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LSE undergraduate accommodation

I've firmed my offer for 24/25 entry and was wondering what the best LSE hall accomms are - currently wondering what new/current student say for social life and overall atmosphere etc

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

I've firmed my offer for 24/25 entry and was wondering what the best LSE hall accomms are - currently wondering what new/current student say for social life and overall atmosphere etc

I'll copy and paste my response to someone else on a different thread:
Depends on what you're looking for exactly. I'll give an overview of the main ones and what the vibes/features are of each

Bankside (where I am):
• by far LSE's biggest accom (around 600 students). They're meant to be demolishing it at some point so I'm not sure if it's even available for your cohort but if it is...
• Bankside can be quite cliquey (but this is the case for LSE as a whole unfortunately) so past the first 2 weeks it's hard to integrate into a friend group. Therefore, it's quite important that you make an effort to be social within these first 2 weeks and do your best to find people you at least somewhat get on with. With LSE and Bankside being around 60-70% international, most of the foreign students only hang out with others from their country and the home students tend to form groups based on region of UK, class or race. A lot of Bankside's cliqueyness is due to its size I believe. It is impossible to get to know all 600 people so everyone finds a group quickly and sticks with it which obviously has downsides as well as positives. Most people still have a positive experience at Bankside assuming they're happy with their friends, so the cliqueyness is just something to bear in mind if you're looking for an accom with more of a community/homey feel
• dinner is included in the rent and eaten in a big canteen that very much gives school lunch vibes. The food is decent and you get a lot (sides, dessert, salad bar all included), there's a vegan option every day and a halal option 3 times a week. People almost exclusively sit in their friend groups.
• because of its size, it's known as the social accom. Although it may be the most social accom at LSE, it's pretty dead in comparison to other universities. The wardens throw a party about once a term and although there are drinks, it's usually a case of people standing around awkwardly and nothing ever happens. There's also rarely any music. Apart from these gatherings, people don't really tend to throw their own parties at the accom as is the case at other universities. The common room is also rarely used past the first 2 weeks, although perhaps this would change with the new cohort. People tend to hang out in each others' rooms instead
• quick note on shared bathrooms - if you book a single room with a shared bathroom, you'll only ever be sharing with one other person.

Passfield:
• A lot smaller, around 200 students I believe. I've heard that this makes it way less cliquey / more of a community and people sometimes sit with those outside of their immediate circle at dinner which is also provided as with Bankside
• I've heard the common room also isn't used very much. People tend to hang out in each others' rooms instead here too (as is the case at most accoms)
• They also have warden-thrown parties every so often here too but once again, people tend to just stand around awkwardly so apparently they're not very good• The menu for all LSE catered accoms is the same, so there's a vegan option every day here too and halal a few times a week
• The benefits of Passfield is that it is the closest to campus (less than a 20 min walk), the cheapest accom, mostly home students as you have to move your stuff out/leave the accom during term breaks. While this last one is inconvenient, if you're a home student you'll likely find it easier to be at an accom that will primarily be made up of other home students as they tend to be more open to friendship. International-heavy accoms tend to become cliquey quite fast as intl students stay within their nationality groups.
• The main drawback is that it can be a hassle to move your stuff out every term

Sidney Webb:
• Benefits: very modern rooms and one of the few accoms which actually has a flat-style vibe. If you want the typical uni flatmate experience, this is the closest you'll get to it of the different accoms.
• Drawbacks: the flats are made up of those of all different years, including some masters students. This can obviously make it harder to form friendships with your flatmates as a first year. I know a few people at this accom who only have one other first year in their flat. Another drawback is that it is more expensive and also around a 40 min walk from campus. Most people take the bus for this reason, which is £1.65 each way

Roseberry:
I've visited here once but don't know much more about it apart from that. I believe that it tends to have more of a mix of both UK and internationals compared to Passfield as you don't have to move out between terms (I think). It's also very modern, although the rooms tend to be a little smaller than at Bankside (potentially not a huge deal though). It's in a trendy residential area and 25 mins walk from campus. I believe the student body is roughly the same size as Passfield, maybe slightly bigger. The shared bathrooms are in the corridors on the floors, so you'll be sharing with multiple people. When I visited, the bathroom was clean though. I believe it's cleaned regularly.

Urbanest:
Wouldn't recommend if you're a home student, but may be okay if you're an international looking to be around other internationals as it's like 95% international. Nice building but not worth the money imo as it's apparently not very social.

These are the accoms I know enough about to comment on, although I may have missed some (perfectly fine) ones off !

