I really wish people would stop saying Mary Gee is dreadful - it's really not. It's not wonderful, definitely not compared to John Foster, but that was only built in 2008 so obviously it's not going to be the same...
I was put in Mary Gee, and at first I was really hesitant and worried. However, I was in Block U, and while I admit that the carpets in some rooms weren't that great, the blocks themselves were fine. They were clean enough, the bathrooms were of good sizes (one on top floor, one on ground floor - if you're lucky you'll get a bath AND a shower) and a weird utility room on the middle floor with sinks. The kitchen is fairly long and narrow, and it can get difficult if there are more than 4 people cooking at once (especially living with 9 other people) but luckily my house all liked to cook at different hours between 6 and 9, so it was fine! There was a table in ours with 6 chairs, there were two fridge freezers (a little tight to fit everyone's stuff in, but manageable!), there's a noticeboard, one big window at either end of the kitchen and the floor can be mopped clean. Oh, there were two hobs/ovens in ours too, and two sinks with draining boards. It's big enough, trust me.
Also, the heating could be a bit temperamental but there's a thermostat on the middle floor (in the corridor) so we were warm all year long.
The bedrooms (or at least in my block) had a big desk with a chair, a comfy chair, a single bed, a wardrobe and bedside table with a small drawer. There were also shelves above our desks. The beds usually had enough room under them that if you struggled for space you could put your stuff under there - I had lots of plastic boxes for this.
The internet is wired but fast - but make sure you bring a decent length cable. And, if you are like my housemate, she had a 30m cable and lived above the kitchen - if ever we wanted the internet in the kitchen she used to hang her internet cable out her window and pull it into the kitchen. We probably weren't supposed to do that, but never mind.
I haven't been there since last year so I'm not sure if they've updated the bike shelter at all, but if you want to take a bike make sure you bring a decent lock - a D lock is the best you can get. If you have quick release wheels, make sure you have a lock that can go round the frame and both wheels too. I left my bike in my room over the holidays (you weren't supposed to do this, but they weren't going to provide adequate shelter/safe locking for my bike so that's what I did). Basically, the problem with the bike shelter was that it was literally just a wooden shack. There were places for between maybe 15-20 bikes but the rest had to be locked to railings. The problems came when people went home for Christmas/Easter. The site wasn't watched and there were no security cameras, only subwardens who weren't really around much either. I remember over the Easter period there was a mass bike theft, where people had come onsite and tried to get every bike they could. I'm not trying to scare, I'm just trying to warn you that you will need a decent lock, because for some reason there are some horrible people that prey on Mary Gee bikes.
Anyway, please PM me if you want more information or want to ask me anything else, I have a couple of pictures of my room and possibly a few of the kitchen floating about, so if anyone wants I can send those.
To be honest though, I made some truly amazing friends in Mary Gee - it was definitely worth living there as I had extra money in my pocket, there's a free bus to Asda on Tuesdays and as long as you don't mind not living in top quality accommodation, it's absolutely fine. It doesn't matter where you stay, what matters is the people, so.
(You can also save money if you don't buy a bus pass - it's always full when it gets to Mary Gee so you might as well walk or cycle. There are a few shops in town that sell second hand bicycles, so that might be a good investment.
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Anyway my post is too long, I shall stop. Good luck, and don't worry, you will be fine!
(I'm not sure what the state of the bike racks are now, as I'm going into my third year and haven't been near Mary Gee since last summer). Just make sure you have a decent lock, whatever happens.)
Another bonus is that you don't have to move all your stuff out over christmas or easter (4-5 week periods), so ha to jofo
Edit: negged for trying to help? wow.