The Official Bankside House Thread 2011

I've put down Bankside as my first choice. I think I will like the environment, but don't have the chance to visit there myself on Open day. Shame...

Reply 21

RandomHuman

Hi I'm Jas, I've put Bankside as my first choice :smile:

praying I get an en suite because I'm abit of a clean freak, from what I hear it's really fun
...not that I've ever visited an Open Day or anything haha

I'm doing Law btw :biggrin:

Reply 22

kyc

Silly as it may sound, do you have to clean your own room and bathroom for en-suite rooms, and same question for single rooms with shared bathroom? Thanks!

Reply 23

Anita B. Studin

I went there to visit it yesterday. Took me about 1.5 hours to find it, getting lost, taking wrong trains etc.

Finally got there at 7:30 and they didn't let me in!! :frown:

The reception is pretty.

Reply 24

Ooo'Yeah

11

Original post by Milan.

.

I was just wondering about the Bankside kitchen situation, coz I went there yesterday and the guy said that there's about 70ish people in each floor and only about 6 get kitchen access. But then I asked him about whether the other people had access to microwaves or toasters and he said no :s-smilie:

I was just wondering whether this was actually the case coz I've read somewhere that there was a microwave and toaster available, as I don't want to end up in Bankside having no way to make any food at all :tongue:

Reply 25

Milan.

3

Original post by Ooo'Yeah

I was just wondering about the Bankside kitchen situation, coz I went there yesterday and the guy said that there's about 70ish people in each floor and only about 6 get kitchen access. But then I asked him about whether the other people had access to microwaves or toasters and he said no :s-smilie:

I was just wondering whether this was actually the case coz I've read somewhere that there was a microwave and toaster available, as I don't want to end up in Bankside having no way to make any food at all :tongue:

every floor has a lounge, which has a microwave, im trying to remember if theres a toaster, heres someone who can answer your question better -->

Original post by darrold

.

Original post by kyc

Silly as it may sound, do you have to clean your own room and bathroom for en-suite rooms, and same question for single rooms with shared bathroom? Thanks!

if its your own room and bathroom ensuite then you have to clean it yourself
im pretty sure its the same with shared, but heres someone that can answer your question better --->

Original post by darrold

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(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 26

Ooo'Yeah

11

Original post by darrold

This is a better video:

http://www2.lse.ac.uk/lifeAtLSE/accommodation/forStudents/residentialHalls/bankside/currentResidents/welcomeVideo.aspx

Hey I was just wondering what facilities there were for the people that don't get kitchen access, like is there a microwave or a toaster? :biggrin:

Reply 27

darrold

Original post by Ooo'Yeah

Hey I was just wondering what facilities there were for the people that don't get kitchen access, like is there a microwave or a toaster? :biggrin:

Each lounge has a microwave, kettle and a TV. Don't think there are toasters available in the lounges, well not on my floor anyway.

Reply 28

darrold

Original post by kyc

Silly as it may sound, do you have to clean your own room and bathroom for en-suite rooms, and same question for single rooms with shared bathroom? Thanks!

You have to clean your own bathrooms, they stopped cleaning them the year before I came -.- If you really can't be bothered, u can pay a small fee for the cleaners to do it.

Reply 29

kyc

Original post by darrold

You have to clean your own bathrooms, they stopped cleaning them the year before I came -.- If you really can't be bothered, u can pay a small fee for the cleaners to do it.

Awesome! Could that be arranged by the hall or would I need to negotiate privately with the cleaners? Thanks!

Reply 30

darrold

Original post by kyc

Awesome! Could that be arranged by the hall or would I need to negotiate privately with the cleaners? Thanks!

You can go to the reception and they would sort it. But its like £11 every time they clean it, so you might as well do a bit yourself :P

Reply 31

kyc

Original post by darrold

You can go to the reception and they would sort it. But its like £11 every time they clean it, so you might as well do a bit yourself :P

Great suggestion thank you, but I think I'd rather go out and do something else hehe :biggrin:

Reply 32

saks10111

7

Hi, I've put down Bankside as my first choice, it sounds amazing and I really hope I get it!

I think the only relative concern I have is regarding the cooking facilities. I know there's a canteen, but are you allowed your own fridge? I didn't actually think that this would be a problem, if you bought your own mini fridge, but apparently you have to be permitted to have one? I'm not really going to be cooking up a storm lol, so I don't care that there's no stoves/toasters, all I need is a microwave and a fridge.

Oh and what's the scene around Bankside like? Are there restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs, etc? Also, is there a large supermarket like M&S or Tesco's or something fairly nearby?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can answer these!

Reply 33

amenhotep

1

Original post by l'histoire

Anyone else thinking of applying for accommodation at Bankside House? If so, post in here!

If anyone reading this has has lived in or is currently living in Bankside House, please share your experiences with us! What's the food really like? What time does the restaurant open/close? How did you find the social scene/general atmosphere?

I skimmed through - sorry if some things have already been answered.

Restaurant is open from 6pm to 8pm, or sometimes 9pm. It's okay and not expensive for a hot meal in London. Think of it as school dinners (British), only a bit better with more variety. It's pretty bland and insipid overall.

