Which is the best accommodation hall at University of Southampton?
Hey! I'll be starting Southampton in 2016 and I was wondering if anyone knew which hall was the best? For me it seems to be a choice between Mayflower and Glen Eyre. Glen Eyre is very close to campus whereas Mayflower is in the city so you need to take a bus to get to campus. However, Mayflower is supposedly much newer and modern than Glen Eyre which I would prefer. Anyone who goes to the university can give me some advice? Please and thanks!
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Original post by claudiasahara
Hey! I'll be starting Southampton in 2016 and I was wondering if anyone knew which hall was the best? For me it seems to be a choice between Mayflower and Glen Eyre. Glen Eyre is very close to campus whereas Mayflower is in the city so you need to take a bus to get to campus. However, Mayflower is supposedly much newer and modern than Glen Eyre which I would prefer. Anyone who goes to the university can give me some advice? Please and thanks!
What hall is the "best" depends on the kind of person you're talking to. If you tell me the most important criteria that you want from halls, I could probably help out! Also, what course are you planning on taking? What campus you'll be studying in affects what location is the best, as well.
Original post by claudiasahara
Hey! I'll be starting Southampton in 2016 and I was wondering if anyone knew which hall was the best? For me it seems to be a choice between Mayflower and Glen Eyre. Glen Eyre is very close to campus whereas Mayflower is in the city so you need to take a bus to get to campus. However, Mayflower is supposedly much newer and modern than Glen Eyre which I would prefer. Anyone who goes to the university can give me some advice? Please and thanks!
I'd agree with the other poster. What accommodation I've found to be the best will be very different to what someone else will choose. It all depends on course, budget and what kind of room you want. I'm in Bencraft and that's a 15 minute bus ride from Highfield and it's perfectly manageable. I'm not paying much and I share a bathroom, which suits me fine. Others would not agree.
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Glen Eyre, Wessex Lane and Mayflower are generally considered to be the three main halls at Southampton. I know you didn't mention Wessex Lane but I'll give some brief info about all three just in case.
Glen Eyre
Location: 5-10 minute walk from Highfield Campus
Glen Eyre is the closest of the three main halls to Highfield Campus, being a 5-10 minute journey just up the road. There is a range of hall sizes, typically about six to a kitchen though some spaces have 10 or more. Slightly less of a party atmosphere than Wessex Lane but still very sociable. Despite Mayflower being more modern, the facilities are more than enough at Glen Eyre, with a fair amount of washing machines (though for all halls in general I recommend doing your washing on Mondays while people are still out in lectures) and very good kitchens. There's a small bar within the halls complex (though not close to any halls blocks, so noise isn't an issue), plus lots of green spaces and barbeque pits for when the weather isn't terrible. Big Sainsburys is a five minute bus ride away in Portswood, good for your weekly shop, and if you want to stock up on little bits like milk or bog roll during the week there's a Co-op, a Sainsburys Local and a Tesco Express, all around a 10 minute walk away. Being close to Highfield means you're close to a lot of events during Fresher's that take place in the Student Union building, as well as The Stile and Stag's pubs. The main appeal of these halls I think is the location, as well as the pretty comfortable living spaces.
Mayflower
Location: 15-20 minute bus ride from Highfield Campus
Like you said, Mayflower is more modern. While it's the furthest away from campus of the three main hall complexes, it has the best facilities. They've recently spent a lot of money installing a new gym inside the halls complex itself, meaning you don't have to endure a sweaty bus ride back from Highfield gym. There are city centre buses (coded U1C) that go pretty close to Mayflower Halls, but there's also a direct bus route to and from Mayflower, so despite the longer journey, accessibility isn't a major issue. Obviously, being in the city itself, you're close to a lot of shops, including a big Asda, and there's also a Co-op actually in the halls complex for bits and bobs. There's Mayflower Theatre directly next to the halls, which gives cheaper tickets to students (entrance to Sweeny Todd was £5, last I heard). You're also pretty close to the clubs in the city centre, where a number of Fresher's Week events take place, and of course, you're the closest halls to Sprinkles, the best ice cream bar in town. While you may need to get up earlier for lectures, the main appeal of these halls is its close proximity to the city centre and its excellent facilities.
