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Waterfront bar, King's College
King's College London
London

Best accommodation for Waterloo Campus?

Obviously my first choice would be Stamford Street Apartments, but if I couldn't get a room there what would be the next best accommodation? Thanks!
(I'm eligible for Kaas but I can't apply until I have my SSN number and I only got my offer as well as applied for SFE last week. So, I'm really scared that I won't be able to grab a Kaas room at SSA by the time I get my SSN number :frown:)
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by Caz1234567
Obviously my first choice would be Stamford Street Apartments, but if I couldn't get a room there what would be the next best accommodation? Thanks!
(I'm eligible for Kaas but I can't apply until I have my SSN number and I only got my offer as well as applied for SFE last week. So, I'm really scared that I won't be able to grab a Kaas room at SSA by the time I get my SSN number :frown:)

I would recommend Great Dover Street - it is a 15 minute walk away from Waterloo campus, and is similarly priced. The rooms are about the same size, if a little bit smaller if you happen to get the room next to the kitchen. Similar to SSA it is close to supermarkets (you have a small Sainsburys, Co-Op and Tesco all within 5 minutes of the main doors, and a 20/30 minute walk away you have a large Lidl, Asda and Tesco). You are also near Guy's campus (10 minutes) which has a nice library and Dover Castle pub which always full of KCL students.
(edited 3 years ago)
Waterfront bar, King's College
King's College London
London
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Caz1234567
OP
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Original post by Nightwish1234
I would recommend Great Dover Street - it is a 15 minute walk away from Waterloo campus, and is similarly priced. The rooms are about the same size, if a little bit smaller if you happen to get the room next to the kitchen. Similar to SSA it is close to supermarkets (you have a small Sainsburys, Co-Op and Tesco all within 5 minutes of the main doors, and a 20/30 minute walk away you have a large Lidl, Asda and Tesco). You are also near Guy's campus (10 minutes) which has a nice library and Dover Castle pub which always full of KCL students.

Thanks! Also this is a bit of a slightly off topic question but how much money would you recommend budgeting for stuff other than accommodation? (e.g food, bills, kitchen stuff, cleaning supplies, memberships, travel, clothes etc)
Original post by Caz1234567
Thanks! Also this is a bit of a slightly off topic question but how much money would you recommend budgeting for stuff other than accommodation? (e.g food, bills, kitchen stuff, cleaning supplies, memberships, travel, clothes etc)

I think this very much depends on the person, however I needed about £200-300 a month. I worked full time so I was a bit more lenient with spending.

Food - I managed fairly well on £20 a week for food, but I know some flatmates who struggled at £40 a week. Little tips and tricks here include bringing only cash (it'll stop you buying that snack you didn't really want, but got as you were hungry when you went shopping), working out the time of day that food is discounted (it is still fresh, just at the sell by date), buying in bulk where possible or there is a good deal, and if necessary cutting down on expensive items like meats. I'd say budget £30 a week to start off, and you can adjust once you work out your own habits.
Drinks - if you are planning to live the classic student life, you may want to consider this in your budget - especially drinks bought at pubs or clubs are very steep in london (one club charged £9.80 for a double vodka mixer...). Depending on your tolerance and pre-drinking, £20 per night out?
Bills - these are included in the fees for SSA and GDS accommodation. In private accommodation you can expect from £25 to £50 a month depending on the flatmates and house location.
Kitchen utensils - IKEA is a lifesaver here, I bought everything for £50 at the start of first year and minus the odd item that mysteriously found its way into a flatmates room, it lasted me all my years of study. Big Tesco near GDS also has fairly cheap options if you are not near an IKEA.
Memberships - The KCL gyms are very overpriced for not much equipment, you're better off going to any of the many options around (expect maybe £20 a month? I had this free on a sports grant). Other memberships might include Netflix, Spotify, Prime etc. (maybe £10-15 here? look out for student deals for these).
Travel - this depends on your lifestyle. You can realistically walk to every class and club around if you're at SSA or GDS, but this is far less appealing in winter. I spent £80 a month, including trips to Zone 2/3. If you plan to travel regularly, look into a student oyster card and consider getting a monthly ticket. You may also want to look at a 16-25 railcard if you don't have one already and plan to travel outside of London.
Clothes - your habits shouldn't change much from whatever you currently spend - some students turn up dressed for a fashion show whereas others are still wearing their pjs. There's no pressure to dress any differently to what you normally do (although some tutors might raise an eyebrow if you are always in pjs haha). My only real change here was investing in team sports kits which cost maybe £80 for the full year.

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