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London School of Economics

London

LSE accommodation Q and A

Now that the offers have started to roll in, if you have any questions about choosing accommodation, or just about living in London

, then I'm happy to help.

I'm a second year student at LSE - I lived in halls last year.

...I'm going to move some of the accommodation related questions from the applicants' thread onto this thread, so that they're all in one place

(edited 5 years ago)

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Reply 1

LeapingLucy

Original post by imogenation111

Hiya! I have a few questions about LSE halls if you wouldn't mind answering them. I'm interested in either Passfield/Carr-Saunders.

Firstly, how does the application process work and can you tell them your order of preference of halls or do they just randomly allocate you?

Would you say the halls are very social and you will always find people you can get along with/go out with/ work with etc?

As there are a lot of international students at LSE, do they tend to go to any particular halls or is it quite well integrated?

2. Regarding how social the halls are, Rosebery, Passfield, Bankside and Carr-Saunders are all normally really social. The fact that they’re catered means you have an opportunity to mix with everyone in the hall, as you can eat with lots of different people in the first few weeks while you find your friends. Regarding other halls, I’ve heard less positive things about social life there.

3. LSE is like 70% international, so yes, there are a lot of international students! I’d say there are generally fewer at Passfield/Carr-Saunders because these halls only offer 31 week contracts and you have to move all your stuff out at Christmas and Easter. Which isn’t very convenient if you have to fly home, but is great if you live in the South of England and want to save money on hall fees.

I think Urbanest probably has the highest proportion of internationals, but there are also lots at Bankside/Rosebery and in the intercollegiate halls.

(edited 4 years ago)

London School of Economics

London

Reply 2

LeapingLucy

Original post by Ajk1999

@LeapingLucy Hi, do you know how much I should expect to pay for accommodation (for an en suite). And could you advise on what the best halls are in terms of social life, distance to campus etc. Thanks.

The best halls for social life/distance to campus are Passfield, Rosebery, Carr-Saunders and Bankside. They’re the main LSE undergraduate halls that the vast majority of first years will be living in. They’re all within walking distance of campus (20-25 mins).

Generally, if you want an en-suite, you’ll need to be at Bankside. That will cost you around £10,000 for the year

If you decide not to go for an en-suite, then Passfield and Carr-Saunders become options. These halls generally cost around £6000 (for a single room - it’s cheaper if you share) for the year, because they offer 31 week contracts that don’t include Easter and Christmas.

Personally, I didn’t have an en-suite - I couldn’t justify paying an extra £4000 for one. On my corridor we had 6 showers and about 10 loos between 25 people. I can honestly say that I never had to wait to use a shower or loo in the whole year I lived there - everyone is on such different schedules that it’s really not an issue. Plus, shared bathrooms are cleaned everyday whereas ensuites you have to clean yourself.

Reply 3

LeapingLucy

Original post by GP-Luffy

What about intercollegiate halls? Would you recommend them to people who wants to make friends with students from other universities?

Personally, I would avoid intercollegiate halls.

Because of LSE's tiny number of undergraduates compared to other UoL institutions, there will be very few LSE students in these halls. They're 90% UCL and Kings students.

In my opinion, you're a lot better off being surrounded by LSE students because:
- In the first few weeks, when everybody is going to freshers events (both social events & uni/course-related things), the UCL and Kings students will be attending events put on by their respective universities, and making friends with each other there. You will not be able to go to these events, and you might not have anyone from your halls to go to the LSE events with. Plus, just walking to campus with people in the first few weeks is a great way to make friends - but you'll be going in the opposite direction to the UCL and Kings students.
- If you're struggling with a problem set or essay question, then at an intercollegiate hall the chances of there being another LSE student on the same course as you are vanishingly small. Whereas at my hall, there were at least 50 people other people doing most of my modules, so there was always someone to help me if I needed it.

Reply 4

LeapingLucy

Original post by Ajk1999

For the 31 week contract do you have to move all of your stuff out for Christmas and Easter?

Yes. Which is fine if - like me - you live an hour's drive outside of London and your parents can come in the car to collect all your stuff. It's not so great if you're an international student. Therefore, these halls are (at a rough estimate) probably around 60-70% British.

(During the holidays they rent the rooms out to tourists at higher prices which subsidises rent for students).

However, if you need somewhere to live in London during the holidays, they will find you a room in a different hall (probably Bankside) for 4 weeks. You do have to move all your stuff there though.

Reply 5

LeapingLucy

Original post by Ajk1999

For catered halls how practical are the kitchens. E.g does each person have space for their own cutlery and stuff...

No. Certainly not in Passfield and Carr-Saunders (I haven't seen Bankside or Rosebery's kitchens).

The kitchens are tiny, there's only one fridge and 2 cupboards for 25-40 people. Any cutlery/bowls/plates etc. you will need to keep in your room or it will go missing very quickly.

There also aren't any ovens, and the hobs are heat plates rather than gas cookers so you can't really cook anything other than simple pasta.

I didn't cook at all while I was in halls.

