University halls VC Private accommodation (Southampton - SSU)

This is one of the biggest questions I get asked on open days. Especially by parents who have other kids who went to university elsewhere. This decision is based of a number of factors such as distance, what year you will be going into as well as personal preference. I know I have my own personal preference and I am representing the university but I am going to provide the most unbiased review possible.

If your completely new your probably wondering what your options are, have no fear I shall be your guide in these vast lands and go through your options. There are 3 main ones;

A: university owned halls

B: private owned halls

C: shared house

University owned halls

University halls are shared flats/ halls owned by the university and run by there staff. This can provide such a big sense of security especially if you are the first to leave the nest and this is all extremely new to you. They also provide lots of social activities and celebrations for events and calendar dates, I recall free daunts one day, cannot remember what for. They are also manned 24 hours with some form of security for your safety. I would recommend these especially for your first year as its something many people opted for and the majority will be in the same boat as you so may be easier to make friends. You will get the odd 2nd and 3rd year who has opted to stay longer. Ill give you a little rundown of what is available;

1.      David Moxon

2.      Kimber

3.      Deanery

4.      Chantry

Downsides to university student accommodation

·        All of these accommodations come equipped with a single bed. I had a double bed at home so wasn’t the biggest of fans of the single bed.

·        The corridors are fully accessible to everyone on your floor in David Moxon so unless you are in the last flat fully expect drunk idiots at 3am making noise past your room as they make their way to there’s on the odd occasion. (your kitchen and room are only accessible via your fob to people in your flat only)

·        This is first year and unfortunately some people are still learning how to cook, fire alarms are frequent from people being ninkenpoops and leaving plastic on the hob or other various reasons. Do not worry the staff and team work very hard and a serious incident has not happened in the last 5 years I’ve been in Southampton.

·        Most the rooms come with an en-suit, this is more like a wash room the shower is separated by a certain only, I personally prefer a separate shower with a door I can step into.

·        This is of no fault of the accommodation, but sometimes you will get someone who isn’t mindful of their flatmates, I defiantly had one. Mine was someone who screamed at his Xbox until 3 am so loud two floors above could hear him on the regular, this resulted in me screaming back and making several noise complaints. I did also get food nicked on the odd occasion, especially milk. Just pop your names on things using a marker including your washing up liquid.

·        Again some people never had to do their washing before university, some people don’t treat the washing machines and dryers with allot of respect. This is even more painful when you have to PAY for your washing, its about £3.60 for a wash and £1.70 to tumble dry. Double check the washing machines before you use them. I would also recommend not filling the machines up to the top, they are more likely to break and your clothes are less likely to be washed properly. The other downside is people will leave their washing for hours and just forget about it or fall asleep.

Positives to university student accommodations

·        24 Hour security!

·        Insurance on your items in the room should the worst happen such as a fire or flooding

·        This is mostly first years so the majority of people are in the same boat as you and may be just as scared as you are

·        Solent staff are on hand from 9 to 5 to aid you with any university worries and quires

·        Everyone in these accommodations are defiantly students who only attend Solent university

·        Should any of your kitchen appliances break the staff will be on hand to fix them as soon as possible

·        Proximity to campus, all accommodations are within a 15 to 20 minutes’ walk from the main campus

·        Proximity to necessities, Town/ city centre is 10 minutes if that!

·        Should you fall out with anyone you can easily move to another flat

·        Most the kitchens come with the ability to add locks to your kitchen cupboards

·        Your contracts are separate so you are solely responsible for your rent, If they don’t pay its their problem and doesn’t affect you

·        Good direct support with your studies to Solent

·        All bills included (Wifi, Heating, water)

I have a couple of mates who have chosen to remain in university accommodation beyond first year.

Private university halls

There is a wider variety of privately owned accommodations available, private simply means that it is owned by a private company rather than the university. These are shared flats usually with a front door so no one else can access your hallway other than your flat Have a variety of single and double bed optioned rooms as well as choice in picking exactly what flat in the building you want to be in. They as well as the university owned accommodation provide social activities in there I common spaces as well as security on site. Your options are listed below;

1.      Orion point (unite students)

2.      Mercury point (unite students)

3.      Richmond House (Veta student)

4.      Lucia foster Welch (Every student)

5.      Capital House (CRM students)

6.      Austen house (Yugo student)

7.      Queens gate (Urba Life)

8.      The walls (Abodus student living)

9.      The bank (RCM students)

10.   High street (Unilife)

11.   Bargate house (Unilife)

12.   Vincent place (student Roost)

13.   Park house (Collegiate)

14.   Marland house (Urba life)

15.   Crecent place (Yogo student)

16.   Brunswick apartments (Hello student)

17.   London road studios (Hello student)

18.   Cumberland place (Prestige student living)

19.   Southampton Crossings (Host)

These are just the ones within walking distance of the university, infect Orion Point and Crecent place are less than a 5-minute walk to campus. There are more at the other end of town if you don’t mind traveling in by bus or long walks.

