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Accomodation in St. Andrews

I'd like to know what the hall accommodation in st andrews is like and if it is possible to rent a shared flat in town. Alright, I could get most of this info from the st andrews website but I'd like to know about your experiences and recommendations!

i'm allergic against any kind of dust so carpets are definetely out, especially for hall accomodation.

Reply 1

Dalimyr

What's your preference for accommodation? Catered or self-catered? Helps us narrow down the discussion :wink:

After all, there are quite a few halls of residence and each one is fairly different...

From personal experience, Fife Park (self-catered) is quite good. It has a bad reputation, but nobody in FP really cares too much about that (that's right Skeve, we don't care :p:

)...not wanting carpets will almost certainly cause a problem, but there may be some hall or something that doesn't have any carpets, just for people like yourself (Fife Park houses are all similar but slightly different - hell, there could be a house there that doesn't have any carpets, though admittedly it's rather unlikely)

Yes, you can rent a shared flat in town, but you'll have to get in there quickly. It would probably be best to spend some time in halls just to get to know some people, then if you are able to find a place in town later on in the year, maybe see if any of the people you've become friendly with would like to move out with you.

Reply 2

Skeve

I think all the halls have carpets in the bedrooms, but I know that the carpet in my room in New Hall is not dusty at all (I also avoid dust due to asthma).
As for Fife Park, don't go near it..nah kidding, it's actually alright, just has the reputation. For self catered I would recommend DRA, the kitchens are great and the rooms are nice. For catered, New Hall is great, it has a reputation to be anti social and may seem very big and daunting at first, but after a week or 2 it is great.
There is a wide range of accommodation and prices - you can get a single ensuite catered room, a shared self catered standard room, whatever you want.

As for a flat in town, don't do that till 2nd year, you will make a lot of friends, and most people go for a flat after first year.

Reply 3

javalinnn

anti social?

well, catered wasn't quite my idea anyway. There are carpets in my house here in Berlin as well, but what I can't deal with is a carpet that covers the whole floor of a room/flat.

I suppose you r right, there isn't really anyone i could share with arriving at the uni :wink:

How many halls are there anyway?

Reply 4

Dalimyr

How many halls are there anyway?

Umm, good question...I'll list them:
Catered (ranging, for a single room, from £3,533.20 to £4,727.09)
Andrew Melville
Hamilton Hall
Eden Court (extension of Hamilton Hall)
John Burnet Hall
Annexe (extension of John Burnet Hall)
McIntosh Hall
New Hall
St Regulus Hall
St Salvator's Hall
University Hall

Self Catered (ranging, for a single room, from £1,736.28 to £3,568.32)
Albany Park
Fife Park
New Hall
David Russell Hall/Apartments (DRH had its name changed to DRA a few years ago, but it's still sometimes known as DRH)

Here are the residence fees for this year.

For self catered I would recommend DRA, the kitchens are great and the rooms are nice. For catered, New Hall is great, it has a reputation to be anti social and may seem very big and daunting at first, but after a week or 2 it is great.

Got expensive taste, Skeve? :p:

I didn't even have to look at the accommodation prices to know that they're two of the most expensive halls you can be in :biggrin:

Reply 5

javalinnn

but new hall offers self-catered as well

Residences (ensuite accommodation)

Contracts for all ensuite accommodation include the Christmas and Spring vacations. David Russell Apartments, the most modern and largest complex of the ensuite accommodation, has accommodation on a self-catering basis in apartments for 5 or 6 students. Apartments have either 5 single rooms or 4 single and 1 twin room. Each room has its own shower and wc. New Hall offers ensuite accommodation on either a catered (during term time) or a self-catering basis within a residence environment. There are shared rooms as well as single rooms in New Hall. John Burnet Annexe has 36 rooms - all single ensuite and on catered basis during term time, self-catering during vacations. Postgraduates can opt for a contract that includes the summer vacation i.e. 50 weeks.

There you go. It is quite expensive but the ensuite bathroom and stuff are rewarding

What do you mean by "anti-social", Skeve?

Reply 6

Skeve

By anti-social I mean New Hall has a reputation to be so big that it doesnt have a hall spirit. For example, a few weeks ago i visited a friend in Hamilton Hall, which has around 180 people in it I think. Everyone knows everyone, there were posters and signs on peoples doors, people sitting in the stairways chilling, etc etc. In New Hall, that doesn't happen. Groups of friends will sit in the common area downstairs, but you kind of have your own group and thats it, whereas the smaller halls everyone knows everyone.
Thats the reputation it has, in reality the place is great.

Reply 7

Rainy

What's Albany Park like, as a thought? I want to go self catered, but New Hall & DRA charge pretty extortionately, and you've already discussed Fife Park a wee bit...

Reply 8

Dalimyr

Albany Park is much like Fife Park, only on the opposite side of town :biggrin:

If you're arty, go with Albany Park and if you're sciency (like me) go with Fife Park :smile:

Reply 9

Da Mouse

Erm.... I couldnt find why why fife park has a bad reputation... Whats wrong with fife? :redface:

Reply 10

StAndrewsIR

Well from what I've seen, there's nothing too bad about it. The thing is, this is where you eat if you live in Fife Park:

Whereas this is where you eat if you live in DRA:

Or Hamilton, for instance:

Need I say more? :wink:

Reply 11

javalinnn

nope. fife park and albany are out! (they were long ago!)

Reply 12

Parrotman

Hmm the DRA apartment looks really quite modern. A bit far out of town though...(I think?)

Reply 13

birkstopher40

You're forgetting the fact that Fife Park is the furthest residence away from the centre of town than any other residence in the university.

:rolleyes:

Reply 14

Da Mouse

But I thought that hamilton is being knocked down...

Reply 15

StAndrewsIR

Hamilton is being sold, not knocked down. I don't think they could ever get permission to demolish a listed building like Hamilton!

Fife Park is (just) the furthest from town, but it depends where in town you need to go (I know this because Fife Park is right next to DRA). If you're spending your time in the science buildings on the North Haugh, then Fife Park is fairly convenient - it's about a 10 minute walk to the Purdie building. Living in Gatty and travelling to the North Haugh must be a right pain in the arse.

Oh, and DRA's great. It's about 15-20 mins walk from town, but there are buses to town every 20 mins during the day. It's no big deal really, and I quite like the walk.

More pictures of residences, if you haven't already seen them, can be found here. And now I'll go back to teaching myself psychology...

Reply 16

Da Mouse

How long does it take to get from DRA to the science buildings? (sorry if this question has been asked before)

Reply 17

StAndrewsIR

DRA is right next to Fife Park, so again, 10 minutes to Purdie and maybe a maximum of 15 mins to the Physics building.

Reply 18

friendlyneutron

I put St. Andrews as my insurance - if I end up not making my grades for my firm, will I have much of a say in accomodation at St. Andrews? I'd understand if they gave preference to people who'd put it as their firm though!