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Thread for accommodation questions for 09/10 entry - READ & POST HERE FIRST :o)

Hey,

I received my accommodation offer, and I'm a bit confused as to the payment part. I also got a letter from the student finance company, which had on it 'standard loan' and 'student loan'. So I'm assuming the standard loan is the maintenance loan? So, that gets paid into my bank account, and so do I have to set up a direct debit and pay through that? I thought there'd be some sort of automatic way in which they'd sort it out...

Thanks

Reply 921

john-milton

oxymoronic

I didn't hear until a couple of days before I moved to Edinburgh, and you've got about a week and a half before freshers week begins I do believe... so they'll get to you.

And in Pollock they don't really have facilities for you to make your own food. I think some of the pantries have a toaster, kettle and maybe a microwave but there is certainly no hob or oven.

I realise it must seem stupid to you for freshers to be complaining about sharing a room given the college culture in the US, but in the UK this isn't the done thing at all. Very very few universities have twin rooms at all, and if they do only a very small number of students will be allocated one - usually only people who actually ask to share a room. So for Edinburgh to be putting large numbers of first years into bunk bedded rooms is an utterly ridiculous idea, from our perspective. When people move to university they become adults and expect to live like one, which doesn't involve sharing a room. In particular, if people choose to live in a s/c flat in first year, it means they are probably wanting to relish in the independent living which being away from home for the first time gives you and to suddenly have not only catered facilities, but a shared bedroom thrown upon you takes away an awful lot of the independence which university is all about in the UK. I certainly would never dream of sharing my room with anyone out of choice, not when I was a first year and not now in 4th year either. I imagine if this had been known several months ago many of these people wouldn't have put Edinburgh as their firm choice at all, as sharing a room is simply something which UK students do not expect and do not want to do at university.

it's not as unusual to share rooms as you're making out. many of the top universities have shared rooms to cope with accommodation problems. Edinburgh are, however, only using large ensuite rooms for sharing. I have a friend at Durham university who's college ONLY has shared rooms and shared showers etc. - at least we're getting en-suite. i really don't see what the problem is with sharing a room - yeah, a single would be nicer, but it really isn't as bad as you're making it out to be. most people will get on fine with thier roomates, and those who don't can always swap around - to be honest at uni you won't even spend that much time in your room as you'll be out studying/partying most of the time - i'd say stop complaining and be grateful that you have accommodation at all - some universities are so short of space that they're forcing people to defer as they just don't have the room to accommodate them - Edinburgh are trying the best they can to amend a bad situation - there simply isn't room to have all single rooms this year. Edinburgh guarantees accommodation to all 1st years, and this is a fine accommodation deal - if you don't like it, you can always go private. I actually swapped from a single room at Jewel and Esk for a bunkbed at Pollock - - - I prioritized a convenient central location over a single room, as i don't think that sharing a room is too big a price to pay for being in the hub of all the university activity. as for people moving into single rooms, i doubt that will happen very much this year as there are SO many bunkbed rooms - if you're sharing now I'm willing to bet you'll keep on shring until the end of the year

Reply 922

xbuttercupx

I've been offered single catered ensuite and whilst I'm grateful it's not a shared room it is about £2000 more than the self-catered i applied for. Is there no way of getting the price down?!

Reply 923

Eadaoin

u can swap with me!mine is £3901 a year....it is a shared catered en-suite though.

Reply 924

00Stephanie86

Eadaoin

this is so ******* ridiculous and frustrating cos theres literally nothing we can do. (iv just been offered catered bunk ******* bed accomodation when i applied for self-catered)

really not at all looking forward to university at all now.

are there any even small kitchens in the catered halls? cos im making my own food regardless, i have a really weird and fussy apetite.

i know this is now happening to a lot of people and, seriously, how the hell is there going to bee enough room/any privacy in sharing s fecking room?!?!?!?

its ridiculous.

Ive been put into a bunked room, too, and im gutted about it. I asked for single, self-catered and Edinburgh was my firm choice. I'm a vegetarian and a fussy eater as well, im not looking forward to it either now :| :|

Reply 925

burgundy

nearlyheadlessian

It's not. It happens to everyone.

Thanks

I'm a bit of worrier, so just wanted to double check that I hadn't messed up!

Reply 926

Eadaoin

00Stephanie86

Ive been put into a bunked room, too, and im gutted about it. I asked for single, self-catered and Edinburgh was my firm choice. I'm a vegetarian and a fussy eater as well, im not looking forward to it either now :| :|

yeh i know....gaaay! when i rang the accommodation peeps she was all 'people will leave university and whem u get there put ur name down with ur warden for switching to s/c'.
i'm just gona drink lots of vodka before i go...makes it easier to handle things!lol

what building/room are you in?
also some person who apparently loves bunked accom. said earlier that it was only the large single rooms that are now bunk bed rooms but it aintt. its the standard and small ones.

was looking into private accom. and although its all AMAZING and spacious and new its also crazy dear so i'll just stick it out for as long as i have to. :woo:

Reply 927

nearlyheadlessian

15

00Stephanie86

I'm a vegetarian and a fussy eater as well, im not looking forward to it either now :| :|

This isn't a promise (and your fussiness might be prohibitive, depends what you class as fussy) but I am vegetarian and while Pollock isn't awesome for non meat eaters, it may be better with the new dining room. I stayed at Pollock a couple of times during the summer and the breakfast they provided had plenty of decent vegetarian options (ie not just cereal, but cooked veggie stuff too). Don't know if they feed paying guests better than students, but I see no reason why as food wasn't super awesome, just passable.

