[TheTallOne]

(Original post by surina_xxx)
which would you say is the best accomodation?

Very much depends what you are looking for. The guide at the front of this thread contains a lot of reviews of accommodation blocks, along with other information to do with the campus and the application process.

Personally, for 2009/10, I chose JM, Tocil, Rootes as my choices (where we can choose 3-6 preferences and at most one en suite, and couldn't apply to Lakeside, Redfern or Hurst).
However, after spending a year on campus, and with the 2010/11 choice system (choose 5-6 preferences and at most one 30 week en-suite and at most one 39 week en-suite) I would change my choices to JM, Rootes, Tocil, Westwood, Cryfield, Heronbank. Probably. But remember these are from the choices available in 2010/11 (where you couldn't apply to Claycroft/Redfern/Hurst) and are also chosen because of my location on campus and what kind of environment I wanted to be in. Preferences differ so what my optimal choice was will be different to the choices of somebody else.

Best accommodation? Read the guide at the front and see which ones stand out to you

[TheTallOne]

(Original post by Pheylan)
what are the differences between:

- arthur vick and jack martin
- heronbank and lakeside

?

(in case they use the same system as last year)

AV and JM: Facilities: AV has a lounge in addition to a kitchen. Combined communal space is about twice as big as the JM kitchen. On the other hand (unless they did something over the summer), the AV kitchens are rubbish and small. Compare it to the new JM kitchens (installed in 2009 for JM1 and 2010 for JM2 and JM3) which are amazing. There is a photo in the JM section of the guide at the front of the thread, along with an old kitchen for comparison. AV kitchens look pretty similar to the old kitchen, only smaller. My guess is that JM4 will get new kitchens for 2011/12, but I don't know whether they will refurb AV kitchens anytime soon.

The corridors are wider and the rooms bigger in AV compared to JM, also you get more storage/cupboard space in AV. Ensuites - essentially the same. Cleaners - run by the same 'AV and JM team' so basically in both cases you get bathrooms cleaned once a week, bedrooms fortnightly and kitchens every Monday, Weds, Thurs.

Location: AV is typically further away from most things compared to JM. JM, along with Tocil and Whitefields are probably the best located halls if you have most of your lectures in central campus. So with AV, you may be 2-3 minutes further away from everything, which may not seem a lot but it actually does add up to about 12-24 hours over the course of the year. Then again, AV has a laundrette within the building, whereas with JM you need to take your laundry to Rootes launderette (which is in the middle of the Rootes complex).

Atmosphere: AV is typically deemed the quieter of the blocks, JM considered by some posters on here as a half-way house between Rootes and AV. But uni is what you make of it, quiet and lively areas crop up everywhere, so don't expect it all to be like that. The cultural background of students is about the same within these halls, 12 to a kitchen in both halls, standard, manageable number.

HB and LS: I can't really compare between the two - when I was a fresher LS wasn't available to us, so I don't know much about it. Both have the ~8 to a flat layouts, but you can travel between flats within the building if you wish. En suites, obviously. Both a fair walk away from campus, but what is worse is that Tesco is on the other side of campus. Higher presence of international students (reason: 39 week lets and high overall price), also there are fewer undergraduates in HB/LS - in total for 2010/11 the number is less than the total number of students in JM. High presence of PGs and final UGs as well, but freshers live with freshers and PGs with PGs, etc. These factors certainly make these two halls also on the quiet side. HB is 3-5 years newer, but both halls were built around early 2000s so are the newest on campus (except for Bluebell, new for next year, also follows the 8 to a flat, ensuite layout). HB typically closer to main campus. Finally, if you are interested in Tennis or Netball, they are building some courts to the west of Lakeside which will be completed by the summer of 2011. So you will be closer to them. Downsides for them is that new accommodation is going to be built also north-west of Lakeside (north-ish of the tennis courts), starting later is year, pending planning permission. LS will be closer to the construction work.

