The Student Room Group
St Salvators Quad, University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews

Ultimate St Andrews Accommodation Thread

Scroll to see replies

Reply 20
Madjackismad
x


Meteorshower
x


Daniel-Ballingall
x


LGF92
x


See since you guys are all so awesome (:wink:), fancy doing mini guides to the halls you've stayed in like the ones already in the OP? :awesome:
I'll give you a reward.. I just don't know what yet :ninja:
I know we have DRA, McIntosh and I think FPA and somewhere else(?) amongst you :biggrin:
St Salvators Quad, University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
Original post by Ecosse_14
See since you guys are all so awesome (:wink:), fancy doing mini guides to the halls you've stayed in like the ones already in the OP? :awesome:
I'll give you a reward.. I just don't know what yet :ninja:
I know we have DRA, McIntosh and I think FPA and somewhere else(?) amongst you :biggrin:


1. I didn't stay in halls but I guess I could add to things since I've been to quite a few of them
2. I'm actually transferring out of St Andrews (bu not for bad reasons about the uni, more I just want change my course)
3. Sorry if this ^is coming across blunt, just came back from the states and I'm pretty tired.
Reply 22
Original post by Daniel-Ballingall
1. I didn't stay in halls but I guess I could add to things since I've been to quite a few of them
2. I'm actually transferring out of St Andrews (bu not for bad reasons about the uni, more I just want change my course)
3. Sorry if this ^is coming across blunt, just came back from the states and I'm pretty tired.


1. I knew that as soon as I saw you quoted me.
2. I used to like you :frown: Where you heading?
3. Have fun?
Original post by Ecosse_14
1. I knew that as soon as I saw you quoted me.
2. I used to like you :frown: Where you heading?
3. Have fun?


1. :tongue:
2. N'aw, I'm sorry. I'll still lurk around though. :smile: And I'm heading to study Pharmacy at Aberdeen. -you may/may not be thinking "but St Andrews does Pharmacology?" If you are, that's completely different and doesn't make you a Pharmacist.
3. Yeah it was so awesome! Much needed. But now I'm trying to catch up with the time here and reacclimatise :frown:
Your break been good so far?
Reply 24
Original post by Daniel-Ballingall
1. :tongue:
2. N'aw, I'm sorry. I'll still lurk around though. :smile: And I'm heading to study Pharmacy at Aberdeen. -you may/may not be thinking "but St Andrews does Pharmacology?" If you are, that's completely different and doesn't make you a Pharmacist.
3. Yeah it was so awesome! Much needed. But now I'm trying to catch up with the time here and reacclimatise :frown:
Your break been good so far?


Tbh, I had no idea St Andrews does pharmacology. Anyway, good luck at Aberdeen.. I guess :wink: :tongue: You should still post here :yep:
My break has been good thanks! Not that I've done very much. I was already back up visiting St Andrews for a few days last week :awesome:

And just to bring this back on topic... any suggestions to improve the thread?
Original post by Ecosse_14
Tbh, I had no idea St Andrews does pharmacology. Anyway, good luck at Aberdeen.. I guess :wink: :tongue: You should still post here :yep:
My break has been good thanks! Not that I've done very much. I was already back up visiting St Andrews for a few days last week :awesome:

And just to bring this back on topic... any suggestions to improve the thread?


Well it does Pharmacology modules and you could end with a Chemistry degree with Pharmacology which is as close as it gets.
N'aw, you wee regular. :tongue: I just found out I didn't get a ticket to go see Sir David Attenborough's lecture this Tuesday :cry:

Not really tbh. I think what you're doing right now's pretty awesome :biggrin: I think you should remember that the accommodation website is pretty detailed and that we shouldn't be expected to say everything about the accommodation but more the little things that only current students would know?
Saves a lot of work. :smile:
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 26
Original post by Daniel-Ballingall
Well it does Pharmacology modules and you could end with a Chemistry degree with Pharmacology which is as close as it gets.
N'aw, you wee regular. :tongue: I just found out I didn't get a ticket to go see Sir David Attenborough's lecture this Tuesday :cry:

Not really tbh. I think what you're doing right now's pretty awesome :biggrin: I think you should remember that the accommodation website is pretty detailed and that we shouldn't be expected to say everything about the accommodation but more the little things that only current students would know?
Saves a lot of work. :smile:


Oh, interesting, I'll have to remember that incase I come across any pharmacology prospective students next year :colone:
Aww :frown: I've just read an email saying I can meet Sir Peter Lampl on Friday who's getting an honorary degree from the uni.