Reply 6

LeapingLucy

Original post by Lavandeee

How much did you pay per week? Is this place also available for postgraduates? Did you have a roommate?
And how did you manage to eat if you didn't cook, did you always have to buy to go? I may go to the LSE (I got an offer) but the prices in London are really exorbitant

Thank you!

Talking about Passfield/Carr-Saunders, I paid just about £220 a week for a single room (no roommate). If you shared with one or two other people it could be significantly cheaper. And no, these are undergrad only halls.

Foodwise, these halls are catered, so cooked dinners are provided 6 nights of the week (Sunday-Friday), and on Saturday a brunch is provided.

So Sunday-Friday, I would have cereal for breakfast, and then for lunch I would either buy a sandwich near campus or make one in halls and take it with me. (And then eat dinner in halls)

On Saturdays, the brunch would serve for breakfast and lunch and then my friends and I would normally order a takeaway for dinner - Dominos and Deliveroo aren't that expensive if you're paying as a group.

Reply 7

random_matt

When do applications open? Also due to medical conditions, High Holborn ensuite is it or nothing really.

Reply 8

LeapingLucy

Original post by random_matt

When do applications open? Also due to medical conditions, High Holborn ensuite is it or nothing really.

Applications open at different times every year, but it will be announced here once they've decided:

http://www.lse.ac.uk/student-life/accommodation/apply

Reply 9

bigchungus6969

Opinions on Urbanest Westminster? Heard it has a lot of LSE students and the rooms look modern and somewhat spacious.

How does it stack up to Bankside and the like?

Reply 10

LeapingLucy

Original post by bigchungus6969

Opinions on Urbanest Westminster? Heard it has a lot of LSE students and the rooms look modern and somewhat spacious.

How does it stack up to Bankside and the like?

The rooms are obviously very nice & modern (hence the price), but the people I know who lived there all say the social life was terrible. One person also told me that the rooms aren't as spacious as the photos make them look! (You don't really get spacious rooms in London on a student budget - housing crisis and all that.)

I've heard that there isn't much interaction between people living in different flats, and there's no real sense of community, so very different to Bankside/Rosebery/Carr-Saunders/Passfield. The few people I know who lived there in first year all wished they'd gone for an LSE hall instead - they would have saved money and had a better time.

Reply 11

LeapingLucy

...

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 12

AGBinCH

Applied for accommodation yesterday, then went back to the LSE page for first and second choice and say that they are now marked as “Not available”. Panicking a bit, because if I’d known they weren’t available I might have made different choices.
@LeapingLucy, how reliable are the “Available”, “Not Available” notes next to each room type?
Should I edit the application?

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 13

LeapingLucy

Original post by AGBinCH

I'm really sorry, but I don't know. The only experience I have with Hallpad is when I applied myself.

Reply 14

AGBinCH

Original post by LeapingLucy

I'm really sorry, but I don't know. The only experience I have with Hallpad is when I applied myself.

Got this availability update today (Undergrad):
“Bankside House – single rooms (£216.65 p/wk) and spaces in shared ensuite rooms (£154.35 p/wk)
Carr Saunders Hall – single rooms (£218.05 p/wk) and spaces in shared rooms (£145.60 p/wk)
Northumberland House – spaces in shared ensuite rooms (£150.85 p/wk)
Passfield Hall – single rooms (very limited spaces £210.70 p/wk) and spaces in shared rooms (£107.10 - £139.70 p/wk)
Rosebery Hall – single rooms (£200.90 – 224.35 p/wk) and spaces in shared rooms (£140.00 - £156.45 p/wk)
College Hall – single ensuite (£269.85 p/wk)
Connaught Hall – single rooms (£220.50 p/wk)
International Hall – single rooms (£220.50 p/wk)
Nutford House – single rooms (£195.65 p/wk)
Lilian Penson House – single ensuite (£203.00 p/wk)”

Reply 15

LLMinUK

how likely is it that I get another offer if I decline the first one?

Reply 16

LeapingLucy

Original post by LLMinUK

how likely is it that I get another offer if I decline the first one?

I don't have access to any stats, but if you decline the offer then LSE are under no obligation to provide you with accommodation. If there is accommodation left after Results Day, you may be able to find a room then, but the most desirable halls will be long-gone.

The chance of you getting a room you prefer are very small, and you could easily end up with no accommodation at all.

Reply 17

LLMinUK

Original post by LeapingLucy

Thank you! and what happens if I accept now but choose a private accommodation later? I don't know yet if that's possible, that is why I would accept the offer (for now)...

Reply 18

dldkals

Original post by LeapingLucy

Now that the offers have started to roll in, if you have any questions about choosing accommodation, or just about living in London

Hey I just got my offer for Bankside House. They put the room type as 'Space in a shared ensuite room'. I understand this is an ensuite room shared with another student (which I didn't want but oh well), but what does the 'space' mean?

Reply 19

LeapingLucy

Original post by LLMinUK

Thank you! and what happens if I accept now but choose a private accommodation later? I don't know yet if that's possible, that is why I would accept the offer (for now)...

Just seen your question that I'd missed. If you accept the offer now, then you are making yourself liable for rent for the room for the entire year. So unless another student is found who wants to take your room over, you'll still have to pay.