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Best Halls of Residence? (The Big Accommodation Choices Thread)

19

It's that time of year again... offers are being sent out, and those of you who are hoping to come next year (or not to come, if Manchester is your insurance) are thinking about which halls to throw away a year of your life in.

If you're trying to decide on those three choices, take a look on the info around on the site (some of which is linked to below), search through the thread to see what people in your situation did, and then post.

If you've already decided, feel free to post and say why.

Section on the Wiki about halls
The Accomodation website and online copy of the brochure
Search for halls that fufill certain criteria

Self catered or catered?
City Centre vs. Fallowfield
Having people staying over in Manc accommodation?
Meals in catered halls
Equipment in self-catered halls

Reply 1

VeryBigEd

...in your opinion what are the best Halls of Residence?

I don't really know how i can define 'best' so i'm basically just looking for your opinions on some (the ones you live in or have lived in) and the ones you haven't but know a bit about.

I want one which has a lot of cool people, not too posh or anything. Also which is quite close to where i want to be studying.

Discuss :cool:

Reply 2

Jono310

8

hey,

I'm in Pankhurst court and its kick ass! can walk to uni, takes about 20 mins, or get a bus if you feel lazy!

its not too big so am getting to know everyone that wants to be known in the block (some people just dont wanna be known!) rooms r comfy and en suite, which is proving to be great!

can walk to city, or walk to fallowfield, for nights out, but its quiet enough to sleep when you need to!, its fun enough that its not dull!

also, and very important in my opinion, in the past 2 weeks, we have only had 1 fire alarm, now who else can say that!!

(btw, if you can say that, don't, know one wants to hear from a smart arse)

Reply 3

Ana

OP

19

VeryBigEd

Also which is quite close to where i want to be studying.

Discuss :cool:

Where/what are you going to be studying?

Reply 4

egg_soup

9

whitworth park baby!

Reply 5

shyopstv

15

To be very biased, Wright Robinson. It is very convenient for the city centre (it is technically in it after all) and for any lectures you might have on the North campus and is easily walkable if you are on the south campus. You can easily get a bus to Fallowfield and anyway, you still have 2/3 years after your first year to live there but I am certain you will not be able to privatly rent a place in the city centre for just over £60 a week! The rooms are very big compared to what you get in the en-suite halls (on North campus at least) and there are bathrooms at either end of each corridor so it really doesn't matter that you don't have en-suite. 15 people on each floor so you should be able to find at least some that you get on with and if you don't, there are 11 other floors you can always go to. As an added bonus, if you get lucky with your room allocation, you get an awesome view from your window.

And we have also only had one fire alarm. It was a planned fire drill held at a terrible moment (9am after freshers ball. You could really tell who was already up at that moment)

One bad thing that appears to be looming is the lifts. There are 2 in the whole building and one is broken at the moment. I am on the 12th floor so if the other one breaks, I will scream. It is already taking ages with just one lift to serve 12 floors. Also it is irritating that if I look out of my window I can see both buildings where I have lectures right in front of me reminding me that I still haven't done the work I was supposed to do.

Out of the other halls I have seen, Chandos is like WR but not as good, Weston is good but the en-suite makes the rooms seem tiny and Grosvenor Place is nice but seemed a bit calustrophobic with the tiny corridors. Whitworth Park is apparantly very good though I haven't actually been inside. Its very close to the students union and other stuff.

Reply 6

fanofkdc

7

I really like Whitworth Park. It may get very warm, and I think there is a wasp nest in the vicinity, but there are many pluses.
1. Two minute (or thereabouts) walk from the Academy, Stopford, Kilburn (more like 5 minutes), Simon, Lime Grove, Schuster .... you get the picture.
2. There is a Subway just over the road.
3. There is an Oxfam next to our halls.
4. Ditto Gemini Takeaway (lovley chips and corn on the cob).
5. Fifteen-minute walk from Oxford Road train station.
6. Loads of other good shops down Oxford Rd.
7. Five-minute walk from Tesco and Lidl (longer when you're coming back).
8. Cheap bar (£1.10 for cider/cider and black)
9. Really big storage freezer.
10. Cool windows.
11. Gym.
12. Really nice people here. But there are loads of nice people everywhere here.

Reply 7

discombobulation

2

Whitworth Park is awesome
I've been in a few times and got lost a few times but it really is good.

Reply 8

egg_soup

9

VeryBigEd

Thanks for the advice guys and girls.