Yeah, that's true. Thank you :smile:
Wonder when we'll get all the "I'm in X hall, ANYBODY ELSE?" posts rolling in.. shouldn't be long now.

Spoiler

Reply 27
Original post by Ecosse_14
Oh, interesting, I'll have to remember that incase I come across any pharmacology prospective students next year :colone:
Aww :frown: I've just read an email saying I can meet Sir Peter Lampl on Friday who's getting an honorary degree from the uni.

Yeah, that's true. Thank you :smile:
Wonder when we'll get all the "I'm in X hall, ANYBODY ELSE?" posts rolling in.. shouldn't be long now.

Spoiler




Right on cue.:biggrin:

Got an offer for an ensuite single in New Hall. Seems New Hall will be entirely self catered this year and £30 more than DRA.

Gonna be strange though as in DRA it was people sharing a flat (relative went there) and this is gonna be lots of people not really sharing anything if you get what I mean.
Reply 28
Original post by Top Dog


Got an offer for an ensuite single in New Hall. Seems New Hall will be entirely self catered this year and £30 more than DRA.

Gonna be strange though as in DRA it was people sharing a flat (relative went there) and this is gonna be lots of people not really sharing anything if you get what I mean.


I am in New Hall too! And have just discovered that we all get double beds which is pretty neat. The picture of the kitchen on the st adnrews website is pretty garish haha, but i'm hoping it's nice!

What do you mean we won't really share?
Reply 29
Original post by Heraspax
I am in New Hall too! And have just discovered that we all get double beds which is pretty neat. The picture of the kitchen on the st adnrews website is pretty garish haha, but i'm hoping it's nice!

What do you mean we won't really share?


Congrats! By not sharing I mean that in DRA you and 4/5 others were in the same flat and so shared the kitchen/living space and got to know people.

At New Hall as far as I'm aware there are not enclosed flats and it is just lots of corridors of rooms. Though tbh they are changing loads of it so they will have to improve it so that there is one kitchen per 4/5 people so I suppose you will still meet people that way.

Please let their be some first year biologists in New Hall.......:smile: other than me.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 30
I was given a shared room in Sallies! :smile: But it is in Block-D. I cannot find a floor plan of it, and I have heard that it's cut off from the rest of the Hall. Is this true?
Reply 31
Original post by Fluidity
I was given a shared room in Sallies! :smile: But it is in Block-D. I cannot find a floor plan of it, and I have heard that it's cut off from the rest of the Hall. Is this true?


I'm pretty sure my friend was in block D. It's not cut off. It's just a newer bit down a corridor.
Hi I'm on a gap year atm and have had an email today from st andrews re. accommodation.
I assume by the accommodation code you mean the reference sent by email? If so can you give me a hand in decoding? The beginning of my ref is S67
Does this relate to Sallies?
I can't recall exactly but hasn't some of Sallies been renovated recently?

Would appreciate any help you can give

Fiona
Reply 33
Original post by fionaglarvey1
Hi I'm on a gap year atm and have had an email today from st andrews re. accommodation.
I assume by the accommodation code you mean the reference sent by email? If so can you give me a hand in decoding? The beginning of my ref is S67
Does this relate to Sallies?
I can't recall exactly but hasn't some of Sallies been renovated recently?

Would appreciate any help you can give

Fiona

The code beginning with S67 is just a code for administration purposes. You should be able to click "View" or something along from that?
Yeh I thought that might be the case. If i click the link then I need the student ID which I don't have as yet.
Thanks anyway, will be back tomorrow when I know :smile:
Hello everybody! I'm going to be Senior Student for Andrew Melville Hall for next year and I've been noticing some posts around the site where users don't seem very keen. Naturally, I understand the horror upon seeing the building- yes, it is a laughing stock. Admittedly it's not attractive from the outside like Sallies, Regs or McIntosh but I would really discourage you from judging the hall harshly based SOLEY on its exterior before you hear any of the plethora of stories that convey nothing but Melville LOVE.

