York university accommodation

Hello, my son has Asperger’s and would like a quieter college which is catered and has single rooms. He would also like a friendly college where people are approachable, sociable, fun and kind. He is not bothered whether the room is ensuite. We are coming to the open day and would appreciate recommendations of which colleges to view. As we come from the south coast it is quite a journey and we would rather not have to do it a second time as my husband and I both have ill-health. Any help would be really appreciated.

Hello, congratulations to your son for his offer. The college that I'd say best fits your criteria would be Alcuin - it's generally considered to be the quietest/most studious college, but I can't verifiably attest to that reputation as I'm in David Kato. Alcuin is positioned adjacent to the main University Library and as such has the stereotype of generally being more studious etc than other colleges. Alcuin also doesn't have much of a reputation for nightlife either - it has a college bar but it functions more as a cafe. However, Alcuin isn't catered to the best of my knowledge. Only Derwent, James, and Vanbrugh colleges are catered (I think), and these colleges are certainly not known for being quiet. All of the colleges on east campus are self-catered but they also provide a meal once a week that you eat with your whole college which I have found to be a nice combination. East campus colleges are quieter than the west campus ones and generally attract people who aren't too concerned about nightlife etc, most of those people are attracted to the social culture of west campus. I've found that my college, David Kato, was very quiet and quite sociable to a degree - there is a large common room and the college regularly hold social events for its members. I was very apprehensive and nervous coming to university, and I found that the level of pampering you receive in David Kato was excellent to help me settle in and transition into student life.

Sorry for rambling, but I hope I've given you some level of insight into the nature of the colleges here. I'd be sure to check out Alcuin, David Kato, and Anne Lister. These are the colleges that best fit your criteria.