Hi, I’m Amy, and I’m Laura and today we’re going to talk to you about the experience
of living in self- catered halls.
We both lived in Broadgate Park in our first year. And we’re gonna give you some pros
and cons of living in self- catered halls in your first year of university.
Like many people I chose to be in a self-catered hall because I wanted to pick what I ate,
when I wanted to eat it.
I liked it for the same reason, eating around the societies and
my own schedule is really good coz I get really angry-hungry, 'hangry', and I just couldn’t
eat in a catered hall environment. And also having your own self- catered flat means you
get to have your own kitchen your own space and it’s a really nice communal area to
get to know your new flat mates.
I agree, I loved having my own kitchen space and it’s something you need later on in
life anyway so it's a great time to just sort of buy all your kitchenware and get used to
cooking and feeding yourself. And also your block in self-catered halls and my block turned
into quite a little family of the 30 of us we all knew each other, we all got along really well.
Broadgate Park was a lovely block and the kitchen was really big and there was only
the six of us and we had like a big dining table to eat off, lots of work space and it
was just really good for my independence and I love the cooking and cleaning aspect side of it.
And another massive pro to living in self-catered halls is definitely the fact that you don’t
have to move out at Christmas and Easter. If I had to move out and take down all my
posters and all my pictures like catered halls have to that would just really annoy me so
it’s really nice just leaving all your stuff there.
If you feel like you’re gonna be home sick then self-catered is probably a really good
idea coz you could make your room your own for the entire year.
But of course there are
some cons to living in self- catered halls.
The main one being the fact that you do actually have to go out and do the food shopping. Obviously
that’s a little bit of an added expense, but it’s something you get used to really
quickly. It becomes part of your routine and I know a lot of people actually get their
food delivered to their block which is really easy to do so you can just order the food
if you don't have time to go out and do the food shop.
Another con is that the self-catered halls tend to be a bit further away from campus
than the catered halls which are actually on campus, but this is kind of a pro in itself,
because you have your own little community and it was just like a big family.
Also even if you are in a self-catered hall which is a bit further away it's really easy
to get to campus, there’s the regular buses. There’s a free hopper bus so you don’t
really miss out on anything because you can
really easily get to campus if there’s events going on there.
And the last con for being in a self-catered hall is probably the fact that you have to
do a bit more cleaning than you might in catered and a cleaner does come and clean your flat
every single week, but you need to keep on top of the washing up, wiping down the sides,
emptying the bins, like when you cook for yourself you have to just be aware of food
mess I suppose which you wouldn’t have in catered halls.
So these are the pros and cons counters, but what do you need to know before you move into
your self-catered flat?
The main thing you need to know when you move in
is the fact that it’s a long tiring day and you need to eat so don’t forget about
that. Make sure you bring some basic essentials with you.
Another thing, is that when you move in you don't need every single kitchen appliance
known to man you can even like share a cheese grater. You only need the main things like
plates, pans, and glasses and that's kind of it really.
Anything that you find out you need later on if you want to cook a meal and realise
you don't have it you could just borrow it from someone and then go and buy your own.
And also you have to be considerate of the other flat mates, you need to make sure you
communicate with them and make sure you’ve got the same amount of space so you can fit
everything in and everyone’s got an accessible cupboard for them.
Also, a big thing is some people assume that they don’t need to buy certain kitchen stuff,
coz they think there flat will wanna share. But I think it's best to be prepared and buy
your own basics initially and also just be considerate, don't borrow someone’s, say
without asking them and if you do borrow it wash it up. Just those sort of courtesy things
when you are sharing a kitchen space with someone.
You can even get to know some of your flat mates beforehand on social networking sites,
definitely worth checking out the official Facebook pages for each hall.
Another thing is that you can’t all cook at once if you need the same appliances so
make sure that you talk to your flat mates about when they are going to be in, if they’ve
got to go out at a certain time and just be considerate if any of them need to use the
things before you.
Also be considerate of your other flatmates who might have different dietary needs such
as if they are vegetarian or vegan or have allergies.
And also if you yourself have an allergy, just make sure your flatmates know so you
don't have any problems with it later on, equally if you're a vegetarian and have a
problem with the smell of certain meats cooking just let your flat mates know and they’ll
probably be fine with it. Another thing is that the fire alarm can go
off really easily especially if you are cooking smoky foods so open the windows and try and
make sure that it doesn’t.
You also have the added independence of washing, so make sure you keep some change spare for
the washing machine and the dryers. There will probably be a launderette really close
to you if not a washing machine in your block so make sure when you put your washing in
to put a timer on your phone or something so you don’t forget about it, coz other
people might need the machine.
So those are some of the pros and cons and some of our tips for living in self-catered
halls, we really hope they are helpful.
We hope that you’re really looking forward to moving into your hall whether it’s catered
or self-catered or a house or a flat you’re gonna have such a great time.
So good luck on your first day.
Bye.