What I've come here to do it to throw Andrew Melville Hall into a more favourable light and dispel any myths or rumours that you've either heard about Melville or decided upon seeing its exterior (it's OK- we roll with the jokes). Having lived there for my first two years at St Andrews (this year's my final year studying Medicine there) I can whole-heartedly recommend the Melville experience. Melville has been nothing but positive for myself and all my friends who have lived there. Would I waste my valuable time in the summer holidays recommending it to you or, indeed, waste my time representing something I didn't truly believe in? Of course not!

First of all, the matter of the building's exterior. Yes, the building may have been likened to two sinking ships (then again, New Hall was designed to resemble a Swedish prison) and is a concrete remnant of the not-so-glorious architectural age of the 1960s. I absolutely empathise- the building is not the most attractive, especially compared to Sallies. However, having spent a significant amount of time at Sallies in first year, I can safely say that Melville is far warmer. The rooms may be small but they conserve heat very efficiently, especially in comparison to the older halls and you're going to really notice that when your friends from the ancient halls have the hideous middle-of-semester flu which you have managed to avoid.

Regarding the location of the building itself, it may rightly be seen as one of the halls farthest out of town. If you walk at a reasonable pace, you can reach town easily within ten minutes. Another positive is that if you're a scientist or medic, your classes are three minutes away. If you're artistically inclined and have classes in town, you're going to get exercise. It is rightly said that a high proportion of all University students gain weight especially in first year. Walking will keep the weight off and will provide excellent opportunity to walk into town with your new classmates. You're bound to make friends and find people to sit next to in classes this way (I speak from experience, having made very close bonds this way). Also, Melville is far out of town... for St Andrews. Ten minutes. You could be in Glasgow where lots of halls are forty minutes away from lectures. Comparatively, St Andrews could fit into your pocket.

The hall is renowned for having a really strong community atmosphere, and the Melvillites are known as some of the friendliest and most sociable students at the University. We have regular drinking and pizza socials in-halls funded by Hall Committee. These are always extremely popular and are a fantastic way to kick off your weekend. Melville socials are often so popular that it is not uncommon to see non-Melvillites sneaking in. For the recent nuptials of our most famous alumni, a certain Mr William Wales and Miss Kate Middleton, Melville rose to the occasion by hosting an extremely well-attended and raucously-received Pimms party on the lawn. You never have to worry about feeling lonely in Andrew Melville Hall.

Around 250 students live here during the academic year, the vast majority of these in single rooms so you don't have to worry about roommates, in a set-up of five main blocks (A-E). Rooms are in corridors of eight, usually with two toilets, a water-boiler (convenient for coffee during late nights) and showering facilities, although some corridors have one toilet and a bath. You get to know your neighbours quite well which is fantastic during Freshers' Week for making friends quickly. The set-up of blocks means that you always seem to be running into people in the corridors and meeting new people in the lobby any time you go out. Each room looks out onto surrounding parkland, home to a large profusion of wild rabbits and the odd heron lurking by the lake. Our hall committee is also very actively involved in organising numerous successful social events throughout the semester, not to mention, much-anticipated Christmas and Summer Balls to celebrate the end of each semester. Students are heartily encouraged to partake in suggesting and organising hall events.

Year on year our Hall Committee gets better and better. This past year, the committee organised a massively successful ball each semester respectively. In fact, the Christmas Ball was so successful that demand for tickets out-stripped supply for the Summer Ball. Naturally, the hall fee that you pay with accommodation fees means that entry to the summer ball is free for residents and the Christmas Ball usually costs under £5 per resident.

Andrew Melville Hall is perfect not only to suit the sociable, but also the academic (reluctant or otherwise) amongst you. Its three common rooms have a pool table, table-tennis table, organ, vending machines, television and a piano when students want to chill out after a long day of classes. It also has two study rooms at the end of each “ship”, one with a computer room and the other with a small library. These are ideal for studying for exams and writing essays. Another positive is that our wardens and sub-wardens are extremely friendly and helpful if you ever need them.

Students are served 19 delicious meals per week (the food improves every year) in the Dining Room, which boasts beautiful panoramic views of the world famous Old Course. At the weekends, or in the likely event of hunger striking mid-study session, students can cook using one of the 3 well-equipped kitchens. Each kitchen has lockers, fridges and freezers where perishable goods can be stored.