[onefour]

Here is my review for Lakeside. Last year I wrote a review for Heronbank so if some of this looks familiar it's because the two blocks are quite similar. I have attached some photos of the room/bathroom but none of the kitchen as it is always a mess

Summary: Lakeside is 39 week let en-suite accommodation about 7 minutes walk from main campus, 15 to Gibbet Hill and about 17 to Tesco. It is split into four blocks (LS1 to LS4), two of which are post-graduate, one finalist and one first year (in 2010/2011, this will change in 2011/2012). There are 8 people to a flat but as with Heronbank you are free to wander around into any other flat within the block. Kitchens are cleaned Monday, Wednesday and Friday, bathrooms cleaned every week and rooms every other week.

Pros:
-39 week let so no moving out over the holidays
-two of the blocks have integral laundrettes that never seem to be busy (a pro if you are in one of these blocks, not so much if you have to traipse across the courtyard)
-the rooms are a good size with loads of storage space, all the same as in Heronbank although I am sure the bathrooms are slightly smaller, making the room feel bigger
-nice environment what with the lake and geese and all that
-phone in room. Quite useful for internal calls but it costs for external calls
-it is one of the quietest halls on campus. For me this is an enormous pro but most people seem to think this is a problem. It's definitely not silent or full of recluses but due to its perceived distance from main campus and 39 week let it does tend to attract naturally quieter people and international students. Plus if someone complains, the residential staff will clamp down on noise harder than in other halls

Cons:
-I believe it is currently the most expensive undergraduate accommodation
-not enough cupboard space in the kitchens facing out the end of the building. This may be different in other kitchens as the layout of the kitchen depends on where in the building it is
-it is starting to show its age with things like cracked fittings, carpet coming up, cupboard doors falling off and that kind of thing
-the cookers (electric in case anybody wants to know) are fairly rubbish
-if you're lazy the distance from main campus is a con
-the windows offer no protection from freezing cold winds in winter. I have partially solved this problem by shoving the blanket up on the windowsill but it's still pretty draughty

[TheTallOne]

(Original post by onefour)
Here is my review for Lakeside. Last year I wrote a review for Heronbank so if some of this looks familiar it's because the two blocks are quite similar. I have attached some photos of the room/bathroom but none of the kitchen as it is always a mess

Summary: Lakeside is 39 week let en-suite accommodation about 7 minutes walk from main campus, 15 to Gibbet Hill and about 17 to Tesco. It is split into four blocks (LS1 to LS4), two of which are post-graduate, one finalist and one first year (in 2010/2011, this will change in 2011/2012). There are 8 people to a flat but as with Heronbank you are free to wander around into any other flat within the block. Kitchens are cleaned Monday, Wednesday and Friday, bathrooms cleaned every week and rooms every other week.

Pros:
-39 week let so no moving out over the holidays
-two of the blocks have integral laundrettes that never seem to be busy (a pro if you are in one of these blocks, not so much if you have to traipse across the courtyard)
-the rooms are a good size with loads of storage space, all the same as in Heronbank although I am sure the bathrooms are slightly smaller, making the room feel bigger
-nice environment what with the lake and geese and all that
-phone in room. Quite useful for internal calls but it costs for external calls
-it is one of the quietest halls on campus. For me this is an enormous pro but most people seem to think this is a problem. It's definitely not silent or full of recluses but due to its perceived distance from main campus and 39 week let it does tend to attract naturally quieter people and international students. Plus if someone complains, the residential staff will clamp down on noise harder than in other halls

Cons:
-I believe it is currently the most expensive undergraduate accommodation
-not enough cupboard space in the kitchens facing out the end of the building. This may be different in other kitchens as the layout of the kitchen depends on where in the building it is
-it is starting to show its age with things like cracked fittings, carpet coming up, cupboard doors falling off and that kind of thing
-the cookers (electric in case anybody wants to know) are fairly rubbish
-if you're lazy the distance from main campus is a con
-the windows offer no protection from freezing cold winds in winter. I have partially solved this problem by shoving the blanket up on the windowsill but it's still pretty draughty

Thanks

Thread updated

All we need now is reviews from Benefactors and Whitefields. Oh and Hurst and Redfern for the UG finalists. Any photos will be welcome as well

[Narev]

I have Tocil for next year! Muahahahahaha.

