This is not about the University of Reading as a whole, just about the hall of residence that I am currently staying in, which is called Childs Hall.
I honestly can't remember which Halls I selected on the accommodation form, but I said that I wanted catered hall, and would quite like a ... Read review
...not about the University of Reading as a whole, just about the hall of residence that I am currently staying in, which is called Childs Hall.
I honestly can't remember which Halls I selected on the accommodation form, but I said that I wanted catered hall, and would quite like a sink, so this is where I was placed.
The first and most important thing I have to say about Childs is that it is HUGE. Not so much in building ... ...living here, which means it is a very daunting place, especially for a fresher like myself. The dining hall especially is daunting, it is a 400 seater place, so resembles something like an ornate aircraft hanger! Not exactly the cosiest of places..
The sheer volume of people here means that is a very noisy place, so if you come here don't expect to be sleeping easily every night.
It also means that the units, into which the hall is ... more
This is not about the University of Reading as a whole, just about the hall of residence that I am currently staying in, which is called Childs Hall.
I honestly can't remember which Halls I selected on the accommodation form, but I said that I wanted catered hall, and would quite like a sink, so this is where I was placed.
The first and most important thing I have to say about Childs is that it is HUGE. Not so much in building size, but in student numbers. There are around 500 students living here, which means it is a very daunting place, especially for a fresher like myself. The dining hall especially is daunting, it is a 400 seater place, so resembles something like an ornate aircraft hanger! Not exactly the cosiest of places.. The sheer volume of people here means that is a very noisy place, so if you come here don't expect to be sleeping easily every night. It also means that the units, into which the hall is divided, are massive. A unit is a few corridors which only the residents of the rooms in those corridors have the key to, a sealed self contained area, if you will. These are the people that you live with, that you spend most of your time with, that you share the pantry and toilets and bathrooms with. In my unit, 'A' unit, I share with 36 people. This is A LOT of people. You could argue that so many people is a good thing, it gives you variety, allows you to pick who you want to be friends with, and avoid those who you don't get on with. On the other hand, it means that you are not all forced to get on with one another, which I think means that you don't form as close bonds as you would in a much smaller environment. The corridors themselves are long, narrow, carpetless, bare, lit only by artificial light, claustrophobic, often dirty, unfriendly, uninviting. In other words, horrible. They are so narrow one can only walk one abreast at all times. They really, really, don't make you feel at home, there is no personalisation of the corridors allowed, no signs on your door, nothing and so when people's doors are shut, it feels like they're empty.
The rooms are quite nice, they're spacious in my opinion (not huge but definitely big enough) with good wardrobes and drawer space. Some of the rooms, such as mine, don't have double glazing though. This is not a problem at all when it comes to heating, the place is always roasting, but it does mean noise comes in easily. They do provide you with bedding, but I would advise bringing your own as it's not the softest of stuff. The lighting in some of the rooms is much better than others, I haven't been able to work out why this is. My room comes with a sink, which is perfectly adequate.
An annoying thing about our unit, I'm not sure about others, is that the electricity keeps shorting out. This leaves you without the overhead lights, mirror light, or old-style sockets (I've never seen these anywhere else before), leaving you just with the modern-style sockets. This does get resolved immediately if you tell someone, but is very very annoying.
The shower facilities in this place aren't the best.. They're perfectly serviceable but the shower cubicle closest to my room is awful, there is no way of controlling the temperature so it is scalding.
As I said, I am catered. This is done by queueing up with a tray and cutlery, then going past a cafeteria where staff serve your plate. There isn't a vast choice on any given day, and things are repeated often. There is also a 'salad bar' which is mostly horrible I find, but some people enjoy coleslaw.. I'm sure they do the best with the money they have, but some of the things they serve are just awful, inedible. Also, everyone has found that even if you eat as much as you can for a meal, within about an hour you're starving again. I don't know why this is. The thing that I DO like about the dining room is that you don't have to scrape your plate or anything, just put it all on the serving hatch and they do it for you! Very much appreciated, that is.
The maids come into your room every morning at nine to empty your bin. Very nice, but a bit over the top perhaps, who needs theirs emptying every day?? They come in to hoover at infrequent intervals too.
The Hall bar is one of my major drawbacks to this place, I don't like it at all. It is too dark, the music is too loud (bear in mind this is a place which is usually mostly empty, so there is no need for this), there aren't many places to sit, the drinks have little variety, they don't have strongbow, the drinks are really damn expensive compared to other halls and other universities, they dont have happy hour or 'drink the bar dry' night at the end of term. In short, its rubbish. It does have a pool table and a fussball table, but both are absolute rip-offs. The vending machines and lounge area are in the bar area, but it is locked at night which is just antisocial.
Mail is delivered to a locker in the lobby, sorted by surname, so you have the key to your letter locker.
This place does have a computer room, it seems good there, though there are no printers. I don't know if its 24 hour.