Wessex Lane
Location: 5 minute bus ride from Highfield Campus
Wessex Lane halls are pretty big, with a lot of first year students ending up there. The rooms are slightly less good in terms of quality, but it's still a decent living space. It offers cheap accommodation, too, and you have a much greater chance of getting in these halls if you put it as your number one choice compared to the others. There are two bus links that lead from Highfield to Wessex Lane halls: the U1W, which is dedicated specifically to Wessex Lane, and the U1A, which goes towards the airport but takes the same route as the U1W. The bus rides are frequent and very short, and go past all the small shops I mentioned in the Glen Eyre paragraph. There seems to be a bit more of a party atmosphere at Wessex Lane, though that may just be because there are more people. If you're interested in the archery, rifle or rowing societies, they're based a few minutes walk away from the halls. The facilities are alright, and you obviously have the essentials like washrooms and reception. Really, Wessex Lane is nothing special, but it's still a good place to live. The main appeal of these halls is the number of rooms available, the cheap pricing of the rooms, and the relative closeness to Highfield Campus.
With all these halls, bear in mind that there are different types of accommodation within the halls. I'm not sure about Mayflower but Glen Eyre and Wessex Lane may offer you halls of around 20 people, or they may offer you halls of six. The allocation of halls is a bit confusing as well, as there are different sections within the halls. In Glen Eyre, you have the main Glen Eyre halls, but you could also be put in Chamberlain, which still counts as being part of Glen Eyre but contains the Hartley Grove and South Hill halls (don't worry, though, as if you look on Google Maps you'll actually see that these halls are slightly closer to campus than main Glen). Wessex Lane contains Montefiore (or Monte) and Connaught halls, the latter of which I believe to be catered halls. Just something to keep an eye out for.
Glen Eyre
Location: 5-10 minute walk from Highfield Campus
Glen Eyre is the closest of the three main halls to Highfield Campus, being a 5-10 minute journey just up the road. There is a range of hall sizes, typically about six to a kitchen though some spaces have 10 or more. Slightly less of a party atmosphere than Wessex Lane but still very sociable. Despite Mayflower being more modern, the facilities are more than enough at Glen Eyre, with a fair amount of washing machines (though for all halls in general I recommend doing your washing on Mondays while people are still out in lectures) and very good kitchens. There's a small bar within the halls complex (though not close to any halls blocks, so noise isn't an issue), plus lots of green spaces and barbeque pits for when the weather isn't terrible. Big Sainsburys is a five minute bus ride away in Portswood, good for your weekly shop, and if you want to stock up on little bits like milk or bog roll during the week there's a Co-op, a Sainsburys Local and a Tesco Express, all around a 10 minute walk away. Being close to Highfield means you're close to a lot of events during Fresher's that take place in the Student Union building, as well as The Stile and Stag's pubs. The main appeal of these halls I think is the location, as well as the pretty comfortable living spaces.
Mayflower
Location: 15-20 minute bus ride from Highfield Campus
Like you said, Mayflower is more modern. While it's the furthest away from campus of the three main hall complexes, it has the best facilities. They've recently spent a lot of money installing a new gym inside the halls complex itself, meaning you don't have to endure a sweaty bus ride back from Highfield gym. There are city centre buses (coded U1C) that go pretty close to Mayflower Halls, but there's also a direct bus route to and from Mayflower, so despite the longer journey, accessibility isn't a major issue. Obviously, being in the city itself, you're close to a lot of shops, including a big Asda, and there's also a Co-op actually in the halls complex for bits and bobs. There's Mayflower Theatre directly next to the halls, which gives cheaper tickets to students (entrance to Sweeny Todd was £5, last I heard). You're also pretty close to the clubs in the city centre, where a number of Fresher's Week events take place, and of course, you're the closest halls to Sprinkles, the best ice cream bar in town. While you may need to get up earlier for lectures, the main appeal of these halls is its close proximity to the city centre and its excellent facilities.
