Is Reading's wessex hall okay

Just found out I got into Wessex for upgraded room with washbasin. This wasn't my first choice and haven't seen it in person like I did with the others I applied for. It is good? I have heard some bad things about it. Does it look like the photos on the website or has it been updated since? Any tips?

Hi @Anonymous,
Sorry to hear you didn't get your first choice - though we try our best to give our students their top options, it isn't always possible unfortunately. Though I myself stayed in Greenow, I had a number of friends in Wessex and Bridges and they absolutely loved their time there!

If you're referring to something like this tour of the room as the images you've seen, I'd say its fairly accurate in my experience. Although I haven't been inside since 2021 and we have done a few upgrades to our accommodations so it may look slightly different, and communal areas will have seen some improvements.

Though it's not the most picturesque accommodation we offer, there's a great sense of community and unlike other halls it has its laundry in-house, larger study communal/study area, and an on-site bar - Ice Bar - downstairs! It's only .7 miles away from the centre of campus and has beautiful views of the lake too.

I hope this helps! Let us know if you have any other questions!
Kat
MA Diplomacy Student

Thank you. That was the tour I was looking at. It was mainly the bathroom that I was concerned about but the rest of the accommodation seems quite nice.

Hey!

I have recently visited Wessex (around Christmas) and can definitely say the bathrooms have been upgraded since my first year - I was so shocked by how nice and modern they were! Not that they were awful before, but they're definitely more appealing! The tour on the website is not updated, as that isn't what they looked liked when I saw them a couple of months ago - they're now shiny and white and very modern haha! I also know a few people who are staying there at the moment and they absolutely love it.

I hope this puts your mind at ease a little bit, but any more questions about it, please do ask away. You need to be happy with where you're living for sure.

Skye
4th Year MSci Speech and Language Therapy Student

Hello, I also received an offer from Wessex hall. I have heard many good things about it such as that it is more open than the other newer halls due to it being older and because of the layout allowing for more groups of flats/ kitchen groups to mingle as well as allowing more people to meet as you bump into more people due to no large separating doors or key fobs needed to enter specific flats. Unlike the new flats which seem to be mainly separated and don't encourage going to/ bumping into other people in corridors and such.
I was wondering if is this still the case after the refurbishment or is there locked doors/key fobs needed for individual flats now?

Hi @Anonymous,
Sorry to hear you didn't get your first choice - though we try our best to give our students their top options, it isn't always possible unfortunately. Though I myself stayed in Greenow, I had a number of friends in Wessex and Bridges and they absolutely loved their time there!
If you're referring to something like this tour of the room as the images you've seen, I'd say its fairly accurate in my experience. Although I haven't been inside since 2021 and we have done a few upgrades to our accommodations so it may look slightly different, and communal areas will have seen some improvements.
Though it's not the most picturesque accommodation we offer, there's a great sense of community and unlike other halls it has its laundry in-house, larger study communal/study area, and an on-site bar - Ice Bar - downstairs! It's only .7 miles away from the centre of campus and has beautiful views of the lake too.
I hope this helps! Let us know if you have any other questions!
Kat
MA Diplomacy Student

Hi @Anonymous,
Sorry to hear you didn't get your first choice - though we try our best to give our students their top options, it isn't always possible unfortunately. Though I myself stayed in Greenow, I had a number of friends in Wessex and Bridges and they absolutely loved their time there!
If you're referring to something like this tour of the room as the images you've seen, I'd say its fairly accurate in my experience. Although I haven't been inside since 2021 and we have done a few upgrades to our accommodations so it may look slightly different, and communal areas will have seen some improvements.
Though it's not the most picturesque accommodation we offer, there's a great sense of community and unlike other halls it has its laundry in-house, larger study communal/study area, and an on-site bar - Ice Bar - downstairs! It's only .7 miles away from the centre of campus and has beautiful views of the lake too.
I hope this helps! Let us know if you have any other questions!
Kat
MA Diplomacy Student