[soczek322]

(Original post by Narev)
I have Tocil for next year! Muahahahahaha.

How do you know so soon?

[Narev]

Warwick accom sent me an email.

[soczek322]

(Original post by Narev)
Warwick accom sent me an email.

You can't apply yet??

[matt2k8]

(Original post by soczek322)
You can't apply yet??

He's not a first year.

[soczek322]

If rootes is my first choice how likely is it that I get it - hopefully going to study maths if it makes any difference?

[ttoby]

(Original post by soczek322)
If rootes is my first choice how likely is it that I get it - hopefully going to study maths if it makes any difference?

I don't know the exact figures but Rootes would probably be oversubscribed due to it being well-known etc. So don't count on getting your first choice. The choice of accommodation isn't affected by which subject you do, but when arranging people within each building, they may use your subject (among other factors) to help choose suitable people to go on your corridor.

[Miss_Scarlet]

Rootes, Tocil, AV and JM tend to be the most popular for first years and therefore the most over-applied for I expect.
I was in Tocil in my first year and really liked it (it was my first choice too). It is close to everything and I like the 'flat' layout as opposed to corridors.
In my final year I was in Hurst. It was smaller than Tocil and the toilet was tiny/not very nice (since I shared with 5 boys and was the only girl!), but Hurst was in a nice location, the room was alright and to be honest, I was just really happy to be back on campus again! :-)

I think they try to give you your first or second choice, but it is not always possible. In my experience, anyone who puts Westwood down tends to get it, as it is usually the least popular. May not be the case, but it seems that way.

[TheTallOne]

Rootes has 924 rooms - I highly doubt it would be first preference oversubscribed (if it were, then around 1 in 4 freshers would put it first choice). JM and AV would proportionally have more first preferences. As for getting it - it's more likely than if you put JM as first choice and end up getting JM, similarly for AV.

People have put Rootes as first choice and ended up living elsewhere, similarly people get Rootes when they put it 3rd or 4th. It could depend on your other options, but the way they allocate accommodation is unknown

[Roweena37]

Hi,

I'm an international student who has firmly accepted an offer from Warwick. Would appreciate some suggestions for suitable accommodation based on the following criterion:

1. Since I'm international, a 39 week rent would be preferred.
2. En-suite is not a major concern for me, though I would like to share the bathroom
with as few people as possible
3. Should be within reasonable distance of main campus and arts & humanities building
4. I'd like somewhere pretty quiet but with a fair share of social life at the same time, which I suppose is available at any accommodation.

I'm actually pretty keen on Claycroft, but would really appreciate feedback and suggestions.

Thank you!

[ttoby]

(Original post by Roweena37)
Hi,

I'm an international student who has firmly accepted an offer from Warwick. Would appreciate some suggestions for suitable accommodation based on the following criterion:

1. Since I'm international, a 39 week rent would be preferred.
2. En-suite is not a major concern for me, though I would like to share the bathroom
with as few people as possible
3. Should be within reasonable distance of main campus and arts & humanities building
4. I'd like somewhere pretty quiet but with a fair share of social life at the same time, which I suppose is available at any accommodation.

I'm actually pretty keen on Claycroft, but would really appreciate feedback and suggestions.

Thank you!

Looking at your other posts, you'll be a first year undergraduate so according to this table http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/a...table_1011.pdf Claycroft unfortunately won't be available. But I don't know if they'll change that.

At the moment the halls available to you are:

Arthur Vick: Ensuite
Benefactors: Ensuite
Cryfield: 6 to bathroom, fairly far from humanities
Heronbank: 39 weeks available, Ensuite, fairly far from humanities
Jack Martin: Ensuite
Lakeside: 39 weeks available, Ensuite, far from humanities
Rootes: 39 weeks available, 6 to bathroom
Tocil: 39 weeks available, 4 to bathroom, really close to humanities
Westwood: 39 weeks available, 6 to bathroom (but I know from experience it's actually around 26 to 4 toilets), far from humanities
Whitefields: 6 to bathroom

So it looks like the best one is Tocil, or maybe Heronbank/Lakeside.

