KIASU GUIDE 2021 ACCOMMODATION - UCLSS
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
KIASU GUIDE 2021
PART 1
ACCOMMODATION
1
Contents
1 Foreword .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
2 Types of UCL Student Accommodation ............................................................................................................................... 5
3 UCL Halls of Residence ........................................................................................................................................................ 6
3.1 Ifor Evans Hall............................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
3.2 Ramsay Hall ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
4 UCL Student Houses............................................................................................................................................................16
4.1 Arthur Tattersall House and John Tovell House ................................................................................................................................. 17
4.2 Campbell House (East and West) ......................................................................................................................................................... 23
4.3 Frances Gardner House ......................................................................................................................................................................... 28
4.4 John Dodgson House ............................................................................................................................................................................ 32
4.5 Langton Close ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
4.6 Max Rayne House ................................................................................................................................................................................... 43
4.7 Schafer House ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 50
4.8 Goldsmid House ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 55
4.9 Astor College .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 58
5 Intercollegiate Halls ...........................................................................................................................................................65
2
5.1 College Hall ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 66
5.2 Connaught Hall ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 70
5.3 International Hall .................................................................................................................................................................................... 76
5.4 Nutford House ...................................................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.5 The Garden Halls .................................................................................................................................................................................... 80
6 Application Process............................................................................................................................................................90
3
1 Foreword Dear Freshers, On behalf of UCL Singapore Society, welcome to UCL! With the ongoing pandemic and shifting regulations, this must be a difficult and uncertain time for many of you. Fret not, you’re not alone as UCLSS is here to support your transition into UCL. The committee will hard at work this year to help prepare our Freshers for their first year. The Kiasu Guide is of the longstanding traditions of UCLSS Committees to provide freshers with insight into what to expect when you arrive at UCL – a world-class university right in the heart of London. The Kiasu Guide aims to provide Freshers with insight into the life of a student at UCL through the lens of our students from previous years. Part 1 will provide useful information on accommodations. I would like to credit the previous committee their hard work on Part 1 while we made minor changes where applicable. As quite a number of the current first-years engaged in virtual learning and have not been to London, we have passed down information regarding accommodations from the previous batch. Other than releasing the Kiasu Guide, here are some other ways Freshers will be supported throughout the year. We’ll be organising a Pre-Departure Talk to brief you on what you should prepare before flying off to London. Following, we’ll be having our annual Orientation which will help you make new friends and get to know some of your seniors! Once you’ve started your academic year proper, we’ll be introducing Mentorship Programmes to continue our support for Freshers. In light of COVID-19, the committee has taken extra precaution to adhere to restrictions and relay relevant information to our members. For more updates regarding our subsequent events, do follow us on Instagram @UCLSingSoc and join us on our Facebook Group! If you have any further questions, feel free to send us a message there as well and we’d be happy to answer! Keep safe and I look forward to meeting all of you soon J Zhang Yu Fu President 4 UCL Singapore Society
2 Types of UCL Student Accommodation
There are 4 types of student accommodations. They are:
1. UCL Halls of Residence
2. UCL Student Houses
3. Intercollegiate Halls (by UOL)
4. Alternative accommodations by other providers (private partner accommodations)
This guide will largely only provide information for the first 3 types of accommodations as most freshers choose to stay in these
residences. If you prefer not to live in any of the 3 types of student accommodations provided by the college, you can always opt
to stay in a private lodgings or accommodation provided by other student hall providers. UCL Student Accommodation will
however be able to only offer you limited assistance, like discounted prices for private accommodations.
For more information, visit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/accommodation/ucl-halls/private-partner-providers
Please take note that the information is accurate for the academic year 2021/2022, unless specified otherwise. While we also
provide the information for which UCL faculties each hall is close to, it does not really matter as you are likely to have lessons all
over campus. Living near your faculty is useful for submitting your tutorials though, in which you most likely have to leave in the
pigeonholes of your course tutors. For any additional queries not answered by the testimonials, please feel free to ask for more
information by sending us an email or message us through our Instagram.
