Ultimate St Andrews Accommodation Thread

Reply 1560

example96

4

Do any of the catered halls provide a halal option? If not, which offers the best vegetarian food?

Reply 1561

ElizabethRG

9

Original post

by example96

Do any of the catered halls provide a halal option? If not, which offers the best vegetarian food?

All catered halls offer the same food and none provide halal food (not enough demand, I assume - see here: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/accommodation/catering/catered/). The vegetarian food isn't great; it's usually only one option, and it's usually a stuffed pepper, tofu stew, or a falafel burger.

If you have very strict dietary restrictions, self-catered will be your best option.

Reply 1562

bethanykmac

1

Hi there,
I'm planning to apply for accommodation in the next few days and was going to apply for the accommodation award that I got an email about a few months ago. However, when I click on the link in the email to get the form it asks me to login...
It's been six months since I applied and I can't remember if I was given a login or not! Did we get logins?
If not, should I just contact the uni about it?
Cheers :smile:

Reply 1563

cora06140

12

Original post

by bethanykmac

Hi there,
I'm planning to apply for accommodation in the next few days and was going to apply for the accommodation award that I got an email about a few months ago. However, when I click on the link in the email to get the form it asks me to login...
It's been six months since I applied and I can't remember if I was given a login or not! Did we get logins?
If not, should I just contact the uni about it?
Cheers :smile:

Yes, it's happened to several people, including my daughter. Send an email to [email protected] saying your link does not work and they will resend you the correct link.

Reply 1564

bethanykmac

1

Original post

by cora06140

Yes, it's happened to several people, including my daughter. Send an email to [email protected] saying your link does not work and they will resend you the correct link.

Fab, thanks a lot!

Reply 1565

TheHenri

1

Hey. i Hope somebody can help me with this:

I am Currently on a Gap Year and travelling and therefore my Brother did The Application for accommodation.

I basically told him over phone what to do, but Unfortunately he clicked "Shared room- Yes" which I dont Want actually.
Is there any way to modify it to No After sending it off?

i have Sent an Email to accommodation St Andrews, but just got an Automatic Response to how The application works, so They didnt answer me.

What can I do?

Reply 1566

ElizabethRG

9

Original post

by TheHenri

Hey. i Hope somebody can help me with this:

I am Currently on a Gap Year and travelling and therefore my Brother did The Application for accommodation.

I basically told him over phone what to do, but Unfortunately he clicked "Shared room- Yes" which I dont Want actually.
Is there any way to modify it to No After sending it off?

i have Sent an Email to accommodation St Andrews, but just got an Automatic Response to how The application works, so They didnt answer me.

What can I do?

You might still get a response from them; hang tight, they take a while, especially at this time of year.

You aren't guaranteed a shared room even if you ticked 'willing to share'. If you do end up with a room mate and it's entirely intolerable (most people end up loving their roommates; I know many sets of 1st year roommates who are now best friends), you can apply to be moved to a single room in early October or for second semester. This application is based on availability and need, but you should be able to get a new room (I had no problems).

Reply 1567

JTR__

16

Original post

by TheHenri

Hey. i Hope somebody can help me with this:

I am Currently on a Gap Year and travelling and therefore my Brother did The Application for accommodation.

I basically told him over phone what to do, but Unfortunately he clicked "Shared room- Yes" which I dont Want actually.
Is there any way to modify it to No After sending it off?

i have Sent an Email to accommodation St Andrews, but just got an Automatic Response to how The application works, so They didnt answer me.

What can I do?

As the service is very busy at the moment with the second round of returning students having their hall allocations this week, plus the start of the entrant student applications, they've sent out automated emails to try and cover some generic questions. They do however on that email tell you that if it doesn't answer your questions, to reply with a subject header that they've given you and they'll get back to you. I think they try and read all the emails anyway from past experience!

For now, just reread the email they sent to you, and if there isn't a part about emailing them again, I'd wait a few days and see what happens. Just remember it's the bank holiday weekend on top of the unusually high levels of demand, so it may take longer than usual. If nothing happens, ask your brother to call up at the end of next week; the staff are lovely and super helpful!

