Oxford 2011 Freshers Chat Thread

Original post by Helenarems

Do we have to apply for accommodation? All my friends are obsessively trawling through pages of student rooms to decide which ones they want to apply to but I've found NOTHING on the website or my college's website (St Catherine's) about it in the slightest. Don't really want to be homeless... although living in the covered market would have its perks (Ben's cookies for breakfast...)
Thanks guys :smile:

I think it really depends on your college in Oxford. I don't know for St. Catz, but some colleges have a selection of rooms, and a sliding scale of prices to go with them. But then others have one universal price for all the rooms in the college. If your college is the latter, like mine (Christ Church) then I'm guessing you don't get a choice of where you end up in your first year. However if your college accommodation is on a sliding scale, you will probably have to make your preferred choices. But I wouldn't worry about it. Different colleges (and universities at that) have different times and deadlines for choosing your accommodation, and so if you haven't heard anything yet from your college, then either you won't need to choose or they simply haven't contacted the applicants with such information yet.

In short, I wouldn't worry if I were you. They probably just haven't contacted you about it yet, or you won't need to choose as they will do it themselves. Unless money is an important factor, in my opinion it doesn't really matter which room you will get in Oxford. They're all pretty much amazing in their own way! :biggrin:

Reply 1123

Helenarems

10

Original post by brendan.

I think it really depends on your college in Oxford. I don't know for St. Catz, but some colleges have a selection of rooms, and a sliding scale of prices to go with them. But then others have one universal price for all the rooms in the college. If your college is the latter, like mine (Christ Church) then I'm guessing you don't get a choice of where you end up in your first year. However if your college accommodation is on a sliding scale, you will probably have to make your preferred choices. But I wouldn't worry about it. Different colleges (and universities at that) have different times and deadlines for choosing your accommodation, and so if you haven't heard anything yet from your college, then either you won't need to choose or they simply haven't contacted the applicants with such information yet.

In short, I wouldn't worry if I were you. They probably just haven't contacted you about it yet, or you won't need to choose as they will do it themselves. Unless money is an important factor, in my opinion it doesn't really matter which room you will get in Oxford. They're all pretty much amazing in their own way! :biggrin:

I'm sure the Christ Church rooms are gorgeous... St Catz rooms are like square fishbowls though! Thanks very much for this, I'll give it a wait, I'm guessing they should contact us with that all if we meet our offers. :smile:

Reply 1124

Original post by Helenarems

I'm sure the Christ Church rooms are gorgeous... St Catz rooms are like square fishbowls though! Thanks very much for this, I'll give it a wait, I'm guessing they should contact us with that all if we meet our offers. :smile:

The Christ Church rooms are nice and big but they were really really cold at interview :frown:

Like a medieval wooden fridge :eek:

Reply 1125

Original post by Helenarems

I'm sure the Christ Church rooms are gorgeous... St Catz rooms are like square fishbowls though! Thanks very much for this, I'll give it a wait, I'm guessing they should contact us with that all if we meet our offers. :smile:

Ah, I'm sure they're not that bad! :biggrin:

At least they'd be more up to date with proper heating for the winter! :grin:

Yeah, I take it that they'll send you an email or a letter nearer the date.

Reply 1126

Original post by 04ghicks

The Christ Church rooms are nice and big but they were really really cold at interview :frown:

Like a medieval wooden fridge :eek:

Sure they were! On my first night I kept waking up every hour, and I couldn't move because the duvet was too cold. :biggrin:

Then finally I found that the big 'speaker looking thing' above my bed was actually a heater. So naturally turned it on and left it all day with my door closed. Needless to say I slept like a baby the second night. :grin:

Reply 1127

Festina lente

11

Original post by brendan.

Sure they were! On my first night I kept waking up every hour, and I couldn't move because the duvet was too cold. :biggrin:

Then finally I found that the big 'speaker looking thing' above my bed was actually a heater. So naturally turned it on and left it all day with my door closed. Needless to say I slept like a baby the second night. :grin:

I didn't go to ChCh, but still, one of my most prized possessions at Oxford was an electric blanket!

Reply 1128

Original post by Festina lente

I didn't go to ChCh, but still, one of my most prized possessions at Oxford was an electric blanket!

I may have to remember to buy one of these. Either that or several hot water bottles and blankets. Whichever I feel will be less risky. :colondollar:

Reply 1129

Original post by brendan.

