[u.-.n-kill-n.-.me]

hey guys ,,,

I am very happy to find this forum which enable me to be in contact with students from all over the world specially in UCLAN .

I am from Egypt and i studying now in Oman and am doing my third year about the well engineering ( mechanical engineering ) , and am going to do my fourth year in UCLAN to get the bachelor degree in the next year ( 2012-2013 ) .

actually i have no idea about the accommodation and the life in Preston , so i need ur help guys by telling me more about the suitable accommodation and give me idea about the life there , for example ,

1- I will come with group of my friends ( 5 persons ) , do u advise us to rent a house , or book for student rooms ?

2- if you prefer student rooms , which hall you advise to book in ? specially when u know that i found most of halls are full now


2- can any one help us to book for halls or houses ?


3- for a student , what will be the monthly budget including the rent ( approximately ) ?



Thanks very much

[laura_ann]

For student halls if you're an international student they usually ask for full payment. Some hall rents include utility bills also so you'd just be spending on other stuff you need i.e. food etc.
Here are some halls within Preston:

http://www.libertyliving.co.uk/

www.brunel-court.co.uk/Preston-Student

www.warehouseapartments.co.uk

www.crm-students.com

[Boo_x]

Hey if you all want to live together, it is quite late to find somewhere for 5 people live in the same house/flat. Most of the decent ones this size go by feb/march. You may be lucky though try here for houses. For flats prices can range from £40-£80 per a week per a person excluding bills (which are generally around £10 a week extra, it all depends how much you use though obviously).
I'm guessing you won't be able to come over here and view them? In that case research how far away from the uni they are (most are 30 mins walk max), any reviews of the landlords

As for halls have you looked at applying through the uni accomodation service? See here . These can range from around £60 to £110 a week, but include all bills. There is lots of info about the uni owned ones on their website.
As for private ones there is liberty living, which own both trinity and foundary court which are right next/on campus, Brunel Court, IQ Kopa, Ladywell and Moor Lane. That's just some of the links, read around this forum for reviews of them are there are pros/cons of each.

The only thing I would say is be aware of contract lengths. A lot of halls run for 42 week contacts, meaning you can move into the halls in september and stay until early july. But houses often run a full 52 week contract meaning you can move in july til july. It might mean you end up paying more because of a longer contract.

Budget depends massivly on the student/type of accomadation. If you're in a house I would say average £70 for rent + bills, £40 a week living costs so £110 a week...£440 a month. For halls it's slightly more on average + another £25ish a week.

[u.-.n-kill-n.-.me]

Laura and Boo , tx very much for your help and am going to go through your links ,,

I will be very happy if u give me idea about presto generally , is it interesting to study and life there .

Some people advised me to get individual accommodation or sharing accommodation away from my friends to get more experience from other cultures , do u advise this ?

Tx again

[AminurRahman]

Hi, you can also look at the UCLan student pad for accommodation if you like > http://www.uclanstudentpad.co.uk/

I'd recommend living apart from your friends because then you'll all meet different people and socialise a lot more, most of the halls spaces have gone now, but you can try the private halls, and be lucky, you can try UCLan accommodation, but you are not likely to get somewhere like IQ Kopa or Roeburn Halls, as these are en-suite and tend to go quickly. Although, all private halls are just as good, and are quite similar, although if you're looking to socialise, you won't find much of it in private halls, as a lot of them are filled with 2nd/3rd years & they tend to be stuck in their assignments etc most of the times.

UCLan in general is a nice place, everything is close and nearby. There are local convenience stores near all accommodation places & takeaways. The town centre where all the big retailers are is 10-15 minute walk from UCLan, all student accommodation is close by the campus, & the library is open 24/7, so you can go whenever you like. The nightlife here is not bad, there are some decent places, and somewhere to go every night, but don't expect too much. To sum it up, Preston is pretty interesting, not the best place to be, but good enough for a decent student experience.