University of Chichester
Chichester
Chichester - Advice for prospective students
Hi everyone,
I'm a current first year at the University of Chichester and just wanted to come on here to offer some advice for anyone who may be coming here next year. First off, it is a lovely uni and I love my course here. BUT I would like to share something with you all that I wish I had known.
When it comes to getting second year accommodation, the uni will tell you to wait until StudentPad opens around the beginning of February. They will say waiting means you will better know people to live with and that it's best to go through StudentPad as everything there has to go through checks. That's all well and good except for the small fact that there simply isn't enough accommodation.
My own group searching for housing and many other groups of first years - some I know personally and some I only know through group chats - are currently struggling to find a house. Everything on StudentPad went within about a week and basically nothing new has been added since the launch day. Student properties from private providers were also snapped up quickly.
It also hasn't helped that the uni continues to take on more students despite the fact that this is a small city with limited space and properties. In the case of this year, they even went out and brought properties that previously house older students in order to use them as first year halls. Essentially, the uni has a problem facing the reality of their location - they are trying to grow without having the space to house students in the area.
They also do very little to help. I know many people who went to the accommodation team for advice and came away with nothing. We were told to give it a month before coming back and panicking. We went to them after a month and were told that we should have been sorting it by now. We were blamed for following their advice - and it's not like we'd been sitting on our asses. It's just hard finding a house when there are none.
So yeah, this is just a word of advice. I don't want to fearmonger or turn anyone off because this uni is a great place. I really do, as someone with anxiety, love it here. But housing is not fun to deal with and the uni won't accurately prepare you for the reality of it so this is just a note that I wish I knew.
I'm a current first year at the University of Chichester and just wanted to come on here to offer some advice for anyone who may be coming here next year. First off, it is a lovely uni and I love my course here. BUT I would like to share something with you all that I wish I had known.
When it comes to getting second year accommodation, the uni will tell you to wait until StudentPad opens around the beginning of February. They will say waiting means you will better know people to live with and that it's best to go through StudentPad as everything there has to go through checks. That's all well and good except for the small fact that there simply isn't enough accommodation.
My own group searching for housing and many other groups of first years - some I know personally and some I only know through group chats - are currently struggling to find a house. Everything on StudentPad went within about a week and basically nothing new has been added since the launch day. Student properties from private providers were also snapped up quickly.
It also hasn't helped that the uni continues to take on more students despite the fact that this is a small city with limited space and properties. In the case of this year, they even went out and brought properties that previously house older students in order to use them as first year halls. Essentially, the uni has a problem facing the reality of their location - they are trying to grow without having the space to house students in the area.
They also do very little to help. I know many people who went to the accommodation team for advice and came away with nothing. We were told to give it a month before coming back and panicking. We went to them after a month and were told that we should have been sorting it by now. We were blamed for following their advice - and it's not like we'd been sitting on our asses. It's just hard finding a house when there are none.
So yeah, this is just a word of advice. I don't want to fearmonger or turn anyone off because this uni is a great place. I really do, as someone with anxiety, love it here. But housing is not fun to deal with and the uni won't accurately prepare you for the reality of it so this is just a note that I wish I knew.
Original post by Anonymous
Hi everyone,
I'm a current first year at the University of Chichester and just wanted to come on here to offer some advice for anyone who may be coming here next year. First off, it is a lovely uni and I love my course here. BUT I would like to share something with you all that I wish I had known.
When it comes to getting second year accommodation, the uni will tell you to wait until StudentPad opens around the beginning of February. They will say waiting means you will better know people to live with and that it's best to go through StudentPad as everything there has to go through checks. That's all well and good except for the small fact that there simply isn't enough accommodation.
My own group searching for housing and many other groups of first years - some I know personally and some I only know through group chats - are currently struggling to find a house. Everything on StudentPad went within about a week and basically nothing new has been added since the launch day. Student properties from private providers were also snapped up quickly.
It also hasn't helped that the uni continues to take on more students despite the fact that this is a small city with limited space and properties. In the case of this year, they even went out and brought properties that previously house older students in order to use them as first year halls. Essentially, the uni has a problem facing the reality of their location - they are trying to grow without having the space to house students in the area.
They also do very little to help. I know many people who went to the accommodation team for advice and came away with nothing. We were told to give it a month before coming back and panicking. We went to them after a month and were told that we should have been sorting it by now. We were blamed for following their advice - and it's not like we'd been sitting on our asses. It's just hard finding a house when there are none.
So yeah, this is just a word of advice. I don't want to fearmonger or turn anyone off because this uni is a great place. I really do, as someone with anxiety, love it here. But housing is not fun to deal with and the uni won't accurately prepare you for the reality of it so this is just a note that I wish I knew.
