By Patricia Obawole
1st year BU Student, LLB (Hons) Law
“Accommodation doesn’t really matter!” said no one ever. Like most first year university students, you are about to embark on a journey that will mark the start of the career. The first baby step is moving away from the nest you call home and settling amongst others in what will most likely be a comfortable, good quality University hall of residence. Right now you are probably excited beyond belief at the concept of being free, meeting new people and (for some) having no rules! Allow me to offer you some practical advice on how you should go about this decision and what to expect of it.
First, Bournemouth University guarantees that they will provide accommodation for all first years, what they cannot guarantee is that it will be your first choice or halls. Allow me to share with you a segment of my decision making process: The application form was easy enough, list the accommodation you would like in order of preference, PURBECK, that was where I wanted to spend my first year away. An en-suite room and kitchen that I would share with 4 to 6 people (the kitchen not the en-suite). I was so happy when I sent of the form I could have moved in on the same day if they would let me.
The waiting was the anxious bit, I had imagined the accommodation office would be busy at this time as it is only after you receive your grades and fulfil the entry requirements that you are able to apply for accommodation, I applied the day after. When I received the email back from the university allocating me in a Unilet (a university managed house) I will not lie, my happiness of leaving for university was tinged by the fact that I was not to live in halls and will not have the oh-so-wanted Halls Experience. However, after living in the Unilet for 7 months I have come to love it.
My crucial advice to you is that there are pros and cons to every type of accommodation the university have to offer, what may suit someone, may not suit you. For instance, if you are a sport fanatic, the Student Village may be your choice. Situated on-campus you will have the SportBU facilities and gym at your fingertips, not to mention the fact that you can simply roll out of bed and you’ll be in uni. However, this is a distance from town which many may not like. Likewise, if you live in Corfe house in Poole, you will have a view overlooking the stunning Poole Harbour, however, this is even further away from Bournemouth town. The accommodation in town is excellent, nevertheless you will have to make to the journey to and from uni which is again another 30 mintue walk. And lastly a Unilet, this being one of the cheapest as you are provided with a washing machine so you wouldn’t need to worry about additional costs, however, as I am sure everyone has realised, this is not halls and so you’ll be living with less people, which may suit some and not others.
Make sure you realise what campus you’ll be studying at if you’re at Lansdowne, than the town located halls would be better and if you are at Talbot, than Student Village may suit you better. My last bit of advice is to simply look carefully into each accommodation and find out which one is best suited for you. Oh and apply for the accommodation as soon as you get your results, at least then you’ll have a larger chance of getting into your first choice accommodation. Good luck!