5
More information can be found on the official UCL website at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/accommodation/ . UCL has also put together
a brief guide on the hall application process here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/accommodation/prospective-students/undergraduates
3 UCL Halls of Residence
UCL Halls of Residence have catered and non-catered halls that provide accommodation exclusively to UCL students
(as compared to Intercollegiate Halls which are catered halls that provide accommodation to all University of London
students). However, UCL Halls of Residence do not provide any meals during the weekends. Students can choose to
eat out or cook in the hall pantries.
A bedding pack is not provided upon arrival and you can choose to purchase one set for £50, which is ridiculously
overpriced for its quality.
For more information, visit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/accommodation/ucl-halls/undergraduate-accommodation
For more information on fees for 2021/2022, visit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/accommodation/fees-payment/ucl-
accommodation-fees-20212022
For some halls, per week fees are given as a range to indicate that there are different sized rooms available.
6
3.1 Ifor Evans Hall
2021/2022 Hall Fees (per week): Single, non-ensuite (£193.06); Large Single, non-ensuite (£214.06)
General Information: Places are offered for 39 weeks, except for 100 single rooms, which, for graduates only, will be available for
50 weeks. You can apply to arrive and/or leave earlier through the UCL Accommodation portal.
Catering Options: Breakfast and dinner are provided for every weekday. Brunch is provided on weekends and no catering services
during term breaks. There are no catering services during term breaks and bank holidays (you will be notified by the kitchen staff
when to expect the dining hall to be reopened).
Cleaning Services: Corridors and toilets are cleaned every weekday. Vacuum cleaners are available for borrowing at reception for
cleaning of room.
Hall Size: Ifor Evans blocks A-F has 5 to 14 bedrooms per corridor (spread over 6 floors) while Denys Holland Lodge (separate
block) has 12 to 22 bedrooms per corridor (spread over 5 floors), adding up to a total of 342 rooms.
Hall Security: The entrance to the main compound requires a key fob, while access to the residence blocks requires a master key,
issued only to residents. (Note that your room key is separate from the master key) A security guard is on shift from 6pm-8am on
weekdays and on full day duty on weekends. Ifor Evans has no restrictions on guests staying less than 3 days. Generally, nobody
enters your room when you are not in, not even the cleaners. If maintenance works are to be done, an email would first be sent to
inform you of such works. However, the bike of a UCLSS member got stolen even when he parked it in the hall compound.
Hall Facilities: There is lift access to all floors in Ifor Evans blocks A-F only. Ifor Evans has 2 bike sheds where bicycles can be
locked inside. Keys may be requested from reception. The computer cluster room has 12 computers connected to the UCL student
domain with a printer using the UCL printing domain. The TV room has decent flat screen TV, several couches and a small library (2
shelves) of books of various genres. The music room is a rather spacious room equipped with a piano. The laundry room has 5 coin-
operated washing machines (£2.50 per wash, various settings and temperatures) and 6 dryers (£1.50 for a 60 min cycle). In order to
operate the washing machines/dryers, you will need either (i) a Circuit laundry card that can be requested from reception or (ii) the
7
Circuit app downloaded on your smartphone. There is also a multi-purpose room that has a table-tennis table and a tennis court that
comes with the tennis net. The courtyard is an open space with tables and benches. Both places have a conducive environment for
de-stressing purposes.
Pantry/Kitchen: There is 1 kitchen per corridor per floor for both Ifor Evans blocks and Denys Holland Lodge. Each kitchen has 1
fridge (with freezing capability, or the kitchen may have a separate freezer), hot plate stoves with oven and grill, microwave oven,
toaster, washing sink with potable water and plenty of cupboards. Kitchens in the Denys Holland Lodge are much bigger than those
in the Ifor Evans building and have tables and chairs for dining.