Last year they changed me from ensuite to standard after I told them I genuinely couldn't afford my offer (I had an amazing time in my hall, Gannochy House), and this year they put a note on my file after I was rejected from halls in round 1 to be a priority for the next round, as I was a returning student who had dropped out, and so will technically be a fresher again come September....
(So yes, I am the one first year who already has their hall and even room sorted, suckers!) :biggrin:

I hope this helps; good luck! To be honest though, not all those who put shared on their forms will get it as it is very popular :smile:

Reply 1568

maddibel1

So when you apply you can just list the 4 kinds of accommodation you want?
What if I can't afford en-suite but want to be catered? Doesn't that only leave me with standard catered?

Reply 1569

ElizabethRG

9

Original post

by maddibel1

So when you apply you can just list the 4 kinds of accommodation you want?
What if I can't afford en-suite but want to be catered? Doesn't that only leave me with standard catered?

Yep. The only other catered is en-suite. However, Standard Catered is very oversubscribed, so the chances you'll get that are slim.

Reply 1570

oldlady

5

Original post

by ElizabethRG

Yep. The only other catered is en-suite. However, Standard Catered is very oversubscribed, so the chances you'll get that are slim.

Presumably pretty much everyone in Regs, Sallies, Uni Hall, John Burnet, McIntosh and Andrew Melville got standard catered as their first choice (which together make up nearly 40% of the total stock), and many of the people in the other halls will have actively chosen to be en suite and/or self-catered. Yes, some people are unlucky, as you were first time around, but many do get their first choice. Your chances are greater of getting standard catered if you say you don't mind sharing.

Reply 1571

CaitlinDy

9

At what point would anyone recommend I contact the accommodation services if I haven't received an email regarding login details? Week beginning April 20th or prior to that?

Reply 1572

ElizabethRG

9

Original post

by oldlady

Presumably pretty much everyone in Regs, Sallies, Uni Hall, John Burnet, McIntosh and Andrew Melville got standard catered as their first choice (which together make up nearly 40% of the total stock), and many of the people in the other halls will have actively chosen to be en suite and/or self-catered. Yes, some people are unlucky, as you were first time around, but many do get their first choice. Your chances are greater of getting standard catered if you say you don't mind sharing.

I'm not sure about this past year, but in my first year, at least 50% of the people on the Facebook group (including me) who had gotten ensuite self catered had put shared standard catered as their first choice, and what they ended up with was their 3rd/4th choice. Maybe it was better this past year, but Standard Catered is certainly way oversubscribed.

Reply 1573

emu_neutrino

10

I really want to be self catered as I follow a specific diet, but I also dont want ensuite so i can only go in albany park, whats the chance ill actually get that? and if i dont will they put me in ensuite self catered instead? i would be so annoyed if i got put in catered as I don't eat a lot of things including bread, pasta, pizza, etc. and like to plan my own cooking and i actually really like cooking too. then theres also the bonus that albany park is so much cheaper and i cant really afford to go in catered as its so expensive.

Reply 1574

oldlady

5

Original post

by emu_neutrino

I really want to be self catered as I follow a specific diet, but I also dont want ensuite so i can only go in albany park, whats the chance ill actually get that? and if i dont will they put me in ensuite self catered instead? i would be so annoyed if i got put in catered as I don't eat a lot of things including bread, pasta, pizza, etc. and like to plan my own cooking and i actually really like cooking too. then theres also the bonus that albany park is so much cheaper and i cant really afford to go in catered as its so expensive.

Best thing is to really impress upon Accommodation Services that you have very specific dietary requirements which mean catered is simply not an option. If you explain your financial situation too they may be able to put you in Albany.

Reply 1575

oldlady

5

Original post

by ElizabethRG

I'm not sure about this past year, but in my first year, at least 50% of the people on the Facebook group (including me) who had gotten ensuite self catered had put shared standard catered as their first choice, and what they ended up with was their 3rd/4th choice. Maybe it was better this past year, but Standard Catered is certainly way oversubscribed.

