1 Accommodation Feedback from Student Ambassadors Our student Ambassadors have provided ...

21 Pages·2012·0.32 MB·English

Accommodation Feedback from Student Ambassadors
Our student Ambassadors have provided some feedback of their accommodation in Manchester
which varies from University managed accommodation, privately run University accommodation and
private rented accommodation outside of the University. Below you can find information from them
on their experience of accommodation in Manchester.

University Managed Accommodation
Opal Gardens
Whitworth Park – City Campus
George Kenyon Hall – City Campus
Opal Hall – City Campus
Weston Hall – City Campus
Grosvenor Place – City Campus

Privately Managed Student Accommodation
Sir Charles Groves
Kincardine Court
Grafton Street
Wilmslow Park
Mill Point
General Comments on Renting Privately

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University Managed Accommodation

Opal Gardens most students come to hangout in the
common room. It is a really good experience
away from home.” Faith Okafor, Nigeria
“It is beautiful and I simply love my room. The
reps are quite helpful and the 24/7 security is
a big advantage. I like it for the fact that it is
quieter than most of the campus residences,

but I do feel that some more social events and
Opal gardens is based in the Victoria Park gatherings could be organized. Other than
Campus. that I cannot think of any disadvantage.”
Pallavi Dharni, India
Prices start from £114 per week
“I decided to go for this option since I was in
Postgraduate accommodation only my country and I followed the procedure in
the university’s website. It is a simple
Self-Catered Accommodation
procedure, however one has to be clear on
Single Occupancy one’s priorities (catered or non-catered for
example) to make a good choice.
Location and Directions
Being in a university accommodation is a
What our Student Ambassadors say:
great opportunity to meet people. There are
many other students in the buildings and
“This was not my initial accommodation; my
many activities are organized - from short
previous accommodation in City Centre was
trips to watching films together - so there
not giving me the school experience I wanted.
really is no time to get bored.
I applied for a change through school
accommodation and I was given a transfer
It is also a good option as we don’t have to
almost immediately 
deal with any administrative task such as
paying for water or power bills as it is the case
I accepted it and it has been really good so far.
for the private accommodations. This time
It is basically a hall for International students
saving is good to focus entirely on our studies.
and you get to meet people from different
countries. The flats are mixed- two males and
However, Opal Gardens is not located in the
two females and they are from different
main road (Oxford) and I don’t find it far at all
countries and we really bond well.
but when one has more than one lecture in a
day then it is not very convenient to go back
It has a residents’ association that organises
home for lunch for example.
parties and trips and also tend to the welfare
of members of the halls. There is a mini library
It is also a quiet residence according to
where you can borrow books, there is a
comments from colleagues who live near the
computer cluster where you can print and
city centre. However, it depends on what you
photocopy, a common room with a big TV (sky
are looking for, this is one of the reasons why I
inclusive), table tennis and ping pong and
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chose and like Opal.” Maria Manuela
Gutierrez Leefmans, Mexico

“I reside in Opal Gardens which is a University

managed accommodation. I can say I have
really enjoyed my stay here and am currently

on the residents association. The place is
secure, neat and provides a relaxing
atmosphere to meet new people and make

friends.

The only drawback would be that the rooms
are not as big as I would have wanted them,

but that is far outweighed by the enormous
benefits to be enjoyed.” Rock Adjei-Baah,
Ghana

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Whitworth Park – City Campus The negative point of the accommodation
would be that it does not have as strict control
over safety issues like the other university
residences have. If someone wants to enter
the area, that person just has to get in with
the help of a fob. There is no other checkpoint
while entering the buildings. Someone can
actually get in the area which some other

residents and get straight into the building
Prices start from £87 per week and reach a flat. According to me, the security
of this residence is a bit weak.” Tasnim Tanim,
UG and PG Accommodation
Bangladesh
Shared Bathroom
“I currently stay in Acomb House (Whitworth
Self – catered Park). It is a University accommodation.
Whitworth Park is a generally small hostel but
Single Occupancy
much cheaper than the others. The rooms are
very small. You also don’t get to see pictures
Location and Directions
of the rooms while applying. For all its
What our Student Ambassadors have to say: negatives, it is in a very good location. Most of
my lecture rooms were a walking distance
“It is special, lovely, peaceful and like a park
from the hall. So I didn’t need to get a bus
with many trees, grass and small animals. It is
pass to go for lectures. It is also surrounded by
serene and quiet enough for study and have a
a lot of places to eat and we have the likes of
good sleep. It is a bit far from city centre, but
Tesco and Sainsbury within walking
from other perspective, it can help to prohibit
distances.” Adebola Adepeju, Nigeria
us from shopping too much and let us focus on
study. Besides, it is very close to all big “The university accommodation surroundings
supermarkets, such as Sainsbury, Morrisons, are clean and well maintained. What I really
Tesco, Lidl, Worldwide and ASDA.” Yu Wen, like the most is that every flat is looked upon
China by their respective flat tutor in case of any
need or queries to be solved. The single room
“I am staying in Whitworth Park Halls of
accommodation is very good as each one gets
Residence which, according to me, is one of
their own privacy. I also like the idea of
the best university student residences. It is
socializing among other flat people with the
situated on the Oxford Road which is close to
help of the pastoral team at the
all the banks, retail shops and food shops. The
accommodation campus, who constantly
close proximity to all these outlets makes it
organizes different outbound trips and
convenient for the residents to get the regular
socializing events all year round. What can be
necessary things in a short period of time. The
improved is the process of dealing with
accommodation has got a huge area with
building maintenance queries as fast as
scenic beauty which gives a very nice feeling.
possible which sometimes do get delayed.”
The accommodation has got a quiet and
Sahu Snigdha, India
peaceful environment.

