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Catered or Self-Catered?

I don't know if I should get catered or self catered. What if I get catered and I don't like the food? What if I get self catered and starve!
Which one did you guys pick?

Reply 1

jc20

Original post by diannamorris

I don't know if I should get catered or self catered. What if I get catered and I don't like the food? What if I get self catered and starve!
Which one did you guys pick?

I dropped out of uni that was catered (although NOT because of that reason lol, I hated the course) but i thought the food was really nice, and it forced me to actually get out of my room and socialise ha. It offered catered and self catered and I decided to go with catered which was great overall as you didn't have to do anything (no cooking, no washing up etc), just turn up. But now this year I'm going to one that's self-catered, didn't have a choice but I'm planning on learning how to cook basic meals. I might just end up buying though :P

Reply 2

Klix88

Original post by diannamorris

I don't know if I should get catered or self catered. What if I get catered and I don't like the food? What if I get self catered and starve!
Which one did you guys pick?

It might depend on your finances. Catered will be significantly more expensive than self-catering. If you'll be reliant on Student Finance, you may find that you don't have a choice.

I've certainly read horror stories about food at catered halls on here before. Try asking in the individual TSR sections for individual unis. If you get get opinions on food quality from students there at the moment, that will be your best guide.

Reply 3

Jackieox

Original post by Klix88

Catered's cheaper at my uni, it's the cheapest option..

I'd just like to point out that you might not have the choice. Your uni will accommodate the best that they can but you might end up in Self Catered anyway. That happened to a few friends of mine, they applied to be self catered and they ended up being catered instead =P

Reply 4

Helloworld_95

Self catered plus google for recipes. Catered food is ok but it's likely you'll have to supplement the amount you get with additional money, and it's already quite expensive.

Reply 5

UniofReading

Official Rep

Original post by diannamorris

I don't know if I should get catered or self catered. What if I get catered and I don't like the food? What if I get self catered and starve!
Which one did you guys pick?

Hello!

Choosing self catered or catered halls depends on a variety of factors from the university, the food, your own food preferences and budget.

If you are a fussy eater and are really good at cooking then self catered would be your best option. You'll get to eat the food you want to eat and whatever time too. It can be fun cooking, trying out different recipes and you might cook with your flatmates and share meals at times which would make things a lot easier. If however, you eat a variety of food and are a bit lazy or can't cook very well then catered would be a good choice.

I stayed in a catered hall in my first year at the University of Reading and had a really good time. Its very sociable and it was nice eating properly everyday and not living off pasta or worrying about what to cook. The food varied a lot and of course its not as good as food at home but its not bad at all! Do check different universities though as the food would vary. At my university the money for food is on your campus card and it gets renewed each week. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served and you do have to budget with the money that you are given. For example if you buy drinks all the time with your meals instead of having water then it will add up. It was a good amount though and if you do run out of money you can just pay the excess or I'm sure one of your friends will bail you out with their card money!

In my hall there was a pantry area with a microwave, kettle, toaster, fridge and freezer so we could prepare small meals and people generally had breakfast in the flat, only going to the canteen sometimes for a full English. Dinner was served earlier to what I was used to- around 5-7 but afterwards a takeaway service opened with fast food until midnight so if you did miss it or got hungry then food is still available.

Your budget is a big factor in deciding which halls to go for. Of course the catered halls are a lot more expensive but to go in self catered halls you will need to consider how much you will spend on food weekly. Its great if you can figure out and stick to a weekly food budget to help you decide which option would be more cost effective. I remember I was paying the same amount as someone in a self catered en suite hall but they had to pay more money because the food was not included. So definitely go through your options and see what fits your budget.

I hope that helps! Feel free to ask any more questions,
Pip, third year English Literature and History of Art :smile:

Reply 6

Roving Fish

Moved to Student Accommodation forum from Uni Life

Reply 7

New- Emperor

I wen't self catered it was pritty cool as I felt it gave me more choice feel like a takeaway one night just go do it. If you are not hungry at the time that food I seved no problem have a later supper go self catered it's more fun