However, some things to bear in mind:
That table I linked to is sometimes incorrect, but it gives a good overview. In halls with many people sharing a bathroom, they will be cleaned for you frequently and if your nearest bathroom is not in a clean state then, if you're in somewhere in a corridor format, you could always use one on another floor. As for judging walking distances, bear in mind that even Westwood is only a 10/15 minute walk from central campus so it isn't too much of a problem being further away.

[Roweena37]

(Original post by ttoby)
Looking at your other posts, you'll be a first year undergraduate so according to this table http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/a...table_1011.pdf Claycroft unfortunately won't be available. But I don't know if they'll change that.

At the moment the halls available to you are:

Arthur Vick: Ensuite
Benefactors: Ensuite
Cryfield: 6 to bathroom, fairly far from humanities
Heronbank: 39 weeks available, Ensuite, fairly far from humanities
Jack Martin: Ensuite
Lakeside: 39 weeks available, Ensuite, far from humanities
Rootes: 39 weeks available, 6 to bathroom
Tocil: 39 weeks available, 4 to bathroom, really close to humanities
Westwood: 39 weeks available, 6 to bathroom (but I know from experience it's actually around 26 to 4 toilets), far from humanities
Whitefields: 6 to bathroom

So it looks like the best one is Tocil, or maybe Heronbank/Lakeside.

However, some things to bear in mind:
That table I linked to is sometimes incorrect, but it gives a good overview. In halls with many people sharing a bathroom, they will be cleaned for you frequently and if your nearest bathroom is not in a clean state then, if you're in somewhere in a corridor format, you could always use one on another floor. As for judging walking distances, bear in mind that even Westwood is only a 10/15 minute walk from central campus so it isn't too much of a problem being further away.

Thank you, I'll put Tocil as my first then.

[TheTallOne]

(Original post by Roweena37)
Thank you, I'll put Tocil as my first then.

Please also check out the front of this thread where there are reviews of accommodation and more information about each of the halls

[Roweena37]

(Original post by TheTallOne)
Please also check out the front of this thread where there are reviews of accommodation and more information about each of the halls

Thanks, have just done so. But reading it makes me more confused, it's rather difficult to weigh in the pros and cons of each. I know there isn't a perfect one out there, but it's hard to decide which are close to it

[powermanchu]

(Original post by Roweena37)
Hi,

I'm an international student who has firmly accepted an offer from Warwick. Would appreciate some suggestions for suitable accommodation based on the following criterion:

1. Since I'm international, a 39 week rent would be preferred.
2. En-suite is not a major concern for me, though I would like to share the bathroom
with as few people as possible
3. Should be within reasonable distance of main campus and arts & humanities building
4. I'd like somewhere pretty quiet but with a fair share of social life at the same time, which I suppose is available at any accommodation.

I'm actually pretty keen on Claycroft, but would really appreciate feedback and suggestions.

Thank you!

International student here also. I'm putting Tocil as my first choice. Although I like it, Heronbank is just too damn far away for my snooze-button-hitting self. I'd argue that because of its distance, it's also probably somewhat prone to isolation from the main social diaspora by default, although heading to the SU could probably counteract that.

It seems as though there's a stretched fabric corkboard for pinning various items in the rooms in Tocil, is this true, or are my eyes deceiving me? How much closet/wardrobe space is provided within a Tocil room? Do individual rooms lock? Finally, I'd also like to acquire one of those road barriers for my room; how would I go about doing that?

[Apex9]

(Original post by powermanchu)
It seems as though there's a stretched fabric corkboard for pinning various items in the rooms in Tocil?

True.

(Original post by powermanchu)
How much closet/wardrobe space is provided within a Tocil room?

About the size of a normal wardrobe, certainly enough unless you have a lot of clothes.

(Original post by powermanchu)
Do individual rooms lock?

Yes.

(Original post by powermanchu)
Finally, I'd also like to acquire one of those road barriers for my room; how would I go about doing that?

No idea.