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George Kenyon Hall – City Campus and other events from time to time. The Hall
tutors are helpful and available for any
emergencies, even at odd hours. It is the most
sought out for accommodation by most post
graduates.” Prachi Khaitan, India

“Choosing an ideal accommodation is a very
difficult step. My friends who were here last
Prices from £118 per week
year, recommended me to go for university
Postgraduate only accommodation accommodation. I trusted them and went for
George Kenyon university hall. It has turned
Ensuite Bathroom out to be an amazing experience. Just like it
says ‘home away from home’. We organize
Self-Catered
different trips, functions, events, sports
Single Occupancy activities and getting to know sessions. All the
activities are designed to bring all the students
Location and Directions
from different backgrounds closer, by
breaking the ice. The staff is very helpful;
What our Student Ambassadors have to say:
tutors are always available to address any sort
“I am currently resident of George Kenyon of queries. It has focused a lot on safety and
Hall. I am really happy with my cleanliness, just the way I like. Overall, it has
accommodation. It is located near the city been a great experience so far and there is still
centre and close to MBS. This has helped me more to come.” Syed Abbas, Pakistan
when it comes to purchase of grocery plus I

don’t have to worry about the bus timings.
Moreover libraries are near the
“I am living in George Kenyon Hall. It is in
accommodation. It helped me while preparing
good location, maybe the nearest to our
for exams. As I did not have to cover long
‘headquarter’—MBS West, just within 5 mins
distances for accessing library. Only one
walk. New and clean, with considerate house-
drawback of this accommodation is, if your
keeping service for kitchen and public areas.
class falls in North campus you have to walk
Nice views in my room and around the
most of the times.” Jawad Arshad, Pakistan
building.

Anything negative? An independent reception
is in urgent need and the price should be a
“It is an extremely convenient location for
little bit lower.” Yanbo Lv, China
students studying at the Manchester Business
School with the main campus just a walk

across the street and the IT cluster next door.
The Hall being a post graduate one is perhaps
not as lively as the ones for the

undergraduates, but has an extremely
responsible and friendly RA team which

organizes short trips, movie nights, dinners
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Opal Hall – City Campus People who like living in the midst of hustle
bustle may find this place very boring.
Overall, I would say that it’s a good place to
live in, however, if I had to do it all over again I
would probably choose to live somewhere
cheaper.” Puneet Dhillon, India

Prices from £115 per week “I stay at a university postgraduate hall (opal
hall); being the fact that it’s a postgraduate
Postgraduate accommodation only
hall, it’s always not noisy most times and most
En-suite Bathroom of us love this fact. For a negative I would say
the lack of a general TV in the flat living room
Self-Catered was a bit displeasing to a few of us at first
because I would say this would have enhanced
Single Occupancy
the mixing of flat mates.”Aderinsola Alex-
Location and Directions Adedipe, Nigeria
What our Student Ambassadors say:
“I opted for Uni accommodation (Opal Hall),
as I did not know any one and generally

wanted to not go through the hassle of finding
a good private accommodation. The

accommodation has the following Pros and
cons according to me-
Pros-
It’s literally 5 minutes walking distance from
MBS and 7 minutes to the university.

It’s also very close to the city Centre.

Good accommodation choice for PG students

as it is very quiet and peaceful.

Has fewer residents, so there is a community
feeling as the Resident’s Association does a lot
of activities for the residents regularly.

Now coming to the cons:

The room size is not up to the standards (as

compared to the cost)

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Weston Hall – City Campus a 21kg piece of luggage. The university is a 10
minute walk from my hall (to the south) and
Arndale is a 15 to 20 minute walk (to the
north). Deansgate Locks, Northern Quarter,
and Salford Quays are all located within a
comfortable distance via walking or the tram.
However, living so close to the city center also
means that it tends to get rowdy late at night

because of the multiple clubs in the area.”
Prices from £115 per week Tabitha Mui, Canada
UG and PG accommodation
En-suite Bathroom “I am currently staying at Weston Hall which
is a UoM accommodation.
Self-Catered
Positives:
Single Occupancy
Good room space, excellent maintenance,
Location and Directions
good response from maintenance staff and
What our Student Ambassadors say: overall staff, good facilities including kitchen,
laundry etc, very good location
“I’m currently residing at Weston Hall where I
have my own washroom facilities in my Negatives:
bedroom. I chose to stay with university
Too many bars in the vicinity” Maria Khan,
accommodation due to the ease of having to
Pakistan
not worry about finding accommodation upon
arrival in Manchester. Also, university