Not necessarily a representative sample, though. People who are happy with what they are offered are probably less likely to post about it and seek others' advice about what to do. I agree the university certainly has not got accommodation sorted as well as it should have, and the current mix doesn't seem to match preferences that well - but perhaps the odds of getting what you want are a little better than 'slim'. It all pales into insignificance when it comes to the battle to find private accommodation though....

Reply 1576

ElizabethRG

9

Original post

by oldlady

Not necessarily a representative sample, though. People who are happy with what they are offered are probably less likely to post about it and seek others' advice about what to do. I agree the university certainly has not got accommodation sorted as well as it should have, and the current mix doesn't seem to match preferences that well - but perhaps the odds of getting what you want are a little better than 'slim'. It all pales into insignificance when it comes to the battle to find private accommodation though....

Sorry, I should've specified; that was on the ABH page, not the general Facebook page. Didn't everyone have something to complain about though? Those that got MacIntosh were whining about wanting Sallies, a few people got ABH when they wanted DRA - there's always something :cool:

No, it very definitely does not. I mean, they guarantee one of your four choices… and there are only five (or six?) possible choices. And I think only one or two are affordable for those on a tight budget. I'd say odds of getting standard catered (let alone a specific hall) are slim, mostly because the majority of spaces are in DRA and ABH. It'd be helpful if they built another hall (or bought more buildings in/around the town and converted them into halls). Something definitely needs to be done. THe private accommodation is bad too, though maybe it would be helped by having more uni accommodation…

Reply 1577

Lochender

5

Not sure if anyone has already asked this or not but when starting the online accommodation form what photo should we put in.
Should it be an ID photograph or will any photo do.
I only ask because i don't want to seem odd by being the only person to do either.

Reply 1578

Finn The Human

Does anyone know if the menus on the St. Andrews website for catered accommodation are accurate. I noticed that they were a few years old but is this a fair representation of what gets served in catered halls?

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/accommodation/catering/catered/menu/

Also, does the menu differ from hall to hall, or is it all roughly the same quality?

Thanks

Reply 1579

theresheglows

12

Original post

by Finn The Human

Does anyone know if the menus on the St. Andrews website for catered accommodation are accurate. I noticed that they were a few years old but is this a fair representation of what gets served in catered halls?

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/accommodation/catering/catered/menu/

Also, does the menu differ from hall to hall, or is it all roughly the same quality?

Thanks

Menus vary between halls, although there are certain things which tend to be served at most - the ubiquity of potatoes is a running joke in most catered halls, as is that the potato dishes/sides seem to be the only things they can cook well. All good, if you like shepherds pie with mashed potatoes and chips (yes this has happened!).

DRA has a reputation for having really good food, and I can back this up as I've eaten there with friends.

Quality varies day to day; depends on how fussy you are. Certainly not good if you're a fan of veg as it's generally not cooked nicely - Sallies broccoli is infamous for being frozen on the inside and soggy on the outside!

Breakfast is a buffet - choice of cereals, yogurt, fruit; or cooked options varying slightly day to day.

Lunch - salad bar, choice of bread& fillings to make your own baguette; a hot option most days - usually baked potato & filling or pasta etc.

Dinner -
Good salad bar and fruit available at every meal though if you want to be healthy.
Soup and mains were sometimes ok, sometimes inedible (I am not exaggerating).
Not a good place to be a vegetarian - sometimes the veg option was just the normal option with the meat removed, leaving just a few slices of roast peppers in sauce.
Desserts either go-back-for-thirds good, or make-sculptures-out-of bad. Actually we made food sculptures out of a lot of our meals, it seemed the best use of it.

Re: the menu you've linked - it's a decent guide as to the types of things you might get, but don't expect these exact choices, or to have more than one meat and one veg choice at lunch and dinner.

(edited 10 years ago)

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