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UoL or SOAS accommodation?

hey on the application form for accomodation it said that you need to put a second choice just in case u don't get your first (dinwiddy). I haven't seen any of the intercollegiate halls so could anyone please give any advice as to which ones are the nicest? i've looked at the site etc but it doesnt really give me much. also is dinwddy in a first come first served basis? cos how come they reply back to you at the beginning of july? seems ages :frown:

Reply 21

Exoskeletal

1

flower_power22

hey on the application form for accomodation it said that you need to put a second choice just in case u don't get your first (dinwiddy). I haven't seen any of the intercollegiate halls so could anyone please give any advice as to which ones are the nicest? i've looked at the site etc but it doesnt really give me much. also is dinwddy in a first come first served basis? cos how come they reply back to you at the beginning of july? seems ages :frown:

Well... i put canterbury because someone told me this:

"i cant cook haha dinwiddy's not bad but yeh you're more likely
to meet broader group of friends as you'll meet soas ppl in soas
and also you will know about more events in london from other ulu students.
Also dinner time is a good time to chat a make friends which you dont get
in self-catered. If you do apply to intercollegiate try and go for
hughes parry, cantebury or commonwealth cos theyre all next to
each other and 5 mins away from soas! Although i have mates in
dinwiddy and it generally seems like a cool atmosphere there aswell.
Also in dinwiddy you get your own bathroom which is a plus.
But if you get canterbury which i'm in you only share a bathroom with one other person."

but i seriously only want to live in dinwiddy because of the whole food issue.

i half wish i hadn't put a second choice now. ah well.
we're applying so early i'm sure we'll both be fine :rolleyes:

hope that helps.

Reply 22

Jangliss

5

I put Connaught then Commonwealth based on 1) location, 2) likelihood of putting my girlfriend up there for a full week when she comes to see me.

Reply 23

Socrates

17

Connaught is decent, Commonwealth not quite as good.

Among the intercollegiate halls, I think of how good they are goes in roughly this order:
1) International
2) Canterbury
3) Hughes Parry/Connaught
4) Commonwealth

Reply 24

Diachrom

10

Hmm, just thought I'd throw my two cents in :biggrin:

Dinwiddy all the way, although if you're a smoker, be aware that you're unlikely to get D Block - the smoking block, but don't worry as eventually people figure out how to get around the safety locks on the windows.
The intercollegiate halls are hit and miss. You get alot more of the international/mature students, meaning there is a strong atmosphere of work and quiet. Not that great on a Friday night. However, you do get groups of students who are from the same university/department luckily placed near each other who have something.
In general, SOAS are completely unorganised as a uni, so don't expect any speed/guarantee on accom - I live in Morden, end of the Northern line, and wasn't offered accom, meaning an 1hr 15min commute everyday. Ironically, I finally got an accom offer three days after I left... Indeed, a friend who lived in Clapham North was also rejected from accom.
However, I would strongly recommend that you go to Dinwiddy for one reason: your second year's accomodation. Most UoL colleges cannot cater for your second year. Most halls do not let you reside there for more than a year, so it makes sense to go to a SOAS accom in yr1, make friends etc and get a house/flat together for the rest of the time, as opposed to making friends with someone in Queen Mary's and someone in King's and ending up falling out over where to live/living miles away from SOAS as it's convenient for the guy who goes to QM...
Plus, in Dinwiddy, you may be lucky enough to get the one flat with the outdoor washing line :cool:

Reply 25

Socrates

17

Diachrom, thats quite strange since I live 2 miles away from SOAS and I got a place at Dinwiddy. (I later turned it down but still).

Reply 26

flower_power22

Exoskeletal

but i seriously only want to live in dinwiddy because of the whole food issue.

i half wish i hadn't put a second choice now. ah well.
we're applying so early i'm sure we'll both be fine :rolleyes:

hope that helps.

i really hope so. fingers crossed :smile:

thanks everyone for the input x

Reply 27

Jangliss

5

Socrates

Connaught is decent, Commonwealth not quite as good.

Among the intercollegiate halls, I think of how good they are goes in roughly this order:
1) International
2) Canterbury
3) Hughes Parry/Connaught
4) Commonwealth

Could you tell us novices why? I went for the two featured on Wikipedia :tongue:

Reply 28

Socrates

17

Jangliss

Could you tell us novices why? I went for the two featured on Wikipedia :tongue:

Too long to explain - I'll tell you when we next chat on MSN :p:

Reply 29

Diachrom

10

Yeah, we thought it was some kind of London hatred - the only two people from London on our course, were both not given accommodation. (And oddly enough, left :rolleyes:

) However, it seems that it was just SOAS organisation, seeing how I got an accom offer after I'd left the uni :confused:

Reply 30

NaimaMarie

Just to throw in my two cents...

I assume you'll be an undergrad, right? Because otherwise I'd strongly recommend you to check out Paul Robeson House. It's a bit further down the road from Dinwiddy, but it's much more quiet and doesn't have all those partying undergraduates. :smile:

However, of course, if that's what you're after, Dinwiddy wil be right for you. :smile:

As for meeting people, SOAS is generally a small uni, and I think you'll be able to meet lots of people there. Also, ULU runs loads of societies, so you'll be able to get to know people with similar interests. Still, I preferred the mixed bunch of people I stayed with. :smile:

Oh, and seeing that people mentioned Connaught Hall - looking at a Hall's "history" could also give you an idea about how life is like there. Connaught used to be an all male hall, and four years ago, there were still rather few females. Of course, the situation might have completely changed by now - just that at that time, I wouldn't have wanted to stay at messy Connaught... :smile:

Hope you'll enjoy SOAS!

Reply 31

Socrates

17

The great thing about Connaught is, if you're lazy like me, that it is literally across the road from SOAS.