Restrooms: Ifor Evans blocks have 1 shower per 6 to 9 people while the Denys Holland Lodge has 1 shower per 5 to 7 people. The
toilets are all unisex.
Room Facilities: Each room is fitted with a bed, wardrobe, study table, a few shelves and cupboards (2 for most Ifor Evans blocks, 3
for Denys Holland Lodge), chair, couch, heater with adjustable temperature (not all rooms have this facility), bedside light, large cork
wall, curtains and sink. Doors are fitted with a door closer that closes the door automatically after it is opened and are locked from the
inside with a knob. There are two windows in each room, one smaller window on the top and a bigger one below. Windows do not
open fully to prevent intrusion. Linen set (pillow, pillow case, bed sheet, duvet and duvet spread) may be purchased at £50 (indicate
this during your online residence induction but it is not worth it so get your own). Rooms in the Denys Holland Lodge are generally
bigger and newer than those in Ifor Evans blocks A-F.
Distance from UCL Main Campus: Ifor Evans is one of the further halls away from the UCL main campus. It is a 40 min stroll south
to the UCL main quad (about 2.4km). The main route to UCL passes through Camden High Street, a rather busy street with many
shops along the way. It is generally safe to walk along this route even when it's late (9-10pm+) as there are many people on the
street. If walking is not your thing and you want to be fresh, you may walk to the bus stop right outside Ifor Evans Hall after your bowl
of cereal to catch a bus. Everybody will be rushing to the bus stop to catch the bus, so you'll see your friends. Don't bother with which
seat to take as the bus stop is usually crowded in the morning when most people are rushing for 9am lectures. Bus 29 to Trafalgar
Square (and N29 at night) takes you directly to the bus stop right outside UCL main quad in 15-20 min. Bus 253 to Euston takes you
to Euston station, which is a short 5 min walk from UCL main quad (takes 10-15 min, this may be a better option for students with
8
classes at buildings closer to Euston). Camden Town underground station is a 10 min walk south-west of Ifor Evans Hall. Camden
Town is on the Northern Line and trains from here go to Euston station (5-10 min) and Russell Square Station (10 min), both stations
are close to certain UCL department buildings.
Closest UCL Faculties: All UCL facilities around the campus are equally near (or far....) to Ifor Evans Hall.
Transport Network: Camden Road over ground station is a 5min walk southwest of Ifor Evans Hall. Camden Town underground
tube station is a 10min walk south-west of Ifor Evans Hall. The bus services that lead to UCL include 29, N29, 253. More buses that
lead to other destinations are available at bus stop closer to the Camden Town tube station.
Other information: Grocery shopping can be done at Tesco express, which is located in a gas station that is a 2 min walk away
from Ifor Evans Hall. If not, a bigger Sainbury's supermarket is a mere 7 min walk south-west. Camden High Street itself also
contains various Asian supermarkets of varying sizes for those searching for cooking ingredients or snacks from home (Longdan is
by far the largest, although there is also an Oseyo nearby). The world-famous Camden Market is a short 10 min walk away (beside
Camden Town underground tube station), and walking another 10 minutes south-west will take you to Regent’s Park, a popular
venue for picnics and sporting activities. Foodies will find their cravings easily satisfied (Camden is host to a wide variety of virtually
any food - keep an eye out for the new Five Guys restaurant!). For those seeking to unwind on the weekends (or in the evenings),
Camden is home to a bustling nightlife scene, with various popular clubs and bars situated along Camden High Street. Alternatively,
if you are one who prefers peace and quiet, Ifor Evans Hall is a good option. Situated away from busy buildings and main roads,
residents at Ifor Evans Hall are hardly disturbed by the sirens of police vehicles or ambulances that are commonplace around UCL.
Also, as a greater share of residents are master’s students (and presumably less inclined to party), Ifor Evans Hall is generally
quieter than other halls, though partying still happens along corridors occasionally. The sound isolation between rooms is decent -
normal conversations at speech volume cannot be heard between walls or along corridors (unless you make loud noises or people
press their ears against your door). Mail is kept in pigeon holes and registered packages are kept at the reception and are arranged
according to last name of recipient.
