[bcay_ayling]

I know there are about 20 different threads asking this very question, but every time a different hall seems to come out on top. So I want to know which really is the best of the two.

The big differences seem to be:

JM:
- Bigger and better kitchen
- More sociable (arguable)
- No common room
- No integral laundrette

AV:
- Quiet and totally unsociable
- Big common room, ironically for socialising
- Bigger rooms
- Further from SU

So which really is better, and is it true that JM is a little bit more sociable than AV, or is it all lies?

[Bea492]

Since sociable people is of highest importance to me I think I'll be going for JM first choice, Rootes second choice. Although gutted JM doesn't have a common room like AV does. Any current students got any opinions? I'd be grateful to read the comments!

[hannah.austin]

I live in AV and I really wouldn't base your choice on how 'sociable' AV is or isn't. Instead, write about how sociable you are on the personal statement section of the application.
The reason I say this is that my kitchen are an incredibly sociable, friendly group of people, we all wrote that we enjoy going out on our personal statements and got put together. The common room is an absolute god send for socialising - JM's kitchen situation isn't that ideal and people from JM often come and drink in our common room because it's more comfortable.
Then again, I know unsociable people from both AV and JM, and I'm sure it varies from year to year
I would definitely go for AV if I had the choice again, but obviously I'm biased
Feel free to message or quote me if you have anymore questions

[beckster824]

JM is awesome but I would say that as I was there in my 1st year. There is a general feeling that AV is less sociable than JM so you might get certain types of people applying for that particular accommodation just because of that, like I didn't apply for Rootes because of its reputation. But tbh it really depends on who you are with in your corridor. ie what you put in the about you section as the tutors match you up pretty well. Saying that, I kind of became an adopted member of another kitchen as I became friends with them and was with them all the time rather than people in my own kitchen.

Personally, I don't think the lack of a common room was ever really an issue as the kitchen was always big enough, yes its not as comfortable but there are always peoples' rooms. The rooms are also very decent sizes, I don't remember how much smaller they are compared to AV ones.

In fairness to AV, it's not that much further from the SU

[matt2k8]

One of my friends lived in AV last year and the corridor next to her went out multiple times a week even during exam time - there is social (and non social) corridors in all accommodation.