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University of leeds - Accommodation (mature student)

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(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Mister Dead
I'm a mature student starting a science course in September. I've been looking at the university accommodation and i'm struggling to decide whether I want to stay in a uni residence or go private.

I'm 32 and kinda not really that into partying anymore, but, I'm really not sure I want to cut myself out of the uni residence scene altogether. I know that when doing my access course this year, contact with other students is one of the things that's helped get me through it, both socially and with regard to supporting each other though the work.

The Leeds uni accommodation for mature students really looks kinda GRIM (grayson towers - sounds like the scene for a bad 80s horror flick). I'm really not that into the look of it!

So basically - I want somehwere where i'm going to get a fair bit of peace and quiet but somewhere where i'm not totally out of the loop re. contact with other students.

So if anyone has any experience of the various residences available and can offer any words of advice then that's be great.

cheers


I'm in a very similar position and am a bit worried about going in to halls as I will (hopefully!) be on a very intensive course that will basically be like a full time job with studying on top, I can't really be in halls with crazy 18 year olds and will need sleep but I don't want to be cut off from everybody and still want to make friends! I'm thinking of applying to Clarence Dock or possibly The Tannery and it is possible to state on your application (in the "other" box) any other preferences, such as prefering to be in a flat with other matire students or others on a similar course, so I'm thinking of doing that? I've heard that Sentinel Towers is largely postgrads and international students, so is a lot quieter. I don't want to be with completely unsociable people though.... I'm thinking if the halls don;t work out, it is possible to ask to be transferred elsewhere, so could always go to Sentinel Towers then? Or I might just go for private but very concerned that will cause me to be isolated :frown: arghhh.... what are your thoughts?
The Great Hall at University of Leeds
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Reply 2
I'm think Clarence Dock is quite a distance from the University and so you might want to think carefully about that - you could be adding up to an hour or two commuting onto your day, and in winter when it will be cold and rainy A LOT. It'll also add to your travel expenses. On the plus side, it looks the most attractive setting.

I had planned to flat share with a friend that I met at college this year. Between us we could have rented a nice enough place in the centre for the same as halls. It was pretty unexpected for me when her application (radiography) wasn't successful. So my plans have been shaken up a bit late in the day.

R.e. Sentinel towers - I've heard the same thing: postgrads and int students. Possibly the best bet. I think all the rooms are en-suite, also.
Original post by Mister Dead
I'm think Clarence Dock is quite a distance from the University and so you might want to think carefully about that - you could be adding up to an hour or two commuting onto your day, and in winter when it will be cold and rainy A LOT. It'll also add to your travel expenses. On the plus side, it looks the most attractive setting.

I had planned to flat share with a friend that I met at college this year. Between us we could have rented a nice enough place in the centre for the same as halls. It was pretty unexpected for me when her application (radiography) wasn't successful. So my plans have been shaken up a bit late in the day.

R.e. Sentinel towers - I've heard the same thing: postgrads and int students. Possibly the best bet. I think all the rooms are en-suite, also.


It's not as much of an issue for me, because 3 days out of 5 I will most likely be commuting out of Leeds anyway to my placement, only going to be at the Uni for 2 days, so parking is maybe more important for me though obviously might not be for you :wink: The Tannery would be really handy if my placement ends up being in one of the Leeds hospitals though because I'd just be able to walk everywhere! Unfortunately, I'm not going to know where my placement will be until after we have to apply for accommodation :frown:

I like the idea of renting somewhere close to the Uni (or maybe Headingly/Hyde Park) but I'm worried I would end up with people who are in their 2nd/3rd years and won't be interested in becoming friends, therefore causing me to become isolated from others...

Sentinel Towers is en-suite. Here's the Uni's info on it:

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/accommodation/sentineltowers/index.htm

doesn't look too bad at all but it all depends on who you end up in a flat with really.
Reply 4
Hi, my position is somewhat similar to you guys (Mister Dead you replied to my thread). I'll be a mature postgrad though, whcih limits my choice of uni halls to this list >>> http://www.leeds.ac.uk/accommodation/postgraduate.html. Girlwithsharpteeth, will you be an undergrad too?

I applied to Grayson Heights as I thought internally it looked ok! Rooms look quite big and it's cheap. Problem is I'm not guaranteed a halls place and won't have it confirmed one way or the other by July and looks like a lot of the private places are filling up pretty fast!
Original post by N.Monkey
Hi, my position is somewhat similar to you guys (Mister Dead you replied to my thread). I'll be a mature postgrad though, whcih limits my choice of uni halls to this list >>> http://www.leeds.ac.uk/accommodation/postgraduate.html. Girlwithsharpteeth, will you be an undergrad too?

I applied to Grayson Heights as I thought internally it looked ok! Rooms look quite big and it's cheap. Problem is I'm not guaranteed a halls place and won't have it confirmed one way or the other by July and looks like a lot of the private places are filling up pretty fast!


Yes, I'm afraid I will also be an undergrad :redface: it makes your position a little easier in some ways - you have the option of PG halls which means that you won't have to worry about being housed with a lot of crazy drunken 18 year olds who might completely ignore anyone who isn't wanting to drink constantly... something I worry about a bit! You should be housed with similar people which will make socialising (and studying in a quieter environment) that much easier. The list of halls with PG areas:

•Grayson Heights
•Leodis
•Montague Burton
•Sentinel Towers
•Smaller Residences
•Charles Morris

It depends on what you are wanting really. Catered/self catered? Close to campus? En-suite? Price? Sociability? If you are wanting a private place then again, it depends on how fixed you are about what you want. There are going to still be places in July/August available, they just might not be the most popular ones or the ones that you would have preferred. I think living in private accommodation is fine personally, it just depends if you want to meet only Leeds Uni students from a social aspect for the first year (in Uni halls as in private there will be a mix from all colleges/Unis) - after that, everyone will be renting privately anyway. Beware that though the inital price of many private places can seem cheaper, they often don't have bills/internet etc. included in the rental cost and I've heard some horror stories about the landlords not fixing all sorts of problems and keeping the deposists for no reason (but when it's your word against theirs it can be difficult if you didn't take photos/notes of the condition of the place beforehand), which I would hope would be less of an issue in a Uni run place. There are some really lovely private places to rent though. Depends on what is important to you :wink: the way I see it, if you apply for a Uni room and get offered somewhere that isn't suitable, you can always turn it down and rent privately at that point, though as I said, there may be a more limited choice as to what is available by then... I quite like the look of Grayson Heights myself, the area is good, the rooms and kitchens look great, it's pretty close to everything (including supermarket and gym) and you'll hopefully be with similar people. BUT, personally I might really need a car (for my course I'll be at a hospital placement 3 days of the week and this could be up to a 2.5 hour drive away! Hopefully not though...), so parking is a must until I find out if I'm being placed somewhere a bit easier to get to and Grayson Heights has very limited parking :frown: again, all about your priorities.

Sorry for the ramble!
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 6
http://gli-students.com/leeds/student-accommodation/residences/st-marks-court

Check this out. I have friends who live there and they are extremely pleased with the place. It's quite and the same time it doesn't feel completely isolated as you are living in a building with others students.The location is very good too.

Hope that was of any use :wink:
Have a look on the unipol website as well, especially the 'noticeboard' bit, there are a lot of postgrads who look for accommodation there, late 20s age wise, new to Leeds.

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