Reply 928

Rian1988

14

jvhc

Hey,

I received my accommodation offer, and I'm a bit confused as to the payment part. I also got a letter from the student finance company, which had on it 'standard loan' and 'student loan'. So I'm assuming the standard loan is the maintenance loan? So, that gets paid into my bank account, and so do I have to set up a direct debit and pay through that? I thought there'd be some sort of automatic way in which they'd sort it out...

Thanks

The loans company will not pay your accommodation directly, they give you the money into your bank and you can spend it on what you like. Also the accommodation services will want the money from you.

Reply 929

nora-emilia

Right, so turns out Edinburgh had no record of my accomm. application at all, despite them sending me a confirmation email about it. Apparently, the ö and the ä in my last name (I'm Finnish) scrambled it, and they didn't bother to get back to me to ask what's up.

So after a week of calling them up and trying to sort **** out so late, I've been given a room at 96 Nicolson Street, part of some Crown Commissioners thing or something. :s-smilie:

Anyone have any further info on this place? I'm having a hard time finding any.. Also, does it permit smoking?

Reply 930

sherbertfountain

hey, slightly off topic, but ive recieved some letters telling me to buy a freshers week pack for £32. just wondering if any students who started last year or before that could tell me if its worth it??

are people on this thread going to buy it? seems like a lot of money to me...

Reply 931

oxymoronic

OP

19

Eadaoin

was looking into private accom. and although its all AMAZING and spacious and new its also crazy dear so i'll just stick it out for as long as i have to. :woo:

private accommodation is new, and expensive?? where are you looking??
as it is A) mainly old in typical Edinburgh buildings, and B) cheaper than living in uni owned accomm for a year.

look at the first post in this thread for what i've written about the private sector.

Reply 932

Eadaoin

i was looking at unite properties?!loads of spacious 'studios' for like £210 a week

Reply 933

00Stephanie86

Eadaoin

yeh i know....gaaay! when i rang the accommodation peeps she was all 'people will leave university and whem u get there put ur name down with ur warden for switching to s/c'.
i'm just gona drink lots of vodka before i go...makes it easier to handle things!lol

what building/room are you in?
also some person who apparently loves bunked accom. said earlier that it was only the large single rooms that are now bunk bed rooms but it aintt. its the standard and small ones.

haha i think ive got over it a bit now, since everybody in my accomodation seems to be in the same situation.. haha like the the vodka diet idea though! im in chancellors court, third floor. Where've you been put?

Reply 934

OliDoll

Anyone else in Flat 16 in South Clerk Street? Send me a private message or something..

Reply 935

Eadaoin

chancellors court third floor too :biggrin:

room 46. vodka parties in my room...if my roomate concedes.lol

Reply 936

oxymoronic

OP

19

Eadaoin

i was looking at unite properties?!loads of spacious 'studios' for like £210 a week

Ah okay, yeah they're expensive and apparently awful. I wouldn't touch them with a very long pole from what I've heard about them... When we say private we normally mean private flats owned by a landlord of letting agency.

Reply 937

nearlyheadlessian

15

oxymoronic

Ah okay, yeah they're expensive and apparently awful. I wouldn't touch them with a very long pole from what I've heard about them... When we say private we normally mean private flats owned by a landlord of letting agency.

I assume you mean or, oxymoronic of Marchmont (said nearlyheadlessian of Newington).

I dunno, I think the studio flats that unite have next to the mosque look very swish. Couldn't afford one, but no denying they look good. Hard to tell how bad unite are as landlords, there are so many urban myths circulating about such things that separating fact and fiction is hard.

Reply 938

electrogirl99

2

Eadaoin

chancellors court third floor too :biggrin:

room 46. vodka parties in my room...if my roomate concedes.lol

OMG :O

I might be sharing a room with you.

Reply 939

purpleoctober

00Stephanie86

Ive been put into a bunked room, too, and im gutted about it. I asked for single, self-catered and Edinburgh was my firm choice. I'm a vegetarian and a fussy eater as well, im not looking forward to it either now :| :|

I'm in the same situation, asked for self catered and got a bunk in chancellor's court. I'm also very fussy. I actually feel a bit comforted now though, knowing that we can all be p***ed off together.

Thread for accommodation questions for 09/10 entry - READ & POST HERE FIRST :o)

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