I’m Lara Barusso from Italy, currently studying Computer Animation Art and design, and i would like to tell you a bit more about my accommodation.

The Student Village is a great place to stay for your first year!. My first impression was that it was like being in a movie, when I first arrived I saw all these students with their parents moving boxes around and exploring their surroundings and decorating their rooms. I thought it felt cozy with it’s little red brick houses and there is lots of green space and trees surrounding it.

I highly recommend the Student Village and here I will tell you why with my pros and cons list.

Pros

It is right on the university campus and depending on how fast you are you can wake up 10 minutes before lecture without being late. It works really well when you are a crazy student that likes to work all night, as it means you will not have any problems trying to get back home.

It is just a 20-minute walk from Winton(10 by bus with bus stops everywhere).  Winton has lost of charity shops, bargain grocery shops like a Lidel, Poundland, Iceland, Wilko and many other shops. Together with some nice cozy pubs and cafes as well as cheap fast food places and lovely inexpensive restaurants, all in one street. It’s a great area to do shopping on a budget without having to catch a bus.

It is the cheapest of the university accommodation and it offers a variety of houses from 3 to 7 bedrooms (which means 6 new friends) or a studio flat. The houses have all got a lounge which is fairly spacious.

The Student Village team are also friendly and always there to help (during exam season there is free fresh fruit for every one).  In the middle of the Student Village there is also a common room where we have a bookshelf, ping-pong tables and where ResLife run events so you have a chance to meet your neighbours and have some fun.

You can travel anywhere you want without any problems as the university has a new bus station.  You can also go to Dylan’s the university pub in a minute and get food or drink with your mates or go for the quiz night.

Cons

Student Village is about an hours walk or 25 mins by bus from town centre, during the day is not a problem at all, but if you like partying and clubbing it may get a bit difficult as there are not many buses running after midnight, you can of course share an uber or a student discounted taxi and get back for about £6 to £8.

The only other thing is that the laundry room is quite expensive, but luckily the machines are big so you can save money by doing one big wash.

I don’t think there are any other cons to this place, I have really enjoyed my stay here. I’m not regretting my choice, I’m actually sad this is not an option for second-year students.