I'm gonna be studying English Language (or Linguistics) and this is my first choice so it's nice to hear some opinions etc.

if your doing english like me, then whitworth is for you! Lime grove building is literally next door and everything is at arms length. I didnt realise this when i was choosing my accommodation but im glad i got in this one now!

Reply 9

VeryBigEd

Hmmmm i think i'm applying for Oak House as my first choice. Then Whitworth as my second. I'd be happy with either of them to be honest.

Reply 10

-IK-

I prefer the city campus ... or is it called North Campus now?

You're super close to town, like 5 minutes away which is very useful. Cinemas, clubs, shopping (inc groceries.. you have Sainsbury and Tesco there) as well as buses and train stations are all at hand whereas when I lived in Fallowfield area, there was only Sainsbury's to shop in, a few pubs and a few take-aways (or walk a little to the curry mile for more) and you needed a buss pass to get to uni campus. To watch a movie, you either went to the one in East Disbury or back in town.

But remember that city campus halls are all self-catered (I believe).

Halls in city are:

Chandos, Wright Robinson, Fairfield, Lambert, Weston and Millpoint

Out of all of those, I actually prefer Chandos... OK it may not be the prettiest but the rooms are damn large, especially when compared to all others.

just my opinon.

:smile:

Reply 11

Ana

OP

19

-IK-

there was only Sainsbury's to shop in

I guess you never found the retail park then. Kwick Save, Iceland, two home stores, McDonalds, and a large Blockbusters

Reply 12

shyopstv

15

What is Millpoint? Never heard of that one.

And I thought that Wright Robinson had the same sized rooms as Chandos. You know with identical twins, you always get one that is hotter than the other? Well Chandos is the less sexy twin of WR. Totally agree with the rest of your description though

Reply 13

-IK-

Princess Ana

I guess you never found the retail park then. Kwick Save, Iceland, two home stores, McDonalds, and a large Blockbusters

Aint that retail park a fair distance away from the Fallowfield halls (Owens Park etc)?
For cheap food shopping, I'd stick to popping into the Curry Mile.. the asian stores there are quite cheap and there is a supermarket there where a 24-pack of Pepsi/Coke cans cost less than a fiver and 3l bottles were going for £1.

shyopstv

What is Millpoint? Never heard of that one.

And I thought that Wright Robinson had the same sized rooms as Chandos. You know with identical twins, you always get one that is hotter than the other? Well Chandos is the less sexy twin of WR.

Totally agree with the rest of your description though

I know of millpoint as I was a Hornet Rep and that was one of the halls I covered.

Millpoint is really a Man Met hall but its open to all uni students and is on the Hornet. It's located about 3 minutes from Wright Rob... if you walked from the the UMIST building and the back entrance of Piccadilly Station was across the road, cross over and go right, and its there before the motorway overpass... alternatively if that long curving building is still there, its right next to that!
sorry for my poor description.

I lived in Chandos but I also covered Wright Rob as a rep and unless all the rooms I visited were coincidentally the small ones, I am positive Chandos has the bigger rooms. The kitchens, on the other hand, are larger in Wright Rob.
BTW, Chandos and Wright Rob aren't identical :tongue:

check the rooftop for a quick proof.. Wright Rob is also wider.

Reply 14

Ana

OP

19

-IK-

Aint that retail park a fair distance away from the Fallowfield halls (Owens Park etc)?
For cheap food shopping, I'd stick to popping into the Curry Mile.. the asian stores there are quite cheap and there is a supermarket there where a 24-pack of Pepsi/Coke cans cost less than a fiver and 3l bottles were going for £1.

Not that I'd noticed, it's much closer than the Worldwide. I'm just by Owens Park, so to get there I just walk down Whitworth Lane, along Mosely Road for about a minute, and it's across the road

Reply 15

Strictly Business

14

Hulme Hall

Reply 16

hapa_girl

7

weston hall is a great 1st years hall

Reply 17

nick2404

If you want a proper student experience, stay in fallowfield, sheavyn house is the nicest closely followed by richmond park, both have en-suites. The most sociable hall is owens park followed by oak house. Just avoid allen hall which is pretty dull and ashburne as its pretty much a girls boarding school (nicknamed virgin megastore)

Reply 18

Ana

OP

19

nick2404

ashburne as its pretty much a girls boarding school (nicknamed virgin megastore)

*chokes laughing*

Beats the convent rumour... (think that one got us confused with Gabs :rolleyes:

)

Reply 19

sophiefluff

I would definately say Whitworth Park. I live in Fallowfield and whilst it might have loads of students blahblahblah its not convenient for either the uni or the city, and its a lot harder to motivate yourself to go to a lecture when it takes so bloody long.

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