Tag: accommodation for students

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Monday, May 16th, 2011

Roomie Agreements, Worth the Paper They’re Written on?

So, you’ve embraced the idea of student life and you’re looking for student accommodation. You’re prepared to live on beans, cider and roll-ups for the next 3 years and  think it’ll be fun moving in with you’re new roomie. After all he or she seemed like great fun when they were showing round the place. Well there’s no better and quicker way to find out if you’re compatible with someone than to move in with them.

It’s like meeting a new BFF; you think you’ve got so much in common and all those nights partying have been a blast. But then… You go on holiday with them. It’s like test drive living together, suddenly they start getting on your nerves. All those slightly irritating habits they have are suddenly amplified in high wattage stereo. Believe me I’ve heard many a story about people who travel away together but travel home in separate ends of the airplane.

Well imagine if this happened with your room-mate. You’ve just saved every penny to put down a deposit and pay rent in advance and two weeks later you find yourself standing over your room-mates bed while she’s sleeping with a pillow in your hand.

To avoid a hefty prison sentence and a premature end to all current life prospects you may want to consider drawing up a roomie agreement. OK, so they’re not legally binding but that doesn’t mean they can’t be helpful.

Here are some examples of things you can thrash out when drawing up an agreement:

  • Food

Will you be splitting the shopping bill or will there be a fridge full of labels with names on them. If needs must, I know somebody who resorted to marking how much drink was left in the bottle with permanent marker. Anal? Maybe just a little.

  • Visitors

Are you both ok with each other’s visitors frequenting the place? Do you need set some boundaries and state a limit to how many is ok and by what time visitors should leave?

  • Guys

Are you really cool about hiding under the duvet at night to muffle out the moans and groans coming from the other side of the room?

  • Alcohol & Parties

You may love to party but are you ok with your room becoming the new Friday & Saturday nightspot?

  • Study time

Do you need complete silence when you study or do you need to blast the music? What about you’re roomie? If one needs peace and one needs to vibe what then? Will you allocate study periods and make yourself scarce when it’s not your time? Or will you study together.

  • Is Sharing Caring?

This one is particularly relevant to the female roomies out there. How are you going to feel when you bump into your roomie on campus and she’s wearing you’re favourite jeans? Will you insist on taking them back there and then and let the humiliation serve her right? Or are you ok about things like that as long as there washed and returned?

Ask yourself and you roomie all these questions from the start. At least by thrashing it out and having the discussion you can gauge your compatibility. Nip any potential causes for contention in the bud, you may come across a little bossy and stiff but it’s better than a nasty surprise later in the day.

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Posted in Accommodation For Students, Houses For Students, Student Accommodation | No Comments »

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

A Student Guide to Living in Newcastle

Moving away from home to study is a brave move. You’ll be leaving your familiar surroundings and probably many creature comforts, so it’s important that you move to a city that can cater to all your needs.

There are many great cities in the UK; but if you’ve got your eye on Newcastle and are contemplating either Newcastle University, Newcastle College or Northumbria University. Then have a look, and see just a bit of what Newcastle has to offer:

History

This city itself  has a good blend of both modern and historic architecture; from the medieval streets in Old Newcastle to the contemporary offerings of The Millennium Bridge.

To add to its rich culture Newcastle has a good smattering of museums and galleries. If you want to indulge in Roman history there are two Roman forts with their own museums; Chesters in Hexham and the Arbeia in South Shields. Another hidden treasure is Bowes Museum; a magnificent building which stands proud in the historic market town of Barnard Castle. The museum houses  internationally significant collections of fine and decorative arts.

Nightlife

As far as culture, history & heritage are concerned Newcastle has it in abundance. As for nightlife, there’s a reason why Newcastle has a reputation as a party city. Newcastle is simply ‘buzzing’ after dark. There are a multitude of different bars and clubs, but here we’ve picked out a few of the most popular haunts to get you going:

Fusion – Bar Fusion screens all the latest sporting events and has club nights at the weekends. It has a traditional pub menu with a good selection – something for everyone.

Pacific Bar Café – This is massive bar right in the heart of the city with over three floors of stylish decor to to cater to various tastes.

Blue Coyote – This stylish bar has a delightful Mediterranean feel and serves up some mean  Mexican/Latin cuisine.

Attic – This is a large club that sits between Bigg Market and Quayside. It’s extremely popular with students and gets frantically busy at weekends.

The Tyne Bar – Another one popular with students, this bar has regular live music events featuring upcoming bands.

…and if you’re game for a laugh you could always check out The Hyena Comedy Club or Jongleurs which feature top stand up comedians who will entertain you while you drink and and snack.

One other great thing about Newcastle (Gateshead) is its thriving gay scene which makes it a top choice for members of the gay, lesbian and bisexual communities. The Gay Village or Pink Triangle as it’s otherwise known, is just near Newcastle Central Station and is a lot of fun whatever you’re in to.

