What is the accommodation at Nottingham University like?

This is quite a broad question, so I appologise ><

Basically, i'm referring to to halls of residence at University park.

First off all, what are the rooms like? Is it like a kitchen and a few rooms per apartment and each student has their own room but shares the rest of the apartment?

Also, on the website, it is said that accommodation is guaranteed for first years students, assuming i get it, is it random what apartment or even block i get? Am i likely to get put with random students too?

Thanks a lot x)

Reply 1

remanda

Hi! I'm just finishing my first year at Nottingham. If you're looking at University Park, there are catered halls on the campus itself or there's self-catered Broadgate Park just next door, about 15 minutes walk from main campus.

The way the system works is that you pick whether you go catered/self-catered, then you pick the type of room you want, and they allocate you to a random hall depending on the type of room you chose. All the rooms are generally very nice and a decent size, but the it can vary quite a lot - I'm in a large single study in catered halls (so I get a larger room, double bed and fridge) but I've got a friend who chose a single study and hers is about the same size as mine. Luck of the draw really!

I'm not an expert, but at Broadgate I think there are two general types of rooms - one where you have the kitchen within your room and one where you share it with other people (usually about 3-5 I think). From a social point of view, I'd recommend sharing a kitchen, unless you're crazy about cleanliness, as you've got other people about most of the time. Having got to know a lot of people so far, it's unlikely you'll get put with any nasties!

It's also worth saying that although at face value catered is more expensive, it can be really good value for money. You get breakfast and dinner in hall (the food is pretty good) and then about £5 allowance for lunch, which you can get in hall or at any of the many cafes on campus (also very good!). On weekends, you get cooked brunch and dinner. It's also not too difficult to cook your own food is push comes to shove - you don't get an oven but microwaves are amazing things :smile:

With regards to the room setup, most rooms are laid out along corridors, with either an en-suite/one bathroom shared either between a couple of people/between a whole corridor (not more than about 8 or 9 people) depending on which room type you choose. Having an en-suite is ok, but I wouldn't say worth the money - the communal bathrooms are very private, and get cleaned well every day, which you won't get in an en-suite/self-catered.

Whichever option you choose, you'll get put with people you don't know. Ok, it's a bit nerve-wracking for the first day or so, but it's really easy to make friends so I'd advise choosing somewhere where you'll have other people to hang out with for the rest of the year you're there. Like I said before, it's unusual to get put with people you really don't like. I think if you have extenuating circumstances, like a disability, you can choose which hall/apartment you get, but other than that, they decide for you.

Good luck, and just ask if you have any more questions :smile:

University of Nottingham

Nottingham

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Reply 2

Catalyst