The cons to Private accommodation

·        Some private accommodations are extremely fancy so you love them until you see the price (this isn’t the case for all, just the extremely fancy ones)

·        Some do not come with parking

·        You may be placed with students spanning across all years of studies so could be the only first year, this can be daunting and can be a small hiccup on your journey to make friends

·        You could also have a mix of Solent and University of Southampton students. Some choose this end of town as its more convenient for nightlife and amenities

·        If you have issues with whatever company owns your accommodation you can seek advice from the university or get them to lease with the companies but they can only do so much as they don’t own the building

·        Not all these accommodations provide all your amenities, you may have to provide a kettle, toaster ect… (From what I’ve experienced its not so bad that they don’t provide an oven, they all should do built in appliances)

·        Contracts may be less lenient than university owned ones so some go by no place no stay, some will expect you to book a room and if you don’t make it in, transfer to a building in a city for another university option. Sometimes if you have to pull out completely and decide no longer to attend university, they won’t give you your deposit back.

Positives to Private accommodation

·        The freedom to have a studio. Yes, they ae usually more expensive than a shared flat but if you want the freedom of your own cooking space as well as bedroom there are more options

·        More up to date style. They are usually refurbished to a more modern standard

·        DOUBLE BEDS!!!!!!!!!! 75% of the time they will have small doubles rather than single beds.

·        The option for less people to share a flat. Sometimes shared flats are of smaller size such as 4 people rather than 6 or 8

·        Better views. Most these buildings if you get in quick have the option to be higher. Mercury point has 16 floors and has an amazing view of saint Marys stadium as of floor 8 upwards (be aware they may be more expensive the higher you go in a selected few accommodations).

·        I’m not sure if this is still the case however my first-year university accommodation was a few hundred more expensive than my private and when I compared the two it didn’t make much logical sense, less for a bigger room and double bed rather than a single? I knew where I was staying after.

·        You tend to get more sensible people who know how to cook meaning less frequent fire alarms in the middle of the night

·        Better common spaces. Yes the university accommodation provides these areas, But do they have cinema rooms? A bar you can rent out? A free on-site Gym? Study rooms and lounges? Meeting rooms? Full gaming sets and TV’s in your shared kitchen? Maybe not………. I’m sorry Solent but you’ve defiantly lost on that one. Some private accommodations don’t provide a common space but some people never use them so they are unneeded. So have a look or do a virtual tour before you go.

·        Better designed spaces. I defiantly felt there was room for a double bed in my first year in David Moxon if the room had been better thought out but the room was something from the 1970’s and did the job, I wasn’t complaining, I didn’t spend much time in it anyway.

·        Like Solent’s accommodation, should you fall out with someone in your flat it should be easy to swap room or move to a spare one

·        You can choose who you live with!!!! You can request a flat for just you and your mates so is a good idea for second year once you have made those bonds.

·        Your contracts are separate so you are solely responsible for your rent, If they don’t pay its their problem and doesn’t affect you unless you want to kick someone out you’ve fallen out with before you move in, they will fill with a random person or expect you to find a replacement

·        All bills included (Wifi, Heating, water)

Shared houses

IF YOU ARE FIRST YEAR, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO NOT DO THIS ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE ONLY JUST FLEEING THE NEST.

This is the exact same concept as if you are moving out of home without going to university, only difference is you have a student loan most likely and the university to ask for advice from if desperate. I have simply heard so money horror stories all 5 years from people in shared houses, I cannot understand why it’s a popular option but then again that may just be my personal preference. Houses are far more complicated, bills are usually all separate, landlords aren’t always the best to their tenants, if you require proof, I would recommend watching Joe Lycett’s amazing episode fighting against a student housing company scamming students not to give their deposits back. REMEMBER THE LESE IS ON THE LANDLORD. This all seems like allot of cafufal in your first year when you have so many milestones and hurdles to jump rather than add to the pile.

