Ask a student about Accommodation for the Winchester School of Art

Hi!

I'm Olivia, a student ambassador currently studying (BA) Fine art at the Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton.

If you have any questions about the University of Southampton's, first year accommodation in Winchester or general life at the Winchester School of Art, let us know here!

Here are a few links you might find useful:

WSA Official Thread: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/sho...ool%20of%20art

Student Accommodation page: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/student-life/accommodation

Erasmus Park: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/student-life/accommodation/halls/erasmus-park

Private accommodation-Riverside Way: https://www.collegiate-ac.com/uk-student-accommodation/winchester/riverside-way/

Reply 1

Sammoooo

Heyo not sure if this thread is dead but worth a try… I might apply through ucas extra for graphic design. Was mainly wondering about accommodation. I had a look at accommodation in Southampton last year and wondered what the social side is like at the uni owned halls in Winchester. Just wondering if many people choose to stay there? Or if it’s better living in Southampton and getting a bus.Thanks,Sam.

University of Southampton

Southampton

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Reply 2

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

Hey hey,

Apologies for the delayed reply! This is a relatively new thread, so you have come to the right place!

I thought below I would give you my experience with accommodation, like many other student's studying at the WSA. I hope this gives you a little insight and helps in your decision making.

At any Uni this is a big decision, but here at WSA, we do have the option to live in Winchester or Southampton. It can be difficult to decide which you’d prefer, especially if you are unfamiliar with the area, but you need to consider what’s important for you. Southampton is a much busier city, however, living in Winchester does provide an ease of access to Uni, which is extremely convenient. There’s plenty of quick and easy transport links (like the 20 min bus) that allow you to head over to Southampton campus from Winchester.

In my first year, I was based in Erasmus Park halls of residence. This consists of two blocks, known as straight and curved blocks. The blocks combine together with a reception, the common room and laundry room. Halls are only a 15-minute walk to and from uni. Tesco is 5-10 mins walk from halls - so carrying food shopping back isn’t too difficult. There is also a little shortcut to straight block Erasmus Park, through Costa carpark on your way back from Tesco etc. The halls themselves are decent. Rooms are of the usual expected size for uni accommodation and some have more spacious kitchens in straight block. Rooms are equipped with an en-suite (which is a small private bathroom) and shared kitchen facilities. The common room is a fantastic edition to these halls. It’s a cosy and comfortable environment where you can hang out with flatmates and friends from other flats. The common room has a table tennis table, TV’s, games, projector, beanbags, toilets, mini kitchen, small garden space and computers and printer for completion of work (including last minute, late night essay writing)! Outside, there are benches and a BBQ, for when the weather is warmer and also a little rooftop location with benches and giant chess! There is always a member of staff at reception if you need to collect a parcel or enquire about anything - they are all super lovely and some may even join you for a spot of Love Island in the evening! I used the common room a lot to meet up with friends, have a few drinks, watch movies and relax in pjs. There are often small events that the union put on here and outside. This was a great opportunity to connect with all your neighbours and get a feel for the community you’re living in -plus free Dominoes often!
The accommodation is within walking distance of not only WSA but also the charming historic city centre. Everywhere is pretty much accessible by foot around Winchester’s centre.

Most students in my year that have gone to the school of art, all lived in Winchester in their first year as it's a perfect way to get to know people at the school of art studying all things creative! I would say my experience in halls was quite a sociable one however, like every uni halls experiences, you have to put in the effort to get to know people; if that's something you are interested in having as part of your uni experience.

That first week, I developed some great friendships and felt fully comfortable with my flat I was living with first year after a small amount of time getting know each other. On the first few nights, we went out into the city together for freshers, which gave a great opportunity to get to know each other further. Pre's in the flat would help grow friendships and the more you get to know people from nearby flats, the more people would come to the next Pre's and the Pre's after that! This happened often after freshers as we all made groups of friends from nights out and our courses and eventually we introduced each other to different groups at the next gathering at someone's flat or ours. The relatively small size of Erasmus accommodation meant, we all met people from different flats and recognised faces from uni. I would also leave my door open and knock on others doors and hang out, getting deep in conversations (This is a great icebreaker by the way!). Although going into student accommodation can be a lil daunting, this is a very easy way to make friends - I have met some of my closest friends in first year here!

In my second and now third year of uni, I am currently living in Winchester again. I’m sharing with a mixture of flatmates from Erasmus and other friends I made on the course. We decided on a 6 bedroom house in Winnall, Winchester. We chose Winchester based on the fact that we know it so well and everywhere is walkable. It’s a beautiful city, which still allows us to commute quickly and cheaply elsewhere. I am part of the Street Dance Society and this takes place over in Southampton. I can easily catch the free shuttlebus to Highfield Campus from WSA. We like the city, lots to do in the day, pubs in the eve & the beauty of having the scenic countryside on your doorstep. It doesn’t stop us from weekends and nights out in Southampton or jumping on a direct train to London either! We love Winchester as a base and it’s where all our art community thrive!

If you have any further questions, fire away below and will do my best to answer!

Hope this helps in ya decision making and it's great to hear you might be studying with us!

Olivia (Uni of Southampton Ambassador)

Original post by Sammoooo

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

Hey,

Again, not sure if this thread is dead but I was wondering how you went about finding landlords/houses in Winchester? I've tried Rightmove and haven't got very far and am struggling with where to look to find good landlords. Do you have any recommendations/warnings of where not to go?

Thank you :smile: