University of Warwick

Coventry

The Warwick Accommodation Thread (+Guide in Post#1)

Scroll to see replies

Penguin2012

Yep. Only one of Jack Martin or Arthur Vick, and then as many as you want of the others. (At least this was how it was done last year.) Also be careful about the other en-suite halls as they get pretty expensive!

Thanks! Which hall are you in? Just a bit worried about moving everything out in between terms for the 30 week rent halls :s-smilie:

(seems rather annoying lol)

Thinking of Bluebell, is it really worth the money there? Seeing it's relatively close to Rootes, would it be noisy at night time?

University of Warwick

Coventry

Reply 4561

Nirgilis

Original post by Penguin2012

Thinking of Bluebell, is it really worth the money there?

No. I've said this over and over in the thread, but Bluebell is NOT worth the money for the relatively few benefits it has. You'd simply end up with no money to enjoy yourself with! :tongue:

Reply 4562

jameswhughes

Original post by Penguin2012

Thanks! Which hall are you in? Just a bit worried about moving everything out in between terms for the 30 week rent halls :s-smilie:

(seems rather annoying lol)

Thinking of Bluebell, is it really worth the money there? Seeing it's relatively close to Rootes, would it be noisy at night time?

I'm in Arthur Vick, and no, like others have said on here, Bluebell's not worth the money. For moving stuff out in holidays that you can't take home-find a friend in a 39-week hall, or if you don't have much stuff (like me) the cupboard provided will be fine. Packing up your stuff may seem like a hassle, but it's definitely worth doing this just twice to have your own bathroom for a year!

Reply 4563

Mousebudden

What are the differences between 30 week Let and 39 week Let? I mean are the terms 30 weeks long or 39 weeks long? If so, what would be the benefit of having a 39 week Let?

Thanks!

Reply 4564

Tsunami2011

Original post by Mousebudden

What are the differences between 30 week Let and 39 week Let? I mean are the terms 30 weeks long or 39 weeks long? If so, what would be the benefit of having a 39 week Let?

Thanks!

lol no. It just means you can stay in your room during the holidays.

Reply 4565

TheTallOne

Original post by Mousebudden

What are the differences between 30 week Let and 39 week Let? I mean are the terms 30 weeks long or 39 weeks long? If so, what would be the benefit of having a 39 week Let?

Thanks!

People with 39 week lets then have the accommodation from arrivals weekend until the end of the year (in July). This means they can leave stuff in their rooms/kitchens for this period and can enter their room whenever they want to in this period. This means you can return a week before the start of the term, if you wish to do so, or even spend the holidays on campus.

People with 30 week lets have the accommodation from arrivals weekend until 10am on the Saturday after the end of term. You have to remove all your stuff from your rooms and kitchens and you may only leave stuff in a lockable cupboard (about 1.3m x 0.75m x 0.65m), for which you will need a padlock. You then regain access to your room from 10am the Saturday before the start of term and the same happens over the spring break. Then a similar process will occur on the last week of the year in July. This means that you cannot return earlier than the set times given to you and if it snows (like it did this January) you may have trouble getting back in time for the start of term/you can only take a train with a smaller suitcase and you won't have everything (remember you need to take everything home/to uni each term).

People with 37 week lets (Whitefields) have the accommodation from arrivals weekend until the end of the year, except for two weeks in December. In 2011, students will need to move out of their rooms for the period of the 18th December until the 1st January. So I assume (as this is new) that you will have to follow a similar procedure as 30 week lets over Winter, but you get the room over Spring and don't have to move out.

People with 50 week lets These lets are typically only available to Postgraduates. The only two empty weeks are in the last two weeks of September. You could probably contact Warwick Accommodation and arrange an additional two weeks to your let if you plan on staying an additional year. Alternatives are the holiday lets in Cryfield, available from this page, currently £13 per night.

More info in the guide on page one of the thread :smile:

Reply 4566

Mousebudden

Original post by TheTallOne

Really helpful, thanks for the advice. Do most people go for 39?

Reply 4567

jameswhughes

Original post by Mousebudden

Really helpful, thanks for the advice. Do most people go for 39?

Depends what you mean, more people stay in 39 week halls as there are more 39 week halls, however I would expect AV and JM to be the most oversubscribed

Reply 4568

meganeira

Hi guys, I'm changing course at Warwick and going back into Year 1 in October (I'm a Fresher now). I'm living on campus, but was meant to be going abroad next year so haven't organised any accommodation. There are options open to me to go off-campus, but was wondering if

a) I'd be allowed to reapply for on-campus accommodation, and
b) if that is possible, which would be preferable being a fresher in her second year at Warwick?

Most of my friends will be living in Leamington and I'll be able to have a car, and will also be near most of the nightlife, but Campus is convenient. What would you guys recommend?

Reply 4569

ttoby

Original post by meganeira

Are you still here or have you left already? According to http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/accommodation/studentaccommodation/apply/11/allocation11/#1UG

Students who are restarting their first year and have already completed more than 6 months of any first degree at the University of Warwick will not be eligible for a room on campus.