Wessex Lane
Location: 5 minute bus ride from Highfield Campus
Wessex Lane halls are pretty big, with a lot of first year students ending up there. The rooms are slightly less good in terms of quality, but it's still a decent living space. It offers cheap accommodation, too, and you have a much greater chance of getting in these halls if you put it as your number one choice compared to the others. There are two bus links that lead from Highfield to Wessex Lane halls: the U1W, which is dedicated specifically to Wessex Lane, and the U1A, which goes towards the airport but takes the same route as the U1W. The bus rides are frequent and very short, and go past all the small shops I mentioned in the Glen Eyre paragraph. There seems to be a bit more of a party atmosphere at Wessex Lane, though that may just be because there are more people. If you're interested in the archery, rifle or rowing societies, they're based a few minutes walk away from the halls. The facilities are alright, and you obviously have the essentials like washrooms and reception. Really, Wessex Lane is nothing special, but it's still a good place to live. The main appeal of these halls is the number of rooms available, the cheap pricing of the rooms, and the relative closeness to Highfield Campus.
With all these halls, bear in mind that there are different types of accommodation within the halls. I'm not sure about Mayflower but Glen Eyre and Wessex Lane may offer you halls of around 20 people, or they may offer you halls of six. The allocation of halls is a bit confusing as well, as there are different sections within the halls. In Glen Eyre, you have the main Glen Eyre halls, but you could also be put in Chamberlain, which still counts as being part of Glen Eyre but contains the Hartley Grove and South Hill halls (don't worry, though, as if you look on Google Maps you'll actually see that these halls are slightly closer to campus than main Glen). Wessex Lane contains Montefiore (or Monte) and Connaught halls, the latter of which I believe to be catered halls. Just something to keep an eye out for.
I'm a fresher in a non-ensuite in wessex lane and the halls are pretty good, decent kitchen, flat of 7 (4 boys, 3 girls), shared bathroom (really isn't a problem at all). Monte is always busy with people going out every night, bus services are good, there's a bar, although nobody really goes there atm. Although obviously it depends on the course, probably not the best if you're at avenue or the NOC but even if you are it isn't really a problem, you just have to get on the bus a bit earlier
Does anyone have information on Bencraft? I come from a low income background and have heard its the cheapest. Does anyone how much it is a year? I do know its a small hall with 200 people which I prefer.
Thanks
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Original post by blissfullyabsent
Does anyone have information on Bencraft? I come from a low income background and have heard its the cheapest. Does anyone how much it is a year? I do know its a small hall with 200 people which I prefer.
Thanks
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Thanks
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Hi! I'm currently in Bencraft. I really like it. Is there anything in particular that you wanted to know? It's more than £10 per week cheaper than the next one. Currently it's £89 per week.
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Original post by Shelltato
Which would be best for studying medicine?
Depends on your situation. Do you prefer walking/cycling or taking the bus? What facilities/amenities would you like nearby? Do you want to socialise more with medics or non-medics?
If you give me an idea about what you want out of your accommodation, I can probably give a few bits of guidance. I'm a first year medic at Southampton ATM. :-)
Original post by 9910224
Depends on your situation. Do you prefer walking/cycling or taking the bus? What facilities/amenities would you like nearby? Do you want to socialise more with medics or non-medics?
If you give me an idea about what you want out of your accommodation, I can probably give a few bits of guidance. I'm a first year medic at Southampton ATM. :-)
If you give me an idea about what you want out of your accommodation, I can probably give a few bits of guidance. I'm a first year medic at Southampton ATM. :-)
You never got a reply so I thought I'd ask for myself if you don't mind! I'm hoping to going into Medicine at Soton in 2016. I guess I'd prefer the walk to campus rather than taking a bus, but its not that big of a deal. I doubt I'll be buying a bicycle, would rather walk. I'd like to be close to a grocery shop and definitely a gym.
And it would be great to be close to the night life as well, like clubs and such. Wouldn't mind a good walk or bus ride to school if it meant being closer to a fun night out. But if there's a lot of travelling between Highfield campus and the hospital in first year then I'd like to be at an advantage there as well. Don't want to be too far from classes, and would definitely like to live in the vicinity of at least some other medics.
Also, which halls do you think are the most sociable? My definition of a fun night is more dependant on the people I'm with rather than the places I go. Any input on the end, and how medics and the MedSoc are would be great!
Rambling a bit but hopefully that was enough to give you an idea of what I'm about! Thanks in advance!