Sure they were! On my first night I kept waking up every hour, and I couldn't move because the duvet was too cold. :biggrin:

Then finally I found that the big 'speaker looking thing' above my bed was actually a heater. So naturally turned it on and left it all day with my door closed. Needless to say I slept like a baby the second night. :grin:

I had like a 'heat bar' that lit up and went red, it just project heat at the other side of the room and made me paranoid that it was going to overheat and explode and burn down the college :s-smilie:

Reply 1130

Original post by 04ghicks

I had like a 'heat bar' that lit up and went red, it just project heat at the other side of the room and made me paranoid that it was going to overheat and explode and burn down the college :s-smilie:

Hah. Mine kept clicking, well more like banging. I thought at one point I was going to burn it down too. We could've burnt it down together from different directions.

Reply 1131

"Unfortunately your offer has been revoked as you have burnt down the college you have applied for."

D: Nooooooo!

Reply 1132

-mai-

6

Original post by Helenarems

Do we have to apply for accommodation? All my friends are obsessively trawling through pages of student rooms to decide which ones they want to apply to but I've found NOTHING on the website or my college's website (St Catherine's) about it in the slightest. Don't really want to be homeless... although living in the covered market would have its perks (Ben's cookies for breakfast...)
Thanks guys :smile:

Heya

I'm pretty sure that at Catz as first years we automatically get given the smallest rooms in the Arne Jacobson building (with shared bathrooms and not even basin in the room apparently..) I think all the first years get the same. Second years get the really new block, and third years get given the big rooms in the Jacobson building.. I've read somewhere that because of the set rooms we don't have to apply for accommodation, I'll try and find where I got all this info from! :biggrin:

Reply 1133

Frankie

For first years at ChCh we get to stay in the Blue Boar quad, not as old and pretty but the heating in there is apparently amazing so we'll all be warm for the first year! :smile:

I'm liking the benefit of not having to worry about sorting out my accommodation, all my friends at college are having to choose what they want and apply for it asap, ChCh has sorted it all out for us :smile:

Reply 1134

Frankie

Original post by pieceofheaven

Hehe you even get to eat in the Great Hall!! We, on the other hand, have merely the odd scene from the Golden Compass/Inspector Morse. Sigh. :rolleyes:

We did a similar thing with the ice cream place! They probably had the same plan to entertain the young'uns! there were so many flavours and sauces and things, it was delish. i seem to remember having peanut mnm's on mine? :tongue:

I knooooowww! I didn't get to see it at open day because there was a conference but apparently it doesn't have the magic ceiling and floating candles and magically appearing food :frown:

I still think it's amazing though lol :P
The Golden Compass is pretty awesome though (...but the books are better!) and niiice I'm definately going to have to check out this ice cream place, I could eat ice cream for breakfast I love it that much :P

Reply 1135

thurin

11

Original post by brendan.

Sure they were! On my first night I kept waking up every hour, and I couldn't move because the duvet was too cold. :biggrin:

Then finally I found that the big 'speaker looking thing' above my bed was actually a heater. So naturally turned it on and left it all day with my door closed. Needless to say I slept like a baby the second night. :grin:

I turned up the radiators and was in paradise, but it meant I overslept and cut down the preparation time I had to go through some poems before my interview :s-smilie:

Woke up 40 minutes before my interview was due to start, so I had to think about the poems while wolfing down breakfast.

Reply 1136

anoif_

Loving seeing the Christ Church heating discussion! Awesome once I realised we could turn it on, transformed my room into a lovely toasty oven :smile:

I actually spoke to a girl whilst I was there who said she was freezing during the night so I told her about the heater. Her response? "Oh, I don't touch things like heaters..." :confused:

Reply 1137

Original post by JAR12

I turned up the radiators and was in paradise, but it meant I overslept and cut down the preparation time I had to go through some poems before my interview :s-smilie:

Woke up 40 minutes before my interview was due to start, so I had to think about the poems while wolfing down breakfast.

Oh no! I'm assuming they went okay though since you're lingering around here? Luckily for me, all my interviews were nearer lunch time, so I didn't feel as guilty/worried when I slept in. :biggrin:

Reply 1138

thurin

11

Original post by brendan.

Oh no! I'm assuming they went okay though since you're lingering around here? Luckily for me, all my interviews were nearer lunch time, so I didn't feel as guilty/worried when I slept in. :biggrin:

Eh, I got a different college :tongue:

I am not complaining!

Reply 1139