Reply 4570

meganeira

Original post by ttoby

Are you still here or have you left already? According to http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/accommodation/studentaccommodation/apply/11/allocation11/#1UG

Oh wow thanks for that! That's answered my question. I'm finishing the year so looks like I'll be heading off campus!

Reply 4571

conorordan

Is there anything seriously wrong with Bluebell? Right now it looks to me like the best option, in terms of facilities at least, but I'm awfully worried about the isolation that some people on here have mentioned.

Is there somewhere where I can get the best of both worlds? The facilities of Bluebell coupled with the social reputation of the corridor halls.

Before you tell me that Bluebell is not worth the money, let's say hypothetically that money isn't an issue here.

It looks like I might come close to this ideal in somewhere like Arthur Vick or Jack Martin, is this really the case? How problematic is the 30 week lets on these places?

Reply 4572

Roy064

Original post by conorordan

I know what you mean about Bluebell, it seems like the best option and the fact it is close to Rootes I thought maybe the social aspect wouldn't be as bad as some people are making it out.

Reply 4573

jameswhughes

Original post by conorordan

I wouldn't say the isolation was a problem, it's just that you're paying so much more for something which isn't really any better than AV or JM. In fact, if money wasn't an issue at all, the yes, I probably would say that Bluebell was the best halls on campus.

Reply 4574

Nirgilis

Original post by conorordan

What you have to realise is that no halls on campus are ideal. They all have their pros and cons and it's about finding the right balance that works for you :yep:

So, let's weigh them up for Bluebell:

Pros:
- Ensuite
- 39 Week let
- WIFI in the kitchens
- Secure
- Semi-detached social area. It saves having to socialise in your kitchen (though you still are in the kitchen, you're just not surrounded by cooking utensils. AV has a separate common area however).

Cons:
- It's a fortress. Seriously, you need to get through 4 key card access points to get into your room. It's slightly antisocial in that sense. As has been pointed out before, if you do not like your flatmates, it's difficult to mingle in another kitchen like it is in JM/AV/Rootes.
- There are fewer people per flat than other places. This, again, is a con for a social person.
- The kitchens are lacking in space. They only have 1 oven (electric hob as well - good luck cooking anything on that) to cater for all of you. However, this is the same in AV, but I think JM has 2 ovens per kitchen, but they do cater for a few more people. Plenty of fridge/freezer space however.
- Privacy. While the building is secure, the floor-ceiling windows offer a nice peek into your room and kitchen. Can be quite unnerving considering a lot of them face the main walkway onto campus. While you have curtains in your room, you don't particularly want to keep them shut all day.
- Too secure. If you're planning a party, then you're going to be up and down the stairs all the time, letting people in through the door and generally finding it difficult to organise. Other halls people can just wonder in and find your kitchen without much effort on your part.
- No wifi in your room. A pain, but it's the same elsewhere (but I'm not sure about Sherbourne).

As you can see, this is all without the price being a factor. If money is not a problem, then Bluebell is a good hall if you're not too bothered about having a large social group. It's a nice, cosy feeling place and you don't see people around from other flats so much. However, if you don't get along with your flat mates, you have to make all the efforts to make friends off your course and society. Coming from AV, if I decided I didn't want to hang out in my kitchen, I could happily wonder along to any of the other kitchens in the block.

Now, bringing price in as a factor, it's not worth the money. The rooms are the same size as AV, though AV has more privacy when it comes to windows. Bluebell may have slightly nicer styling in the ensuite, but it's not enough to offset the price. AV also has a shed load of shelf space, something I found severely lacking in Bluebell. If you need the 39 week, then I would look into Lakeside too, but I haven't seen the rooms over there to compare. If you don't need a 39 week, then please reconsider - for your bank's sake. Seriously, if you're a home student, lugging your stuff forward and backward is a nuisance for those 6 days of the year when you need to do it, but saving £2000 is worth it :yep:

If Bluebell was a 30 week let, would I have chosen it? Yes, I probably would have. But those extra 9 weeks costs you dearly - hence I went with AV instead.

Hope that helps someway to your decision! :smile:

Original post by Roy064

I know what you mean about Bluebell, it seems like the best option and the fact it is close to Rootes I thought maybe the social aspect wouldn't be as bad as some people are making it out.

Ah, the problem is because it's close to Rootes. There's a sort of class war that rages between the two blocks. Rootes view Bluebell as posh, stuck up, rich, antisocial gits while Bluebell like to laugh at the inferiority of the Rootes accommodation and how it looks like it's falling down. Bluebell generally gets odd looks whoever you speak to on campus (because we all think anybody in there is a rich git :tongue:

), though I don't know whether that will change with Sherbourne.

EDIT:

TheTallOne

I realise there isn't a hall review for Bluebell on the front page, you're welcome to stick this in there if you like, or I can rewrite (so it's blatantly less bias) it properly and submit it then (though you're welcome to steal the pros, cons and that first paragraph as they're relatively neutral). It may be useful to avoid the same question popping up in the future :yep: