[2015] The Ultimate Guide to New Halls - Clifton Campus Accommodation

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TV and Internet - There are no aerial sockets in the rooms or kitchen and NO signal from an indoor aerial. If you wish to watch TV, buy a TV license and watch it online on tvcatchup.com

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Studentcom is the internet provider here. They offer a free broadband package of 20MB which is upgrade-able to 60MB for ~£80 for the year. The upgrade package is a waste of money. Currently the Internet here is really bad and at peak times you will be lucky to pull 20MB download speeds due to contention on the network. This means that there isn't enough bandwidth to go around for everyone to use the Internet at full speeds at the same time. Studentcom have acknowledged this and said they are in talks with UPP about upgrading but there is no ETA as of yet.

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There are cable holes in the desk and the shelves above it for your cable management and plenty of room under the table for a computer tower if you wish to bring one.

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Ethernet (internet) sockets - You will find a 2m Ethernet cable in your room, but this won't reach till the end of your bed so you may need to buy a 3-5m cable which are fairly cheap. Studentcom Wi-Fi is garbage. Invest in a decent speed router (between £10-£20 on eBay) and use that for wireless as it will be much more reliable.

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You may have seen 2 Ethernet sockets in the 360 photos but only ONE works. I don't know why this is the case but that's just how it is. Again, invest in a router and you will have more Ethernet ports to use.

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Under bed Storage - You have to lift the mattress up to get to it.

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Bed Length - The bed is just about 2m long (6.6 ft) as opposed to 6ft of other beds (Get the right sheets!)

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En Suite/Studio Bathrooms - The bathrooms are quite good, except the shower head which is fixed in place. The shower curtain are quite annoying as they stuck to you while showering as there's not a lot of space but I find that putting it around the toilet helps. (You'll know what I mean when you see it)

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There is a Toilet Brush provided, along with a waste paper bin in the bedroom.

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There is a mirror here and a full length one behind the wardrobe door.

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The cistern for the toilet is inaccessible (don't bring Bloo blocks)

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It's a wet room, don't bring mats unless they're waterproof

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The towel rack in here is not heated

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No Sound proofing - the walls are great at keeping the sound of your left and right neighbours out, but the doors are NOT.

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This is most evident whilst people above you are having a party, you can hear the music loudly.

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If your room is behind the stairwell you will also be able to hear people stomping up and down them in the night

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No Net Curtains - Especially if you're on the ground floor, find a way of putting some up otherwise you will never have the "blackout" style curtains open and the fluorescent lighting can take it's toll.

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RFID Locks - the locks on the blocks, flats, and rooms all use an RFID key fob.

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There is a "latch" on the top of the flat doors that people use to keep the door open. However most people (especially in studios) use a door stopper to keep the door fully open. You will find this to be the best way to socialise and invite people into your room during freshers week if you are living in a studio room.

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There is no consistent mobile signal but it should be ok most of the time. I am with giffgaff and can make/receive calls and texts anytime I want and get 4G in most areas outside.

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The weather will be cold most of the time outside but inside the heating is always on (there is a thermostat on the radiators: 3-4 is a good setting)

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To get to ASDA from NTU Clifton take the 4 or 1 bus to county hall then cross the road and take the 10 to ASDA (it's about 10-15 mins, the same as walking to Morrisons and Iceland in Clifton, no bus there)

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Getting the Academic Year bus pass for £199 is a MUST, it is put on your student card and gives you unlimited travel. (The scanners on the bus will say 99 days left but that will reset to 99 when it gets to 0, for some reason the display system doesn't like numbers longer than 2 digits). If you do not get one a single pass is £2 and day pass is £3.50. After 5pm you can get a grouprider for £4.50 which covers two adults.

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Look for Morrisons in Clifton on Google street view and around the corner is a farm-foods, Wilkinson etc. Tesco express is down the road from Clifton Lane.

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Look for CFC (Clifton Food Court) for the closest place to buy takeaway (within walking distance). There are also off-licenses around there which is cheaper than the student shop and Tesco.

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Take lots of photos and videos of the room before you touch anything! There is a damages form (in the back of the blue booklet they give you) that HAS to be filled in and taken to reception within 24 HOURS of your arrival or you may not get your deposit back!