Accommodation

Finally, if you’re thinking about moving to Newcastle to study,  you’ll need to know what accommodation there is on offer. Check out our student accommodation listings for Newcastle to get an idea of rental prices in this area. Alternatively you can always use our touch screen units located on campus. Happy House Hustling!

 

 

 

 

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Friday, May 6th, 2011

A Student Guide to Living in Leeds

Thinking of studying in Leeds? Not a bad choice. With a multitude of reasonably priced student accommodation in the area and a heaving student population you can’t go far wrong. Below are just a few reasons to love Leeds.

Leeds is a beautiful and historic city. It can trace its recorded history back to the fifth century, has more than 2,333 listed buildings and a fast growing reputation for its rich and fascinating heritage.

If it’s culture you’re looking for you’ll be pleased to know that Leeds is well stocked with museums, theaters and art galleries. Check out the cities national attractions; the Royal Armouries and Thackray Medical Museum.

Leeds is the second largest provider of education for young people in England. It has one of the largest student populations with a combined total of over 250,000 students. It also houses two world famous universities:

  • The University of Leeds – Recognised globally and offers one of the widest ranges of academic courses in the UK. It’s so popular it receives more applications any any other uni or college in Great Britain.
  • Leeds Metropolitan University houses one of the largest business schools of its kind, and focuses on professional and vocational courses.

These may be the most famous and acclaimed Universities in Leeds but they are by no means the only options, there’s also:

  • Leeds Trinity University College
  • Leeds College of Art
  • Leeds College of Music
  • Leeds City College

As for night life and entertainment, there’s never a dull moment in Leeds. There are tons of student friendly bars and clubs, here are just a handful we’ve dug up:

The Arc – Hugely popular with students; this classy hotspot serves excellent food. It has a buzzing atmosphere and a young crowd.

Bar Room Bar – Cool trendy surroundings, great music and tasty food, it’s reasonably priced too!

Café Seine – Stylish air conditioned premises with a nice beer garden and resident DJs spinning the decks. Also has frequent drink and food offers.

The Fenton – Very popular with students with live music from up and coming unsigned acts.

Mojo – A tasteful shrine to pop and rock, hang out with the in-crowd and maybe even bump into Chris Moyles who is known to pop in.

The Packhorse – This one’s very close to the university, has a good selection of beers, live music and film screenings – great entertainment.

There’s something for everyone in Leeds, it’s a popular choice and it’s easy to see why.

If you still haven’t found your perfect student pad then check out these reasonably priced, student friendly digs:

http://www.househustler.co.uk/city-pages/leeds

 

 

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Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

Is it Time for Your Creative Side to Shine?

Have you ever looked at the paintings in modern art galleries and thought ‘I could do that’. Well, if you have, maybe now’s the time to prove your point.

If you have moved into student accommodation, you have walls and walls of space in which to hang your creations – your own exhibition area if you like.

As well as brightening up your student property, this can be a fun activity to get involved in and, who knows, it may be the start of a lifelong love affair with canvas, or whichever material you choose to paint your works on.

You don’t have to be the next Picasso to have some fun with oil paints, watercolours or other such materials.

All you need is some spare time and some basic equipment.

As well as passing the hours, this is a cheap way to improve the look of your residence.

Buying prints in shops can be pricey and it will not leave you with as much satisfaction as doing it yourself.

If you really get into the process, you may even want to consider signing up to an evening class. Many local authorities run such programmes and they are a great way of getting out and about and meeting new people, as well as improving your technique with a paintbrush.

Even if your creations fall short of the mark, you can at least say you’ve had a go and who knows, they may be the source of much amusement among you and your pals.

So, if you live in student homes in Bristol or houses and flats elsewhere, now could be high time you put your ideas down on canvas.

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Posted in Bristol, Student Homes, Student Property | 2 Comments »

Monday, November 8th, 2010

Make Sure You Get The Best Deals On The Internet

These days, the internet is an intrinsic part of our lives. Whether you live in student accommodation in Bristol, you will no doubt need to have access to it.

Whatever course you are doing at university, you will need to do research and read and send emails, among other things.

Some people decide they can manage without having the web at home. This can save them money in terms of line rental.

Such individuals then have to make do with getting online in the library, internet cafes, friends’ houses or in coffee shops.

However, you may be among the people who decide that this is not feasible and you need to get into cyberspace from the comfort of your own student accommodation.

If you do, you should make sure you get the best deal on line rental you can.

For example, your mobile phone provider may be able to offer you a good monthly price, or one of the specialist firms that exist.

Do not simply rush into the first agreement that is presented to you, as this could result in you losing money unnecessarily.

Another thing to bear in mind is the length of the contracts you come across.

If you are only going to be living in the student property you are in for 12 months, it could be unwise to agree to an 18-month deal.

As long as your take your time, survey all the options open to you and take into account a number of factors, you should end up with an agreement that suits your needs.

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Posted in Bristol, coventry, portsmouth, Student Accommodation | No Comments »

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