place, which can you guys recommend?
Thanks a lot!
PROS:
- Almost exactly the same but cheaper than Tyler Court flats
- Only 4-6 people per flat so no overcrowded kitchens
- New and modern en-suite rooms
- Big kitchen allows for great social place and parties
- Layout of flats mean that you get to know everyone in your 'block' really quickly - we now know almost everyone in the whole court - 18 flats or 102 people
- You meet A LOT of people - most of my friends who live in Darwin or Tyler are shocked at how many people I know... I know most people from living in the flats!
- Parkwood is really social... there are numourous parties every night - however, as the flats are right at the back you dont get as many noisy crouds as you do in the houses
- You can stay over Christmas and Easter
- You can park in the car parks (it says you cant but people do and there are no signs saying that you cant or what the fine is - making any parking fine that you might get illegal and you shouldnt need to pay it)
- It is really close to the Pavilion and sports courts/fields
- Woodys is just down the road!
CONS:
- They are the furthest out from campus - 10min walk
- They can be noisy sometimes if there are parties going on in a flat nearby
- Buses are less frequent to parkwood (though they are still really good!)
- People who live on-campus will often not be bothered to walk to parkwood - though imo they are just missing out on the very best!
- They are still fairly expensive compared to the houses
I have tried to keep that unbiased but I cannot accurately compare to other places as I have only live in the flats. I wouldn't swap for anywhere else though!
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Re: Best Accommodation at Kent ?Parkwood standard, though I live there. Don't be fooled into spending a lot of money in Tyler, because in honesty the money is not worth it and is far more expensive than off campus accomodation will be. The whole distance from Parkwood to central campus thing....really is not a lot and don't let this put you off it, you'll regret it. If you walk fast it will take you 5 mins, if slow, 10/15 mins...compare this to your second year when the nearest walk you can get is about 20 mins. The majority of houses and people are Parkwood so you will meet lots of people, and if the majority can walk 10 mins to lectures, then it can't be so bad can it (plus it is a nice walk through trees and foresty area)
Standard is the cheapest accomodation out there, and personally I think its great. The rooms are a good size, we share a bathroom with 1 shower (thi shasn't caused any problems, cos people take showers at different times) and there is one toilet downstairs too. The kitchen is larger in Parkwood superior but again I wouldn't bother paying that much to have a bit of a bigger kitchen and an extyra shower..you use the kitchen to cook, it doesn't have to be bigger than you need it. Then again I would prefer to spend the extra £100 a month or whatever it is on clothes, than have slightly better accomodation, you might not. Depends how much money you have to spend and live on after accomodation, do you want to live in luxury as a student and worry about if you can afford anythign more than Asda own food or go for a cheap option that will allow you a lot more flexibility when you go out and what you do.
Also another important thign to consider- even though it will seem like very far away at the minute, in your first year December/january, you need to start thinking about houses for the second year, and so you will need to be able to afford 200/300/400 sometimes even 500 pounds for a deposit and various other things at the time to secure the house for the second year, you should be okay if you have a student loan, but still a huge amount of money that will go out of your first year loan.
Put short- I have a great time where I live and have had no problems at all! and I pay the least at Pasrkwood standard...go figure.Last edited by Nicoley; 05-02-2011 at 17:12. -
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Re: Best Accommodation at Kent ?also I don't doubt you all have but you need to compare all the prices agianst your loan and how much loan you get each term,which can be found here
http://www.kent.ac.uk/accommodation/...-2011-2012.pdf -
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Re: Best Accommodation at Kent ?Yeah i've already checked the price page.(Original post by Nicoley)
also I don't doubt you all have but you need to compare all the prices agianst your loan and how much loan you get each term,which can be found here
http://www.kent.ac.uk/accommodation/...-2011-2012.pdf
When you say PW standard do you mean the 5/6 room houses and the flats are the "superior"?
What are the major differences between the houses and flats? -
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Re: Best Accommodation at Kent ?Ahh i had a picture of my ****ty room last year somewhere but idk where that is now.(Original post by silverstrike)
I've been trying to find pics of the inside of PW houses, anyone know where there are any good ones?
Also is the accommodation coed?
I was in one of the really cheap parkwood houses. The atmosphere was great but I kind of got the short end of the stick with an extremely small room. The rooms are different sizes, most are quite a good size but the one I was in was just tiny, hardly any space at all, and the amount of stuff I had was ridiculous.
It is so much fun though, you meet so many people. Some houses obviously are more fun than others.
It will be mixed sexes yeah, usually they seem to have a good balance (e.g. two boys three girls, or three boys two girls). I think also you might be able to request not to be put in a mixed sex house? but I could be wrong, and I don't know how they deal with those requests.
edit: here we go, this was my room, sorry for awful picture
Last edited by thecaterpillar; 06-02-2011 at 12:39. -
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Re: Best Accommodation at Kent ?They really are very nice... they were only built a few years ago so they still feel new and modern. If I had not got here, I probably would have wanted a 6 bed Parkwood Superior House as a second choice. Parkwood really is a great place to be in! :-)
Glad to have helped :-)(Original post by silverstrike)
Thanks a lot Yorkie! That really helped -
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Re: Best Accommodation at Kent ?Thanks for the pic caterpillar. I dont know why they dont make it really easy to find pictures of the accommodation, those minute and a half promo vids are USELESS.
I think im going to apply as:
Park Wood Suprerior
Park Wood FLats
Park Wood standard
Darwin
:P -
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Re: Best Accommodation at Kent ?What Nicoley said about Park Wood superior being £100 a month more expensive a month then Park Wood standard isn't true (unless the prices are a lot different this year).(Original post by silverstrike)
Thanks for the pic caterpillar. I dont know why they dont make it really easy to find pictures of the accommodation, those minute and a half promo vids are USELESS.
I think im going to apply as:
Park Wood Suprerior
Park Wood FLats
Park Wood standard
Darwin
:P
Park Wood superior this year are paying £300 more for the 39 weeks, which includes an extra shower and a bigger kitchen. That is about £31 more a month. -
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Re: Best Accommodation at Kent ?NOT rutherford or eliot. Tyler court seems to be the best (that was my first choice) but it's the most expensive. I'm in Darwin houses - they're one of the nicest types of accomodation on campus and were all refurbished and decorated over the summer, however I would have prefered to live in halls ( my house isn't too social). Parkwood flats are great, but if you develop Campus syndrome (complete laziness) they can be a bit of a walk into the main campus.
I would say, tyler if you're prepared to pay extra
Parkwood if you're prepared for the extra distance
Darwin houses if you're not too fussed about being in halls.
