Maple Bank vs Tennis Courts!? (Accommodation)

I am applying for self catered at Bham and these two are within my price range and both seem awesome.

Tennis Courts is £1000 more a year than Maple Bank. Is there any benefits or living on Tennis Courts?

Done a lot of revision and cant see how Tennis courts is worth the extra £30 or so a week

Reply 1

username1813165

Maple Bank easily has the best social vibe out of any hall, in my opinion. I wish I'd put that down as my first choice.

Tennis Courts is good too and I'd definitely put that down as a reserve choice, it is 7/8 minutes closer to campus but Maple Bank is where it's at.
It's a bit grotty, but halls generally are anyway. You'll be happy there.

Also you have to cross a really annoying road to get to Tennis Courts. It may be closer but it's kinda detached from the rest of the Vale so it's not really the same.

University of Birmingham

Birmingham

Reply 2

Fatcoin

Both are party halls. Tennis Courts is closer to campus by 5 minutes or so. The rooms in Tennis Courts are slightly better quality but not enough to warrant 30 quid extra per week in my opinion.

Reply 3

lizz-ie

Another option is Ashcroft at Pritchatts Park. It's getting refurbished this summer (some blocks were refurbished last summer and are so nice!!) and is cheaper than Tennis Courts. Also, it's closer to uni than the Vale, and you definitely don't miss out socially, it's a really social place!! If I had to apply again, I'd definitely pick Ashcroft next year, despite having a bad view of it before I went to uni! 😊

Reply 4

zzldn

Original post by guntby

Maple Bank is the most grimey halls that UoB offer, for the record.

It's dirty, small and one of the furthest distances away from campus..

You'd be better off anywhere else lool..

Tennis Courts (TC) is the most sociable, closest halls to campus on the vale and most friendly halls. (won most hall competitions [colourfest], and ranked fairly high for quality of living for the past 3 years).

Shackleton is nice and pretty standard.
Elgar Court is actually really nice.. en suite bathrooms aswell.
Mason - (full of the more wealthier students) is the nicest to live in, although ridiculously overpriced.

Reply 5

username1813165

Original post by zzldn

Shackleton is nice and pretty standard.
Elgar Court is actually really nice.. en suite bathrooms aswell.
Mason - (full of the more wealthier students) is the nicest to live in, although ridiculously overpriced.

Mason is really anti-social and it's difficult to meet people there. It looks cool but there's no community whatsoever, just flats on top of each other. Same with Shackleton, which is also full of the more wealthier students and that itself is a reason to avoid it!

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 6

ScruffyQuaver

Original post by guntby

Yes, Tennis Courts is good too. But there are slightly fewer people living in each block, and the blocks are more detached from each other so you don't really get to meet people in other blocks. The more people you're around, the better as you're more likely to meet people you click with.Mason is really anti-social and it's difficult to meet people there. It looks cool but there's no community whatsoever, just flats on top of each other. Same with Shackleton, which is also full of wealthier students and that itself is a reason to avoid it! You do not want to live with overprivileged bastards if you went to a state school, believe me. I was the only person in my flat in Shackleton who wasn't upper-middle class and privately educated and I had a fecking terrible time there. AVOID those places!

whats your opinion on Maple Bank? Is it really grotty?

Reply 7

username1813165

Original post by ScruffyQuaver

whats your opinion on Maple Bank? Is it really grotty?

No. It's pretty normal really, not "grotty" at all and the social vibe is decent - that's all that counts.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 8

Bronnie1

I was in Ashcroft when I was a fresher and they were great! I was disappointed when I got Pritchatts at first but it's a really social place actually, and although I haven't seen the new flats I bet they were lovely, from what I heard was being done to them.

Don't worry about grottiness, they're halls being provided by a Uni, they not THAT bad, just wait until you move into Selly Oak... Tennis Courts is a very party crazy group, but it's not for everyone, and it's more who you mix with within your halls that matters; I'd say it doesn't justify the extra £30 a week for sure, if you're looking for a party Maple is just as good, if you don't mind the extra walking!