Edit: I don't think I'd mind sharing a washroom. Wouldn't want something too expensive. Self-catered for sure, as well.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by BristolFresher15
You never got a reply so I thought I'd ask for myself if you don't mind! I'm hoping to going into Medicine at Soton in 2016. I guess I'd prefer the walk to campus rather than taking a bus, but its not that big of a deal. I doubt I'll be buying a bicycle, would rather walk. I'd like to be close to a grocery shop and definitely a gym.
The thing is that you get a year-long bus pass included in the accommodation fees, so taking the bus tends to be pretty inconsequential (gets you from A to B quicker in most cases). The Wessex Lane halls (Monte and Connaught) are pretty close to the big Sainsbury's at Portswood.
Then you've got Mayflower which is downtown, so that's really close to Asda and the WestQuay shopping centre. It has its own gym in the building, as well, which is rather conveniently less crowded than Jubilee or Glen Eyre gyms most of the time (or so I've heard).
Glen Eyre complex isn't really close to any big supermarkets, but the fact that it is such a short walk from the main bus terminal in campus means easy access to most amenities around town, anyway.
And it would be great to be close to the night life as well, like clubs and such. Wouldn't mind a good walk or bus ride to school if it meant being closer to a fun night out.
I live in Archers Road, which is just 5 minutes on foot from this block full of nightclubs in Bedford Place, and about 10 minutes from the palace of dreams that is Jesters. I normally walk to campus and to hospital, both of which take 30 minutes tops (although walk to campus is a bit shorter). My neighbours/friends who go to the gym use the Mayflower one as it's about 15 minutes' walk away. I normally shop at Aldi, which isn't that much further from Jesters (around 10 minutes on foot as well), but Asda's only 15 minutes on foot, so I have options.
But if there's a lot of travelling between Highfield campus and the hospital in first year then I'd like to be at an advantage there as well. Don't want to be too far from classes, and would definitely like to live in the vicinity of at least some other medics.
There's not a lot of travelling between hospital and campus. Our days are spent in one or the other. Usually, it's 3 days in hospital, 2 in campus per week.
I guess there's an inevitable trade-off where you're either close to campus or night-life. Wessex Lane is probably the best compromise (and City Gateway, to an extent), but the fact that you get a free bus pass with your halls fees makes the distances pretty much irrelevant no matter what halls you live, anyway.
I'd say Glen Eyre and Wessex Lane have the biggest medics communities, which is not really surprising as they are the two biggest halls complexes in the uni. If you want a big gang of medics to hang out with, then your best bet is either of those two.
Also, which halls do you think are the most sociable? My definition of a fun night is more dependant on the people I'm with rather than the places I go. Any input on the end, and how medics and the MedSoc are would be great!
Like you said, it does depend on the people you happen to be living with. But going with very basic probability, the bigger the halls (Glen or Wessex), the more likely you'll find parties and people whose company you'd enjoy.
Anyway, I'm loving the cohort of medics I'm with. They're all interesting characters, to say the least. I guess the people and the atmosphere change year by year, but I haven't really been here that long to be able to give you anything precise or comprehensive. However, I would definitely say that MedSoc know how to do a good knees-up, so I would recommend going to every MedSoc event you can!
Hope that was helpful without being too long-winded. Feel free to ask if you have any more questions. Best of luck with your application!
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by 9910224
Hope that was helpful without being too long-winded. Feel free to ask if you have any more questions. Best of luck with your application!
Thank you so much! That was incredibly helpful! Soton was my first choice but this firms it up even more! Really hoping I get that interview.
Its seems like it would be a hard decision to pick between the 3! Off the top of your head, Glen Eyre vs. Wessex (ignoring Archers since you already live there)? Just as a thought experiment (considering ease of campus/hospital access, facilities and nightlife proximity).
And how much are you able to go out? Assuming you like doing so - if not, how much free time do you get? Is it sufficient enough to complete the contacts hours, have enough time to go through material and still go out or do something similar frequently? And also, how many contact hours do you have per week (hospital hours + lecture hours)?
Again, thanks a lot for this! Sorry for the bombardment of questions! I know it almost a year away and I don't even have an interview but I have to do something to help me through the wait of not knowing! :P
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by BristolFresher15
Off the top of your head, Glen Eyre vs. Wessex (ignoring Archers since you already live there)? Just as a thought experiment (considering ease of campus/hospital access, facilities and nightlife proximity).