I'm a current first year at the University of Chichester and just wanted to come on here to offer some advice for anyone who may be coming here next year. First off, it is a lovely uni and I love my course here. BUT I would like to share something with you all that I wish I had known.
When it comes to getting second year accommodation, the uni will tell you to wait until StudentPad opens around the beginning of February. They will say waiting means you will better know people to live with and that it's best to go through StudentPad as everything there has to go through checks. That's all well and good except for the small fact that there simply isn't enough accommodation.
My own group searching for housing and many other groups of first years - some I know personally and some I only know through group chats - are currently struggling to find a house. Everything on StudentPad went within about a week and basically nothing new has been added since the launch day. Student properties from private providers were also snapped up quickly.
It also hasn't helped that the uni continues to take on more students despite the fact that this is a small city with limited space and properties. In the case of this year, they even went out and brought properties that previously house older students in order to use them as first year halls. Essentially, the uni has a problem facing the reality of their location - they are trying to grow without having the space to house students in the area.
They also do very little to help. I know many people who went to the accommodation team for advice and came away with nothing. We were told to give it a month before coming back and panicking. We went to them after a month and were told that we should have been sorting it by now. We were blamed for following their advice - and it's not like we'd been sitting on our asses. It's just hard finding a house when there are none.
So yeah, this is just a word of advice. I don't want to fearmonger or turn anyone off because this uni is a great place. I really do, as someone with anxiety, love it here. But housing is not fun to deal with and the uni won't accurately prepare you for the reality of it so this is just a note that I wish I knew.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, and we are glad you are enjoying your degree. Due to COVID we have experienced extremely high numbers of applicants in 2020 and 2021, and we can currently only offer accommodation initially to firm applicants. After rooms have been allocated to first years, we can then offer rooms to students in their second, third and fourth years if they are struggling to find housing elsewhere.
Our accommodation team do everything they can to help students find somewhere to stay, either on campus or via StudentPad or Rightmove. The Student’s Union host a housing fair following the winter break to ensure students fully understand the process and can meet landlords. We appreciate it can be a stressful situation. We would encourage students to join the Official University of Chichester Applicant Group 2022 on Facebook to ensure they can link up with other students who may be in similar situations or can help.
University of Chichester
Chichester
Completely agree with everything you say here. My son and 3 of his friends are struggling to find a 2nd year rental. The uni is lovely, but if we had known it was going to be this stressful to find a house, he would have gone elsewhere.We have been advised by local estate agents that there is a shortage of housing stock. Apparently staying in halls for a 2nd year is not possible so goodness knows what they are going to do.
Hi again,
I just wanted to add some more info to this post as this continues. Firstly, regarding the uni's reply - I obviously cannot speak for future years but this year there was no housing fair run by the SU. Or, if there was, it was so poorly advertised that not a single person I know knew of it or attended it.
Secondly, regarding joining the 2022 students chat. As a current student I'm still in the 2021 Facebook group. There is currently a poll going on there and at least 60 students do not have a house for second year, of course that number is set to be bigger because the entire year hasn't exactly checked Facebook since the poll was put up.
It's a nightmare situation and, quite frankly, a lot of us feel abandoned by the University. It doesn't matter how lovely the lecturers are when the accomodation team simply do not help. No one I know who went to them to get help came away satisfied or feeling less stressed.
I just wanted to add some more info to this post as this continues. Firstly, regarding the uni's reply - I obviously cannot speak for future years but this year there was no housing fair run by the SU. Or, if there was, it was so poorly advertised that not a single person I know knew of it or attended it.
Secondly, regarding joining the 2022 students chat. As a current student I'm still in the 2021 Facebook group. There is currently a poll going on there and at least 60 students do not have a house for second year, of course that number is set to be bigger because the entire year hasn't exactly checked Facebook since the poll was put up.
It's a nightmare situation and, quite frankly, a lot of us feel abandoned by the University. It doesn't matter how lovely the lecturers are when the accomodation team simply do not help. No one I know who went to them to get help came away satisfied or feeling less stressed.
Hello again,
Just thought I'd share another update. The Facebook poll has now received votes from 107 students saying they won't have accommodation for their second year.
The SU President has responded to this saying the uni 'have a limited amount that they can do to help due to a lack of houses in the local area. They are proactively looking at accommodation options for the future but unfortunately for now, it looks like private sector landlords and estate agents are the best option. As I am sure you can understand, the University don't have any control over when/if external properties come available, but supposedly they come around throughout the year.'
This comes as I also found out that the number of current first years (so my year who are facing this issue) was a 20% increase on last years cohort. Next year they are expecting another 30-40% increase. I'm so stressed on behalf on the many students who will have to face this same problem next year as I doubt that many houses are just going to magically appear out of thin air.
