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Accomodation(halls) help!

Basically i reaqlly need help in choosing which halls to apply for. I have never visited and won't get chance to before i have to apply, so any help would be really appreciated!

One of my main priorities is to be in one of the really social halls with other undergraduates. Also, i would prefer fairly new/refurbished accomodation if possible, and something close to both the city and uni. I would ideally like a hall which is self catered en suite, although this is not essentail.

thanks alot in advance!

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Grand Central =D

do u mean university of liverpool accommodation?

there are loads of rooms in both greenbank (D&R, R&G) and carnatic that are self-catered ensuite, i think. but i havent been there myself so i wouldn't be able to tell you about the social-ness of the rooms... though i hear mulberry isn't all that great

Reply 3

What's Chico Time Precious?

Grand Central ... hehe no. :p:

Reply 4

smileybee

try capital gate or opal court? they are both near the uni and are en-suite. if u wanna go for uni accomodation, i think philharmonic is not bad compare to mulberry :smile:

Reply 5

nina_100

Come to greenbank!! Its supposed to be the best halls for socialising and its got self catered on suite rooms!! Its not near the uni but none of them are that close and you get a bus pass! It looks really nice too!! Thats where i'm hoping to go!

Reply 6

nicki04

It depends what uni you're going to...if you're at Liverpool Uni then you'll probably do best at Carnatic or Greenbank halls but if its modern that you're after they're not the best...my friends dad said carnatic hadn't changed since he was there in the 1960s, but that doesn't really matter. If your at John Moores then there's loads of good private halls in the city centre. Don't go for Grand Central it may be good location but the walls are like paper, everything breaks down, they rip you off and their common room has been deserted every time i've been there. Maybe its different in fresher's week tho...

Reply 7

jamie7

I have had friends who have been in Grand Central so they've told me about it and Nickis right about everything breaking down. There are lots of floors, the lift breaks down on a regular basis and the staff there basically fob you off when you ask for repairs....nice!

I'm at R n G at the moment, I've not got much to complain about really, everything is good but if I'd had my time again I would have applied to D n R because it's so much more social. Btw, fyi ha mint the only self catered ensuite rooms are at D n R and these are very hard to come by, they are usually allocated to people who have taken a gap year. To my knowledge, there are no self catered rooms in Carnatic and only about 6 in R n G.

If you're thinking of applying to Carnatic, then I hear that McNair is the best for atmosphere. Stay away from Lady Mountford, it is bad. Seriously. Morton is the same price, and although that's not the best, it's better than Lady Mountford. Dale is pretty nice though. Another thing to think about is that you have to move all your stuff out at Easter in R n G (so annoying) and you don't have to do this in the self catered residences near Uni.

Speaking of which, Mulberry is terrible, the laundry is so far away and the amount of people you have to share showers with is really high. Philharmonic is much much better and I would definately recommend it if you're looking for self catered accommodation near to Uni.

If you'd like Modern then again Nickis right, I don't think any of the Uni accommodation is modern and/or new. But if you're interested in private halls then the railyard is pretty good, although it's expensive because there are a lots of added extras. Prospect Point had so many bad reviews this year that they dropped the price to £59 per week, self catered and it's right next to Uni. I don't know what to make of the bad reports because I have a few friends there and they all seem positive about it....mind you they haven't tried to get their deposits back yet!

I've checked out a few other halls etc too so if you have any questions then feel free to ask me!

Reply 8

FruitcakeLiz

Thanks Jamie that's really useful. You're a medic aren't you?? Do they put medics together in R&G? And any more pros and cons with D&R/R&G as i'm having problems deciding between the 2!

Reply 9

KinkayGema

Don't slag off Grand Central- it's one of the most social halls and the reason the students probably aren't in the common room is probably because they have a life! I'm staqying in Grand Central in Sept and I can't wait.

Reply 10

Abbie87

Hi i'm also staying at grand central in sept and was wondering if anyone is staying in block F? I'm trying to find out who i might be sharing a flat with, i'm going to be in flat 408. Any news would be good, cheers

Reply 11

jamie7

Yeah we do have better food, but the atmosphere at D n R is more fun - less serioud than R n G. With all due respect, KinkayGemma you have not actually stayed at Grand Central yet and I was not "slagging off" Grand Central, I was merely passing on the experiences of several people I know who have stayed there.

Grand Central is run by Unite, who are notorious across the country for their lack of repairs, deposit holding and general lack of helpfulness. Unite have also been in the student paper, which in case you were wondering, were given a bad report...

Reply 12

jamie7

FruitcakeLiz

Thanks Jamie that's really useful. You're a medic aren't you?? Do they put medics together in R&G? And any more pros and cons with D&R/R&G as i'm having problems deciding between the 2!