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Any damage done in the stairwell of your block will be divided between all of you (no one will be decent and own up, so don't expect everything back) in the first term alone we had a fire extinguisher stolen and one of the extinguisher's cover glass smashed £5 total each so far.

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The washing machine costs £2 and the drier £1. It accepts £2, £1, 50p, 20p and 10p.

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There apparently is a change machine in the library (which I have not seen yet). You can also get change from The Point or the Student Shop but they do not always give it to you. The Point also has 2 cash machines. Also bring Colour Catcher sheets, the machines say don't use them but no one cares.

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The fire detectors measure Carbon monoxide, heat, humidity etc. as well as smoke so they will NOT go off if you leave the bathroom open after a shower or spray deodorant.

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They will test the fire alarms every week (around midday on a Wednesday), every other time it's the detectors that set it off. Be prepared! The weekly tests will make you jump but they only go on for about 10 seconds.

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There are NO LIFTS, some blocks have only automatic doors on the ground floor to accommodate disabled students. Climbing those steps with heavy goods WILL be a pain!

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There is disabled parking between the blocks but you require a permit to park there. The only time a car can come inside is if you are dropping off or picking up a student.

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Clifton Campus does have a student car park however that too requires a permit and you are not allowed to park there if you live on Clifton Campus. The car park is only for students commuting to the campus and who live outside of the city of Nottingham.

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The fridges can be amazingly cold, so much so that on full some of your food will freeze

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The kettle and electric Hob are really slow.

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The extractor fan in the kitchen turns itself on automatically when an appliance is used in any socket at the worktop.

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Only the light can be turned off manually, and it still makes a noise.

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The kitchen is equipped with:

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Henry Hoover

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Iron

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Dustpan & brush

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Ironing board

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Mop & bucket

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Broom

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Blue recycling bin - emptied week-daily, no cleaner at weekends

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Red waste bin - may not be emptied by cleaner but the colours correspond with the outside bins

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Microwave, toaster, kettle

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You will have 1 oven and hob between you in a 6 person flat - 8 and 10 person flats will have 2 or more

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Some flats of 8 people may still only have 2 fridge freezers!

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The kitchen door has an alarm on it and cannot be left open for too long before it goes off.

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Studio kitchens have a small fridge/freezer that won’t fit much so don’t go overboard with the shopping!

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Studio rooms do not come with a mop, bucket, dustpan, brush, hoover, iron or ironing board.

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Irons and ironing boards are available in a cupboard on your floor for studios. You will need a key that needs to picked up from reception and you need to turn in your student card as deposit.

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The microwave will not fit large plates.

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The drawers in here are centimeters too small for a divider so they are all a mess with cutlery.

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Cleaners come every weekday to empty the bin but will clean properly one morning of the week.

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You can't have a deep-fat fryer (fire reasons), but if you want a slow cooker you have to sit with it all day 'till it's done. Rice cookers are still fine though, and probably a must have (rice sticks to a pan) unless you have boil in the bag rice.

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Are both the Ethernet and wireless provided by Studentcom?

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Are the problems you mention below purely do to the quality of their WiFi connection. i.e. does the Ethernet connection work satisfactorily?

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Since your post, has there been any improvement to the WiFi?

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Is the WiFi OK for running undemanding Apps on phones?

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Studentcom is the internet provider here. They offer a free broadband package of 20MB which is upgrade-able to 60MB for ~£80 for the year. The upgrade package is a waste of money. Currently the Internet here is really bad and at peak times you will be lucky to pull 20MB download speeds due to contention on the network. This means that there isn't enough bandwidth to go around for everyone to use the Internet at full speeds at the same time. Studentcom have acknowledged this and said they are in talks with UPP about upgrading but there is no ETA as of yet.

•

There are cable holes in the desk and the shelves above it for your cable management and plenty of room under the table for a computer tower if you wish to bring one.

•

Ethernet (internet) sockets - You will find a 2m Ethernet cable in your room, but this won't reach till the end of your bed so you may need to buy a 3-5m cable which are fairly cheap. Studentcom Wi-Fi is garbage. Invest in a decent speed router (between £10-£20 on eBay) and use that for wireless as it will be much more reliable.

•

You may have seen 2 Ethernet sockets in the 360 photos but only ONE works. I don't know why this is the case but that's just how it is. Again, invest in a router and you will have more Ethernet ports to use.