It's an absolute ****ing joke that the uni is more interested in expanding and not facing the realities of their location rather than treating their current students with any kind of respect. The lecturers here may be lovely but when it comes to the admin people and the practicalities of being able to live here and keep studying, this place is just treating us like ****.
Just thought I'd share another update. The Facebook poll has now received votes from 107 students saying they won't have accommodation for their second year.
The SU President has responded to this saying the uni 'have a limited amount that they can do to help due to a lack of houses in the local area. They are proactively looking at accommodation options for the future but unfortunately for now, it looks like private sector landlords and estate agents are the best option. As I am sure you can understand, the University don't have any control over when/if external properties come available, but supposedly they come around throughout the year.'
This comes as I also found out that the number of current first years (so my year who are facing this issue) was a 20% increase on last years cohort. Next year they are expecting another 30-40% increase. I'm so stressed on behalf on the many students who will have to face this same problem next year as I doubt that many houses are just going to magically appear out of thin air.
It's an absolute ****ing joke that the uni is more interested in expanding and not facing the realities of their location rather than treating their current students with any kind of respect. The lecturers here may be lovely but when it comes to the admin people and the practicalities of being able to live here and keep studying, this place is just treating us like ****.
I don't think they had a housing fair because of covid, they did run qutie a few presentations in november though because I went to one at Bognor campus and my friends whent to a couple of the ones at Chi. I haven't found anywhere to live yet but I know theres still like 5 months until second year, in reality that loads of time... I may be a bit more chill though because I had issues finding housing at my last uni and I know that in the end something always comes up. Honestly couldn't have had a more different experience with the accommodation office, they really have made me feel better about but I guess its just your outlook on life.
After reading this post I couldn't agree more! Finding accommodation in and around Chichester has almost been impossible, I've heard stories of some people getting a house in Portsmouth in order to continue their studies at the University. Me and my friends also followed the Universities advice about finding housing, not to worry until after Christmas about housing. Then when the portal opened we where told by several landlords that they'd never received as much interest as they had this year. Which unfortunately meant to us missing out due to the high volumes of interest. Once again we had a similar story when reaching out to private and estate agencies hearing they'd never experienced this much interest before in student housing, which lead to the same outcome.
When we reached out to private housing officer about advice we were told 'Why haven't been looking?', accusing us of not doing anything and just waiting. The only advice they were able to offer us that they had another property coming soon and if they thought the property was of a 'good' standard we should just put our holding deposit down there and then. Which is off course something we did not wish to do and contradicted the advice we had been given by the university which was to never pay any money without seeing a property first.
All of this is a shame as it truly is only one of the negatives I can say of the university, coming to Chichester for my studies was one of best choices I have made but I am truly scared that my time may be cut short by the ability to find available housing to be able to continue my studies.
When we reached out to private housing officer about advice we were told 'Why haven't been looking?', accusing us of not doing anything and just waiting. The only advice they were able to offer us that they had another property coming soon and if they thought the property was of a 'good' standard we should just put our holding deposit down there and then. Which is off course something we did not wish to do and contradicted the advice we had been given by the university which was to never pay any money without seeing a property first.
All of this is a shame as it truly is only one of the negatives I can say of the university, coming to Chichester for my studies was one of best choices I have made but I am truly scared that my time may be cut short by the ability to find available housing to be able to continue my studies.
Hi again, just thought I'd come by for another update. It's now late June, halls contracts have ended and students have had to head home for the summer. And still, there's a lot of us without housing. I've been hunting on Rightmove, contacting anything and everything that could work but, unfortunately, most private sector houses don't have HMO licenses so can't legally house groups of students.
On the side of the university - apparently the accommodation team are in talks with properties to discuss acquiring them for second years but those are 'commercially sensitive' so there's no news on how those are developing. Additionally, there are also apparently talks going on at the top of the uni to discuss letting the older students w/o accommodation into halls next year. Of course that ultimately will come down to them deciding whether they value getting more first years or retaining their current students.
Either way whenever I get in contact with the accommodation team I feel dismissed, I don't feel as though they are seriously acknowledging how stressful this situation is for the second/third years going through this. I just sincerely hope that this does end up working out for all us current students by September because otherwise we're well and truly ****ed.
On the side of the university - apparently the accommodation team are in talks with properties to discuss acquiring them for second years but those are 'commercially sensitive' so there's no news on how those are developing. Additionally, there are also apparently talks going on at the top of the uni to discuss letting the older students w/o accommodation into halls next year. Of course that ultimately will come down to them deciding whether they value getting more first years or retaining their current students.
Either way whenever I get in contact with the accommodation team I feel dismissed, I don't feel as though they are seriously acknowledging how stressful this situation is for the second/third years going through this. I just sincerely hope that this does end up working out for all us current students by September because otherwise we're well and truly ****ed.
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