It also has a 'library', or room full of random useless books. It is a good place to go and work free of distractions though.
The laundry here is £1.20 for a wash, 20p for 15mins in the drier. The machines are fine, but the laundry itself is a horrible place to go, loud noisy smelly!
There are no sports facilities associated with the hall, and none close, the closest is the sports centre!
There are no clubs or societies associated with the hall, which I think is a real shame. The hall does have it's own sports teams though, for rugby and football.
The price is reasonable, considering everything. £1440 for term 1 £1290 for term 2 £700 for term 3 all 2005/06 prices.
My overall advice is... come here if you are really extroverted and love millions of people around all the time. If you prefer a more cosy and friendly and personal atmosphere, stay the hell away.
...this isn't a review about Reading uni but there isn’t an option for halls of residence so I had to put it here. Besides I feel this is quite important.
The Student village is a hall of residence for
students at Reading university, and I was first
attracted to it after I had been living in a house in
my second year at university, which was a very dire
experience indeed.
After a whole year of having to split phone, gas,
electricity and ... ...that were being built for
reading students and I was quite amazed by what was
being on offer.
All Student village rooms are ensuite and all food is self catered.
facilities. Firstly there was the option of a regular room
for around £1200 which is an average 2x5 metre room
with desk, wardrobe, bed, shelves, drawers and a
shower room as part of its characteristics. Secondly I
got the option of an advanced room which was basically
all of the ...
Romina 20.02.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Reading University
Advantages: Great Library, now i'm at a London Uni i miss it so much, my friend even goes back to it all the time Disadvantages: Remember this is not even a city so city lovers beware
...A huge number of Reading students live in the halls. When u have made up your mind make sure u submit the accomodation form early to secure a good hall. Well i guess i'm writing as someone who enjoys the creature comforts & did not fancy any of the prison cells regardless of how good the social life there was.
The basic criteria is whether u want catered or non-catered & en-suite or shared bathrooms.
Catered food is edible if u're not fussy but ... ...so small most ppl at Reading don't actually know it exists. It along with Sherfield & new Student village are the best accomodation in terms of luxury & self-catering. It's advantages were taht it was off campus - for me doing an arts degree i was rarely on campus so being close to town was more convenient. Half of it is made up of Japanese students who are at the Japanese college next door & they tend to not mix very well. One advantage is that ...
lpu97kh 02.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Reading University
Advantages: A friendly, supportive environment which is good for mature students Disadvantages: none
I started an MA at Reading University when I was 40 and, although I had a lot of life experience I had not done a first degree. My work was assessed and I was admitted straight on to an MA course in Education. I really appreciated being given the chance to study at post-graduate level, and felt that my previous experience was accepted and built on. For mature students who did not go to University in their teens, being given a second chance by the ... ...returning to education to consider Reading University. There is a lot of support for mature students if it is wanted. The facilities are good at both the Whiteknights main campus and the Bulmershe (education) campus. The main library at Whiteknights is excellent and well set out. It is easy to find space to work. The Bulmershe education library is quite extensive and well-stocked. IT support on both campuses is good and accessible and helpful. Local ...
sociolingo 09.04.2001 (23.12.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Reading University
Advantages: all on campus Disadvantages: expensive
i attended Reading for three years and graduated with a 2.1 degree. i found the course ogranisation very good, the lectures are also willing to help you and fix any problems you have. The campus is very rual basically consisting of many big fields, and a beautiful lake which always has baby birds around exam time. Plus a birdy man with whom many a conversation about the health and well being of the lak can be made. The union is ok and recently done ... ...on a wednesday and saturday night a new out side section has been built which has the gas lamps. The town is self is packed with pubs and clubs some of which have live bands every weekend - i advise you try the purple turtle, and the square. The shops are also very good a new oricle has recently been built in the town center. The university also has a sports center and gym. Many of the halls are on campus in sort walking distance from the lecture ...
ann 26.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Reading University
Advantages: Amazing social life, good facilities, good security team Disadvantages: Bit ugly outside, but inside it's nice =D
...reputable so please check it! Reading is awesome for clubs, I dimly remember my first term here being pretty sweet, and your JCR will organise some pretty awesome nights out, I'm sure. Sport at Sibly is currently a bit under represented but we've got a new JCR who have a special Sports rep, who I think is open to suggestions, there's apparently a load of stuff for sport, so if you want it, go ask him! I'm not into sport, so I wouldn't know =P It ... ...to how Halls will be for you at ANY uni, but I can safely say, as long as you have your door propped open, tasty treats and a smile, you'll get on great! I live with 16 of the nicest girls I could hope to meet, and we all were equally nervous when we moved in - but now we're all quite close and it's a bit like living with your best mates! Now; a word of seriousity. My fresher's week was a bit crap and a let down. We had an AWFUL JCR team who weren't ...
BlackOleander19 18.04.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Reading University
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