Horror stories (not to put you off but a reality check). They may be your friends now but if they don’t pay their rent and their guarantor doesn’t either, it is hard to force them to pay or find a replacement. so, I will give you 3 guesses who will have to end up paying their share, YES YOU. Or if you move out because you have had a fight with someone and are no longer on speaking terms, you could end up paying two rents as you’ve signed a legal document and are legally obliged to pay. I have also heard arguments between tenants and landlords over issues such as Mold and leeks which is more common in rented housing than student accommodation.

Despite this there are positives! It can be allot cheaper than university owned accommodation and privately owned accommodation. The houses can be really nice and can accommodate for larger groups, have nicer kitchens, include your own garden, ect..

My personal experience in student accommodation

I did have an amazing first year in Solent University owned accommodation, Its defiantly an experience I will never forget. I’m pretty sure that also may be due to rushing home in march as the government declared a global pandemic. I had never been clubbing before and was so happy to have my own space but still missed home. Thankfully staff were lovely especially on move in day, I slowly met my flatmates over the course of a couple of days. I found friends from around the entire building through a building group chat on social media and made many connections lasting the year and into the second year.

I have good memories of connecting my Wii from 2008 into the tv in the common room and inviting random people to come play for several hours. Getting ready to hit the town together along with group trips to grab the grocery shopping

If I was starting university now knowing what I know I would still pick university owned accommodation as I’m not super confident and it was the best way to make friends as well as being nervous.

In all honesty it went so quickly and I would have had more memories if it was not for a global pandemic stopping me from having the rest of my first year.

For my second, third and postgraduate year I have stayed continually with Unite students in private accommodation (I wanted my double bed okay). This year for postgraduate study I paid extra to have slightly bigger room than what they usually offer as I am in a long-term relationship and wanted the extra room.  

A small sneak peek into my world. Please note the white shelf is an extra from Ikea and I have moved my bed to make life easier for me and my partner to get out of bed. As you can tell I have a love for memorabilia and photographs hence why I have two walls plastered with memories (All made within the past year may I add). I have even extra storage here for jewellery and makeup, I did in the smaller room in second and third year as well, was simply a different layout and without the added Ikea shelving.

An added bonus is I have room for extra shelving furniture as well as the ability to move my bed so when I have those spontaneous desires to redesign my room at 1 am I can (Admit it, you have done that to).

I then also have an amazing study space and very large desk. Congratulations you guys have caught me at a relevantly good time when my desk is reasonably tidy. As you can see there is plenty of storage designed with studying in mind. I have just bedazzled and personalised, what better motivation than the photos of my woof woofs I have left behind telling me I have got to be successful to insure I can provide a lifelong supply of cocktail sausages.

My top shelf has my books that I defiantly intend to read 😉 (kidding I have red 20%) and then I’ve made my weird version of my snack and drinks bar on the shelf bellow alongside cook books I liked the look of and have never used. I’ve also got three draws I use to store other things, Top drawer hair and electrical, middle perfume and medical, bottom random stuff I am hording (I am just a girl!). The flower wall is also of my own creation.

There are plenty of plug sockets for your electrical devices along with a radio and TV port if you wish to bring them with you and watch the BBC. I personally use this for charging my devices and powering my printer.

As you can see I have a fan, these rooms do get really hot in the summer, I had the same issue in my Solent accommodation. I would highly recommend a fan, HIGHLY RECOMEND!!!!!

Finally I cannot leave without highlighting the crowning jewel of my flat………….THE KITCHEN, bask in its glory. By glory I mean the views. Again I am sorry to Solent’s accommodation but this nocks spots of my ground floor kitchen of the bike shelter in first year. Sunrises come striate over the Itchen bridge lighting the kitchen up alongside beautiful city lights at night.

The design of the full-length windows just makes the room, Veta student is right next door an is the same hight but has no windows facing towards my kitchen so also has the privacy should u have bed hair and just want a cuppa without being mistaken for bigfoot or a werewolf.

This is just one side of the building Facing north gives you views of Saint Marys stadium and you can even hear the sounds of crowds on game days, I know when saints score that’s for sure. Bellow is also a photo from my flat kitchen in second year different from my current one, but with better views of the sunset and skyline.

I share this flat with three other students, a third year at Solent. A first year from University of Southampton and a third year from university of Southampton. I Have my own bathroom and room but share the kitchen space.