Easily Glen for me. I think rolling out of bed at 8:45 and being on time for a 9AM lecture is pretty grand, no? Also, the neighbourhood around Wessex is reportedly pretty dodgy. I really wouldn't mind living in either, though, purely because of the massive medic squads. :-P
And how much are you able to go out? Assuming you like doing so - if not, how much free time do you get?
I think you get a fair amount of free time. A lot of it is about time management (NGL, though - mine's been pretty bad and I haven't adjusted perfectly to the university life so far... Working on it, though.) Depends on the person, really. You can go out every night and still go to lectures, but I wouldn't guarantee that you'd learn the most from your lectures. I would guarantee that you can go out at least once every week (Southampton weekends are great), but I wouldn't recommend it before a 9AM start.
Is it sufficient enough to complete the contacts hours, have enough time to go through material and still go out or do something similar frequently? And also, how many contact hours do you have per week (hospital hours + lecture hours)?
Again, it depends on the person. I'd say most people who opt for it manage the packed-schedule life. We get around 40 hours a week officially, but some weeks we get less hours than others. We don't do hospital placements in first semester, but we get GP placements for around 4-5 hours every fortnight. Hospital's for lectures and anatomy lab (3 scheduled hours a week most of the time, but there are open hours where you can come back and study independently), and we go to Highfield for some lectures (some people get tutorials there, too).
Again, thanks a lot for this! Sorry for the bombardment of questions! I know it almost a year away and I don't even have an interview but I have to do something to help me through the wait of not knowing! :P
It's cool. I actually like answering these questions, so feel free to message me any questions, as well.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by 9910224
It's cool. I actually like answering these questions, so feel free to message me any questions, as well.
Thanks! Really appreciate it
Original post by walibav
Could anyone tell me the nearest accommodation to Avenue campus?
Highfield Hall.
Archer's Road halls are the next closest.
Original post by BristolFresher15
Thank you so much! That was incredibly helpful! Soton was my first choice but this firms it up even more! Really hoping I get that interview.
Its seems like it would be a hard decision to pick between the 3! Off the top of your head, Glen Eyre vs. Wessex (ignoring Archers since you already live there)? Just as a thought experiment (considering ease of campus/hospital access, facilities and nightlife proximity).
And how much are you able to go out? Assuming you like doing so - if not, how much free time do you get? Is it sufficient enough to complete the contacts hours, have enough time to go through material and still go out or do something similar frequently? And also, how many contact hours do you have per week (hospital hours + lecture hours)?
Again, thanks a lot for this! Sorry for the bombardment of questions! I know it almost a year away and I don't even have an interview but I have to do something to help me through the wait of not knowing! :P
Its seems like it would be a hard decision to pick between the 3! Off the top of your head, Glen Eyre vs. Wessex (ignoring Archers since you already live there)? Just as a thought experiment (considering ease of campus/hospital access, facilities and nightlife proximity).
And how much are you able to go out? Assuming you like doing so - if not, how much free time do you get? Is it sufficient enough to complete the contacts hours, have enough time to go through material and still go out or do something similar frequently? And also, how many contact hours do you have per week (hospital hours + lecture hours)?
Again, thanks a lot for this! Sorry for the bombardment of questions! I know it almost a year away and I don't even have an interview but I have to do something to help me through the wait of not knowing! :P
Mayflower is the best every day of the week. Closer the the city centre and clubs/pubs
Original post by miss_samantha
Mayflower is the best every day of the week. Closer the the city centre and clubs/pubs
It's so far from campus and the hospital though :/ And its crazy expensive comparatively as well.
Original post by BristolFresher15
It's so far from campus and the hospital though :/ And its crazy expensive comparatively as well.
Only 20 mins bus ride from campus, and even if you're at Glen/Wessex you'll still need to take a bus to the hosp anyway. You have a free bus pass as a fresher so you might aswell use it. Glen Eyre/ Mayflower are around about the same price i believe depending on whether you want to share facilities. Living in Eyre means you'll have to take a cab or a bus everywhere, and in consideration of money, i dont know how much you go out of an evening but the clubs are all walking distance from Mayflower (literally everyone) which means you dont have to pay for an expensive cab back. All weighs up at the end of the day.
S x
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