If all this has not convinced you of Melville’s sheer magnificence, an interesting piece of trivia is that Andrew Melville Hall featured (for a whole 6 seconds) in the 2010 adaption of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel “Never Let Me Go”, featuring Keira Knightley. If Andrew Melville Hall has the A-list seal of approval, we’d love you to give it yours.

Please don't be discouraged from applying to Melville. As one of the heads of Hall Committee this year, I have been so inspired by the previous year's committee and I can say with all my heart that this year is going to be absolutely phenomenal for the Melvillites. Last year we won Inter-Hall Sports and the Inter-Hall Energy competition and I know that things will keep improving. I'm really keen that we uphold the excellent tradition of winning (not in the Charlie Sheen sense of the word) award and gaining more recognition as a Hall. The Alex Wilson Memorial Sports Award was newly presented this year to the member of Hall who contributes most to sport and we hope that it will encourage the sporty among you to represent Melville as we compete (and hopefully win) against other Halls.

If any of you have any queries about Andrew Melville Hall then please don't hesitate to drop me a message and I will respond to you as soon as possible.

Hope you're all having a wonderful summer and I hope to see you in Melville next semester! :smile: xx
Reply 36
Original post by maryelizabethconn
x


I'll edit that into the OP for Melville :smile:
Reply 37
Original post by maryelizabethconn
xx


I was hoping you'd be able to answer a few questions for me (:

1. Typical girl question I know but how many people share a toilet/shower? And please tell me they aren't disgusting :P
2. How many people share a kitchen?
3. Do you know if my room's AME122 (Not really my room just in case :biggrin:) if the 1 is ground floor or first floor?

Think that's all for the moment :P
Hello Lulope! First of all, congratulations on getting into St Andrews and, even more importantly, getting into Melville :smile: I hope I've answered your questions adequetly :smile:

1. Usually 8 people share a shower and a bathroom. In some corridors there are two toilets and one shower for eight people. In other corridors there's one toilet, a shower and a bath (nobody ever uses the bath to my knowledge). Either way, absolutely do not worry. If memory serves me correctly, the toilets are cleaned every day, if not once every two days. The cleaners are exceptionally nice and they do their jobs really well. In both years that I've lived in Melville, I have never walked into a toilet to find it totally disgusting. Also, the floors are organised according to gender so you'll be with all girls so really the only offensive smells are the occasional cheap deodorant or burning hair when there's a ball :P

2. There are three kitchens in Melville. There's a big kitchen for A and B blocks and two smaller kitchens for C, D and E blocks. We only need to to cook out of the neccessity at the weekends because we are a catered hall. There are two ovens, toasters, microwaves, a big fridge and big freezer in each kitchen and several lockers (if you want one, I recommend you turn up early during Freshers' or they'll be gone). With any hall of residence, whatever's in the fridge can be stolen so, out of common sense, it's better to just store what you're going to eat. Naturally, at the weekends the kitchens do tend to get messy because of the volume of people using them. However, next year, I'm hoping that we'll be successful in making a big effort to get people to wash up after themselves. The kitchens are cleaned every Monday so the ovens and surfaces are never mouldy.

3. You can't tell by the room number where your room is going to be because of the architecture of the building. If you want to post your room number here I can take an educated guess about which floor you're on. For example, I'm in E207 which means that I'm in E-block but on the bottom floor. Confusingly, E250 is on the top floor of E-block. I hasten to add that there are a couple of other blocks with strange letterings that do exist so don't panic if you get SW1 or something along those lines. In terms of blocks, A is usually all male, B is mixed (women up; men down), C is mixed (that's where the laundry is FYI- males up; women down, I think)), D is all female and E is mixed (men up; women down).

Another point is that you should bring our own bed linen (duvet, pillow, linen etc) in Freshers' Week. I'd advise bringing warm duvets and things so you can be sure of the warmth in the winter :smile:

If you have any more questions then please do get in touch again. I'm so looking forward to meeting you Freshers in September :smile: Do join the facebook group! :smile:
Original post by Ecosse_14
I'll edit that into the OP for Melville :smile:


Thank you :smile:

Quick Reply

Latest