Uni of Exeter Penryn Accommodation
I have an offer to study at Exeter University (Penryn Campus). I’ll be staying at the uni accommodation (self-catered), therefore I have a choice between the Sidings and Glasney Student Village.
Could anyone give me an insight into these two halls, should I have a clear preference etc. pros and cons.
Thank you!
Could anyone give me an insight into these two halls, should I have a clear preference etc. pros and cons.
Thank you!
Reply 1
Hi there,
I'm a current PhD student at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus, and also studied here for my undergrad degree in Zoology. I stayed in Glasney Student Village during my first year as an undergraduate, but have lots of friends who lived in the Sidings too.
One of the main differences between the two sets of accommodation is location. Glasney Student Village is located right on campus, and so is a 5 minute walk from where you might be having lectures, seminars and lab practicals (depending on your course!). This makes it super convenient, and can give you a few all important extra minutes lie in before a 9am lecture. In contrast, the Sidings while still close to campus is a little further away as it's located next to the train station in the town of Penryn. This means it's more like a 10-15 minute walk to campus, and is slightly uphill. There is also a bus that runs from Sidings to campus, if walking is an issue. The trade-off here is that the Sidings being right next to the train station means its very easy to get the train into Falmouth (approximately 10 minute train or 15-20 minute bus ride), which has more shops, restaurants, nightlife, beaches, etc than Penryn.
There's also a difference in the size of each community, as Glasney Student Village is a larger accommodation block than the Sidings. This means that if there are society events taking place, they might be more likely to be organised on campus or centered around Glasney, and students at the Sidings might be expected to travel up for them, rather than the other way around. The Sidings does still have it's own community though, and as a first year student I still went there often to see my friends, go to movie nights, or pre-drinks / parties.
I'm sure you've likely already looked at the website, but there are also subtle differences in the layout of the rooms and flats between each accommodation block, as well as the pricing. As an example, Sidings rooms tend to include sofas in their living room/kitchen area - part of the reason we used to go there for movie nights instead. If you look on our website you can find a lot of images and virtual video tours of each accommodation block to better appreciate the differences between them - Room finder | Accommodation in Cornwall | University of Exeter.
Ultimately, the accommodation is quite similar, and despite the differences in location mentioned above, there is still only a 10-15 minute walk between them, so I don't think there is a "wrong" choice that can be made. I hope my answer has been helpful, but please feel free to reply if you've got any follow up questions or would like more information.
Looking forward to hopefully welcoming you to the Penryn Campus soon!
Kingsley
University of Exeter Student Ambassador
I'm a current PhD student at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus, and also studied here for my undergrad degree in Zoology. I stayed in Glasney Student Village during my first year as an undergraduate, but have lots of friends who lived in the Sidings too.
One of the main differences between the two sets of accommodation is location. Glasney Student Village is located right on campus, and so is a 5 minute walk from where you might be having lectures, seminars and lab practicals (depending on your course!). This makes it super convenient, and can give you a few all important extra minutes lie in before a 9am lecture. In contrast, the Sidings while still close to campus is a little further away as it's located next to the train station in the town of Penryn. This means it's more like a 10-15 minute walk to campus, and is slightly uphill. There is also a bus that runs from Sidings to campus, if walking is an issue. The trade-off here is that the Sidings being right next to the train station means its very easy to get the train into Falmouth (approximately 10 minute train or 15-20 minute bus ride), which has more shops, restaurants, nightlife, beaches, etc than Penryn.
There's also a difference in the size of each community, as Glasney Student Village is a larger accommodation block than the Sidings. This means that if there are society events taking place, they might be more likely to be organised on campus or centered around Glasney, and students at the Sidings might be expected to travel up for them, rather than the other way around. The Sidings does still have it's own community though, and as a first year student I still went there often to see my friends, go to movie nights, or pre-drinks / parties.
I'm sure you've likely already looked at the website, but there are also subtle differences in the layout of the rooms and flats between each accommodation block, as well as the pricing. As an example, Sidings rooms tend to include sofas in their living room/kitchen area - part of the reason we used to go there for movie nights instead. If you look on our website you can find a lot of images and virtual video tours of each accommodation block to better appreciate the differences between them - Room finder | Accommodation in Cornwall | University of Exeter.
Ultimately, the accommodation is quite similar, and despite the differences in location mentioned above, there is still only a 10-15 minute walk between them, so I don't think there is a "wrong" choice that can be made. I hope my answer has been helpful, but please feel free to reply if you've got any follow up questions or would like more information.
Looking forward to hopefully welcoming you to the Penryn Campus soon!
Kingsley
University of Exeter Student Ambassador
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