Modern accommodation campus west

Hi, I was just wondering if you had any suggestions for accommodation on campus West. Most of the rooms look very tired and tiny so I'm just curious about whether any modernisation has taken place in any of the colleges. Particularly interested in being quite close to food outlets/ shops, preferably near to econ block and library. Haven't decided on catered or not yet but definitely don't want lowest band, sharing a bathroom. If sharing is only option then looking for the best room available. This may sound picky but a good room/sleep/ comfort is really high up my priority list....speaking from experience. Would be interested in hearing views from current/ former students. Thanks

Hi there,

It's great to hear you're considering studying at York!

To try and help you, I've broken your question down into three parts:

Which colleges on Campus West offer the most modern accommodation?
I'm not an expert on when exactly each block was built, but within each of the colleges on Campus West (Alcuin, Derwent, James, Vanbrugh, Halifax), some blocks are newer, and others are older (some being the original buildings from the 1960s). How modern a room is will likely be reflected in the price band it is placed in. However, I personally wouldn't be too concerned about the accommodation being super modern - in my first year I lived in some of the original 1960s accommodation in Derwent, and although it was retro, it was completely fine. Ultimately, I found that the thing that was most important was getting on with my flatmates, and making new friends, rather than how modern our surroundings were.

Which colleges on Campus West are close to food outlets / shops?
- On Campus West there is one main mini-supermarket - Nisa - which is located in Market Square, which is pretty much at the centre of Campus West.
- Each college has its own bar / café / catering outlet, so whichever college you're in, you'll be nearby to somewhere you can buy food from.
- Whichever college you're in, you can go to any other college's bar / café / catering outlet

Which colleges are nearest to Economics / Library?
The nearest college to the library is Alcuin, and the nearest college to the Church Lane building (where economics is housed) is the Extension blocks of Derwent. But, the Campus at York is compact, so generally nothing is more than a 10-15 minute walk away. In my first year, I lived in Derwent, which was on the opposite side of campus to my subject (biology), but it only used to take me 7 minutes to get over to the biology buildings.

I hope this helps - Hannah