Socially, it's alright. Because it's so big, maybe it might be hard to find people with the same interests as you. The majority of people just like to go to a crap night club and get pissed, which is typical but still awful. It's not like a flat or house - it's way too big for that. You need to make friends and go to each other's rooms rather than converging on a lounge or kitchen. The common room/basement is good for this, and is pretty big.

Laundry is great and convenient (basement). I do a super wash for GBP 2.40 and dry for 50 minutes for GBP 1.00 and that's my laundry done for a week.

Most rooms are a good size. 'Bigger' rooms are a bit more expensive (maybe I didn't do enough research, but I had only seen one price, and that was for the biggest single en-suite rooms, so I didn't have a nasty surprise) but they are pretty big for student housing. Some part have nice views, especially upper floors. You can't choose though.

The floor you are on, and your neighbours, will affect how nice your room is, obviously. Upper floors tend to be quieter but too dead in some people's opinion, but some people do like to have noisy people round, horrible music etc. Question of luck. There are wardens if you have a complaint.

The lounges (sofas, TV, microwave), as far as I know, aren't used as lounges. They stink too much (food) and don't have good ventilation (none on some floors). People go in to use the microwave and sink and that's it. No toasters (would set off fire alarms, especially if the doors are open because of the smell.

Lounges and kitchens (quite good, but an extra GBP 7 per week - this year) are locked at about 11.30pm. This is because of possible drunken cooking related fire alarms.

Late night fire alarms will annoy you. There aren't that many, but they're unavoidable with so many people, especially when drunk.

Reception staff are mostly fantastic in my opinion. I don't know anyone who dislikes them in the way this thread suggests. Yes, some of the security/night staff are very dull and depressed, but the people during the day are lively, helpful and friendly.

Personally, I think the location is very good, but that'll depend on what you usually do, where you go etc. For me, it means that a lot of places in every direction are within reasonable walking distance (30 minutes, 40 max). Nearest tube station (Embankment) should be open soon as well, which might help.

There is refurbishment planned in the not too distant future. The 8th floor will be developed, as will the basement, and other improvements all over.

Reply 34

amenhotep

1

Original post by saks10111

Hi, I've put down Bankside as my first choice, it sounds amazing and I really hope I get it!

I think the only relative concern I have is regarding the cooking facilities. I know there's a canteen, but are you allowed your own fridge? I didn't actually think that this would be a problem, if you bought your own mini fridge, but apparently you have to be permitted to have one? I'm not really going to be cooking up a storm lol, so I don't care that there's no stoves/toasters, all I need is a microwave and a fridge.

Oh and what's the scene around Bankside like? Are there restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs, etc? Also, is there a large supermarket like M&S or Tesco's or something fairly nearby?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can answer these!

You can have a fridge in your room. The fee is GBP 30 per year (this year). Every floor has a lounge with a microwave (you're not allowed microwaves, toasters etc, in your room - just a fridge and a kettle).

There are plenty of restaurants and cafes nearby. The buildings next door (literally) have a lot of facilities. M&S Food (basically a supermarket for food and household things like washing powder). Cafes and restaurants: Amano, Starbucks, Dell'Aziz, Leon, Vapiano, Mexican food place, sushi place, Tapas place, smoothies place... and more. There is a gym next door as well.

It's central London so there are no huge supermarkets, but plenty of smaller ones (e.g. Tesco Central and Tesco Metro, or Sainsbury's Local) and they have everything you'll need.

There are plenty of bars nearby. And it's central London, so nothing is far away.

Reply 35

AN0N

Original post by Milan.

if you're living there next year you'll realise that you hate bankside staff :tongue:

I love the Bankside staff! :colondollar:

Reply 36

Anita B. Studin

is it possible to ask for a 31 week contract? I really can't afford 40 weeks :frown:

Reply 37

Ooo'Yeah

11

Original post by Anita B. Studin

is it possible to ask for a 31 week contract? I really can't afford 40 weeks :frown:

Me neither, and I'd probably move out during the holidays anyway so it'd be a waste of the 9 weeks I'm not there. But I emailed the accommodation people a while back asking whether it was flexible for change and they said that it was only 40 weeks and that if I wanted 31 weeks, I'd have to choose CS, Rosebery or Passfield :frown:

Reply 38

Anita B. Studin

Original post by Ooo'Yeah

Me neither, and I'd probably move out during the holidays anyway so it'd be a waste of the 9 weeks I'm not there. But I emailed the accommodation people a while back asking whether it was flexible for change and they said that it was only 40 weeks and that if I wanted 31 weeks, I'd have to choose CS, Rosebery or Passfield :frown:

Oh nooo I put Bankside as my first choice! I really hope I get Rosebery, is it too late to change my choices now?
If I get standard single at Bankside, I'll have -£752 from my maintenance loan.

Reply 39

anuj_kundarap

Hi,

I've applied for accomodation pretty late (its almost mid-May now). My choices are 1. Carr-Saunders Single
2. Roseberry Single
3. Bankside Shared
4. International Hall Single
5. Hughes Parry Single
6. Connought Single

What are my chances of getting into one of the LSE Residences? I really don't wanna end up in an Inter-collegiate residence and I filled up the options only because it was compulsory.

Also, I will be arriving with a friend and I want to make sure we end up in the same Residence. Is there any way of doing that?

Any help appreciated.

Regards,
Anuj

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