Reply 2

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

I've firmed my offer for 24/25 entry and was wondering what the best LSE hall accomms are - currently wondering what new/current student say for social life and overall atmosphere etc

Also, a quick note on shared rooms for anyone considering them. They're generally fine and a decent way to save money. They're a good size and as long as you set healthy boundaries with your roommate from the beginning, there shouldn't be any major problems. Haven't heard of anyone have any really terrible experiences - most people either tend to really like their roommate or be neutral about them.

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

Original post by Anonymous

I'll copy and paste my response to someone else on a different thread:
Depends on what you're looking for exactly. I'll give an overview of the main ones and what the vibes/features are of each
Bankside (where I am):
• by far LSE's biggest accom (around 600 students). They're meant to be demolishing it at some point so I'm not sure if it's even available for your cohort but if it is...
• Bankside can be quite cliquey (but this is the case for LSE as a whole unfortunately) so past the first 2 weeks it's hard to integrate into a friend group. Therefore, it's quite important that you make an effort to be social within these first 2 weeks and do your best to find people you at least somewhat get on with. With LSE and Bankside being around 60-70% international, most of the foreign students only hang out with others from their country and the home students tend to form groups based on region of UK, class or race. A lot of Bankside's cliqueyness is due to its size I believe. It is impossible to get to know all 600 people so everyone finds a group quickly and sticks with it which obviously has downsides as well as positives. Most people still have a positive experience at Bankside assuming they're happy with their friends, so the cliqueyness is just something to bear in mind if you're looking for an accom with more of a community/homey feel
• dinner is included in the rent and eaten in a big canteen that very much gives school lunch vibes. The food is decent and you get a lot (sides, dessert, salad bar all included), there's a vegan option every day and a halal option 3 times a week. People almost exclusively sit in their friend groups.
• because of its size, it's known as the social accom. Although it may be the most social accom at LSE, it's pretty dead in comparison to other universities. The wardens throw a party about once a term and although there are drinks, it's usually a case of people standing around awkwardly and nothing ever happens. There's also rarely any music. Apart from these gatherings, people don't really tend to throw their own parties at the accom as is the case at other universities. The common room is also rarely used past the first 2 weeks, although perhaps this would change with the new cohort. People tend to hang out in each others' rooms instead
• quick note on shared bathrooms - if you book a single room with a shared bathroom, you'll only ever be sharing with one other person.
Passfield:
• A lot smaller, around 200 students I believe. I've heard that this makes it way less cliquey / more of a community and people sometimes sit with those outside of their immediate circle at dinner which is also provided as with Bankside
• I've heard the common room also isn't used very much. People tend to hang out in each others' rooms instead here too (as is the case at most accoms)
• They also have warden-thrown parties every so often here too but once again, people tend to just stand around awkwardly so apparently they're not very good• The menu for all LSE catered accoms is the same, so there's a vegan option every day here too and halal a few times a week
• The benefits of Passfield is that it is the closest to campus (less than a 20 min walk), the cheapest accom, mostly home students as you have to move your stuff out/leave the accom during term breaks. While this last one is inconvenient, if you're a home student you'll likely find it easier to be at an accom that will primarily be made up of other home students as they tend to be more open to friendship. International-heavy accoms tend to become cliquey quite fast as intl students stay within their nationality groups.
• The main drawback is that it can be a hassle to move your stuff out every term
Sidney Webb:
• Benefits: very modern rooms and one of the few accoms which actually has a flat-style vibe. If you want the typical uni flatmate experience, this is the closest you'll get to it of the different accoms.
• Drawbacks: the flats are made up of those of all different years, including some masters students. This can obviously make it harder to form friendships with your flatmates as a first year. I know a few people at this accom who only have one other first year in their flat. Another drawback is that it is more expensive and also around a 40 min walk from campus. Most people take the bus for this reason, which is £1.65 each way
Roseberry:
I've visited here once but don't know much more about it apart from that. I believe that it tends to have more of a mix of both UK and internationals compared to Passfield as you don't have to move out between terms (I think). It's also very modern, although the rooms tend to be a little smaller than at Bankside (potentially not a huge deal though). It's in a trendy residential area and 25 mins walk from campus. I believe the student body is roughly the same size as Passfield, maybe slightly bigger. The shared bathrooms are in the corridors on the floors, so you'll be sharing with multiple people. When I visited, the bathroom was clean though. I believe it's cleaned regularly.
Urbanest:
Wouldn't recommend if you're a home student, but may be okay if you're an international looking to be around other internationals as it's like 95% international. Nice building but not worth the money imo as it's apparently not very social.
These are the accoms I know enough about to comment on, although I may have missed some (perfectly fine) ones off !

wow thank you so much this is so helpful!!

Reply 4

elliehayes1

Original post by Anonymous

I've firmed my offer for 24/25 entry and was wondering what the best LSE hall accomms are - currently wondering what new/current student say for social life and overall atmosphere etc