Yeah I do medicine. To be honest, in my experience this year, they have tended to group Medicine students in Greenbank in general (I think that's because greenbank has a rep for being quieter than Carnatic). I don't know for certain, but I'd say there'd be lots of medicine students about wherever you choose to go.

R n G versus D n R

R n G pros

R n G does have better food (and a better dining room I think)
The bar is actually more like a pub - quite old man-ish
Everyone has a sink in their room
Every room has a personal, lockable mailbox
Great desk space and I have 7 plug points!
Balcony (which is tiny though, you MIGHT be able to squeeze a chair on)
Car park is excellent, best out of all the halls I think. It's secure, you get a fob and in my experience, there's always a place to park, it's £60 with £30 refundable deposit.
Shorter dinner queues (because it's a smaller hall)
No sporting facilities (although you can use D n Rs anyway)

R n G cons

Further away from the bus stop
Less social (in terms of the kind of people in halls, there have been lots of events held by R n G and D n R throughout the year)
Not every floor has a kitchen, but the kitchen is shoe boxed sized, you barely have room to turn around in it

D n R pros

More social and fun
The bar is more like a bar you'd find in town, although there is hardly any seating but there's a massive dance floor which is great for events/weekends.
The rooms are bigger than R n G to compensate for the balcony. Plus if you manage to get a room in Old Court then the rooms are HUUUUUUGE!!! They are bigger than my room at home!
Closer to the bus stop
Bigger pond!
There are badminton courts and possibly tennis courts but I've never checked these out.
More fields, but again R n G can use this space as well
Tables to eat outside in the sun :smile:

D n R cons

There is a car park but they don't give you a fob which means that you have to get out of your car everytime to unlock the gates with a key and I don't think it's as secure as R n G car park. (Same price at both car parks I think)
Food isn't as good
Not every room has a sink

Ummm I think that's all I can think of! I can't remember how many people share a shower in D n R compared with R n G. I hope that helps with your decision... :biggrin:

Reply 13

hailz202

Hey, thanks for all the info.

I'm being a bit thick here but i'm really clueless about accommodation as I've never been and am confused!

How many places do you apply to?
Can you apply for say Dale Hall and Grand Central?
What are the main differences between private and uni owned residences?
Is it advisable to go for catered in the first year (more social??)
Is it only males who can self cater in Dale Hall?!
Where can i get info on places such as Philharmonic and Railyard?

thanks!

Reply 14

FruitcakeLiz

Thanks Jamie that is so helpful. I still can't really decide but i think i still might go to R&G but i'll prob change my mind another 10x first!

Reply 15

Lush Law

lessthanthree

D and R is less...dingey than R and G..and it's nearer the busstop.

It has more land too, technically.

I feel safer in d and r than I do around r and g, but they have slightly better food.

Yeah this is true. I'm so happy I chose D&R, I love our halls. I think R&G is nice but D&R rooms are on the whole better [despite R&G balconies]. D&R food isn't great; I really hate their curries and stroganoffs like eww. The worst is the pasta - I always thought that pasta was something you can't really get wrong and they clearly do, but wtfeva. Howev, I love D&R and tesco is just up the road and I don't eat much anyway so the food been mingin isn't an issue for me :biggrin:

My room also faces the main road which I actually really like, it's in a perfect spot for viewing the bus stop, which has provided me with hours of fascinating people-watching :p:

Reply 16

KPeh

Nice summary there jamie!

And the food is really much better at R&G :tongue:

.

(was my deciding factor!)

Reply 17

Lush Law

lessthanthree

hmm, like "what the hell are you wearing!!"

when I was doing the 70s thang.

Totes.

The position of my room makes me so distracted, i moved my laptop of working-position over the other side of my desk to stop myself looking out all the time :redface:

Reply 18

xxxLucyxxx

Can you apply yet..i havent had any forms or anything and im getting worried :redface:

id like to be in D and R but if everyone has applied and i havent doubt thats going to happen :p:

but im not tooo bothered i'll have a great time anywhere lol :biggrin:

Reply 19

jamie7

hailz202

1) I think you can apply to 3 University halls and the number of private halls you apply to is unlimited.

2) Dale hall is University owned and Grand Central is owned by Unite. They are totally not related, the answer is yes.

3) Main differences are:
- In private halls you could be with be with students from John Moores or Hope Uni.
- You don't get so many guarantees as you would with University accommodation. For example, repairs.
- Private accommodation usually has hidden extras that you should consider before applying.
- In University halls, you will be with predominantly first years, obviously it does vary (precinct accommodation has alot more 2nd and 3rd years, as well as post grads).
- Probably fewer events organised in private accommodation.

4) It really depends what your preference is. The food is good, but it's very variable. And the fact that you have to be back at a certain time to eat is very annoying! lol.

5) I don't know.

6) Railyard = http://www.base4students.co.uk/
Philharmonic Court = http://www.liv.ac.uk/accommodation/undergraduates/campus/index.htm