accommodation covers water, electricity, and
internet within the fees which relieves the
hassle of having to deal with multiple billing

payments. If someone is uncomfortable
sharing kitchen facilities with eight people or
laundry machines with the entire hall, then it

can be considered a downside. However, my
roommates are considerate and I haven’t had

any issues with sharing the use of common
areas.
I chose to stay near the city center also
because it would be easy to access the

different public transportation systems and
entertainment options within the city by

walking. Instead of having to take a taxi from
the airport, I could easily take the train to
Manchester Picadilly and walk for three

minutes to get back to my hall while carrying
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Grosvenor Place – City Campus

Prices from £92 per week

UG and PG Accommodation

Shared Bathroom

Self-Catered

Single Occupancy

Location and Directions

What our Student Ambassadors say:

“Before I accepted the offer of MBS, I had
already received much relevant
accommodation information through emails

from university staffs. Considering the safety
and convenience of study, I decided to live in

the university accommodation. The biggest
positive thing of living in the campus, as I
mentioned above, is convenience. It just takes

me only 5 minutes to get to the MBS. The
negative thing is that I do not have many

opportunities to communicate with people
from other countries. Because Grosvenor
Place which I am living now has a high

percentage of Chinese students.” Xuechen Li,
China

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Privately Managed University Accommodation

The University recommends that if you are considering applying for accommodation in the private
sector, you use Manchester Student Homes.

Manchester Student Homes (MSH) is the University’s only official approved housing bureau. Based
in Fallowfield and accessible via their website www.manchesterstudenthomes.com. MSH serves
Manchester’s student community by providing information on good quality, well managed
properties available in the private sector. The MSH Code of Standards is aimed at promoting good
practice and raising the standards of privately rented accommodation. All MSH registered landlords
have been invited to conform to the standard and details of those who have agreed to do so are
listed on the
Website. As well as providing property information, MSH housing advisors offer free general housing
advice, including contract checking and mediation services.

University Leased Housing
On behalf of the University, MSH also operates a leased housing scheme. Under the scheme, the
University leases properties from private sector landlords, which are then sub-let to students,
including those with families. Many students with partners and families find University Leased
Housing a convenient and more appropriate alternative to halls of residence and the scheme has a
number of advantages:-
• It provides good quality, affordable housing
• All properties possess the necessary safety certificates
• There is no agency fee
• There is no retainer fee for summer vacation
• MSH can accept rent payments direct from sponsors
For more information on University Leased Housing and all other MSH services, please follow the
link from the Accommodation Office website or contact them at:

Manchester Student Homes
Unit 1-3
Ladybarn House
Moseley Road
Manchester M14 6ND
tel [phone]
fax [phone]
[email protected]
www.manchesterstudenthomes.com

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Sir Charles Groves Every studio is well furnished with an en-suite
toilet, provided with an extra dining table and
chairs and fully equipped with a hob, fridge
and a microwave for each student’s
convenience. Hence every student can enjoy
his/her privacy.
The entire accommodation is under CCTV
surveillance 24hrs a day and each student is
provided with a separate room key and access
card without which no student can enter the

premises. The common room is an ideal place
Prices from £149 per week
for us residents to interact with our peers.
UG and PG Accommodation
The only thing most students miss is an oven
which makes our choice of food quite limited
En-suite
as we depend on the hob and microwave
Self-Catered alone and our fridges are not big enough to
store much food.
Single Occupancy
Whilst my stay here at Sir Charles Groves Hall
Location and Directions
there have been numerous cases of fires in the
accommodation due to pure negligence on
What our Student Ambassadors Say:
part of the students.
“I chose a studio apartment at Sir Charles
But the accommodation staffs have always
Groves Hall for its proximity to the business
been efficient in issues concerning the safety
school. It is located on 4 Booth Street west and
of its residents.” Varsha Bajaj, India
a five minutes bus ride to the heart of this
exciting city.

For those students who were away from
“I have a studio apartment in Sir Charles
home for the first time, like myself, Sir Charles
Groves Hall. It’s a private accommodation.
Groves Hall it seemed like a better option for
While short listing my accommodation, short
its numerous advantages. Many students have
distance from university was one big priority
raved and posted positive comments about
for me. Therefore one of my friends’s told me
this accommodation on a social networking
about this one. It is right opposite MBS and is
site.
very well built. It’s comfortable and gives you
the opportunity to have your own privacy- no
Not only does it accommodate Manchester
kitchen or bathroom sharing. But at the same
business school students. It also
time, having no flat mates can make it dull
accommodates students from the Royal
and boring. But overall it’s quite nice.” Ishita
Northern College of Music and Manchester
Agarwal, India
Metropolitan University. Hence we get a great
opportunity to meet different people and
“I stay at Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence
make friends from different schools as well.
at Booth Street West which is opposite to the
Business School. I happened to know about
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