A point to note is that Ifor Evans, Ann Stephenson, and Max Rayne Halls/Houses share the same ground in Camden Town. Hence,
parts of their facilities are shared amongst one another.
9
Photos
1011
3.2 Ramsay Hall
2021/2022 Hall Fees (per week): Single, non-ensuite (£231.21); Large single, non-ensuite (£252.84); Studio, ensuite (£284.20);
General Information: Places are offered for 39 weeks and only for undergraduates.
Catering Options: Breakfast and dinner are provided for every weekday. Lunch is provided on weekends. There are no catering
services during bank holidays, college closure days, the Christmas vacation (3 weeks) and one week during the Easter vacation.
Cleaning Services: There are no cleaning services for individual rooms, but the vaccum is free of charge and shared on each floor.
Gets dirty quickly and no one wants to clean it so you're better off getting a handheld vacuum from argos. Common areas are
cleaned everyday by the cleaners from the hall. Common room tends to get messy at night. A vacuum cleaner is provided in each
shared kitchen. For those staying in studios, vacuum cleaners are available for borrowing at reception.
Hall Size: Ramsay Hall has space for 508 guests. Some facilities do tend to be crowded, but the music room is well equipped and
underused. Ramsay Hall is a pretty social hall, we get quite a few exchange students and foundational year students because it is
one of the few halls for under 17s.
Hall Security: There is CCTV surveillance, 24/7 support from student resident advisors and a night porter. Visits from guests are
limited to three nights per month and guests must be signed in and out. Residents have to tap in with their key, but residents can let
multiple visitors in and out easily as there is no restrictions on how many times you tap in or out your key, so it is not the safest within
the building when considering ease of entry by visitors.
Hall Facilities: There were foosball tables at the start of the year but they are gone now cause all the drunk jerks broke all of them.
Vending machines sell snacks and drinks. Sometimes you may have to fight with other people for dryers, but we're cheaper than
other halls and it's easy to make friends and eat together so that's nice. Ramsay Hall has a study room with computers on the ground
floor, near the reception. It also has printing, scanning and copying facilities, which have to be paid for with your UCL ID card. There
is also a common room, music room, study areas, lifts, bike storage, vending machines, a laundry room with washers and dryers,
games tables and an outside courtyard with tables.
12Pantry/Kitchen: There is 1 kitchen per corridor per floor. Each kitchen has 1 fridge, oven, hob, microwave, kettle, toaster, sink with
drinkable water, food preparation areas and storage space. All in all it is a small kitchen to share among a lot of people. There are no
rice cookers, so buy your own. Buy your own water filter as well.
Restrooms: There are shared bathrooms and showers for every corridor that are cleaned by cleaners every weekday. Some toilets
are shared between genders and some are single gender.
Room Facilities: The large rooms are pretty large, enough to hold (read squeeze) up to ten for a late night heart to heart talk. The
small rooms, on the other hand, are darn small. Each room is fitted with a bed, a desk, desk chair, additional chair, bin, wardrobe,
bedside table, mirror, blinds, pin board, shelves and a sink basin. The windows are fitted with restrictors that are not to be tampered
with. A bedding pack can be purchased from UniKitOut, with prices starting from £24. It includes a duvet, pillow, duvet cover,
pillowcase and sheet.
Distance from UCL Main Campus: Ramsay Hall is one of the nearest halls to the UCL main campus. It is about 0.2 miles away
from the main campus, so it takes only 5 minutes to walk there.
Closest UCL Faculties: Given its proximity to the main campus, all UCL facilities are very near to Ramsay Hall.
Transport Network: Ramsay is located very close to multiple underground stations. It is a 4 minute walk from the Warren Street
station, a 6 minute walk from the Goodge Street station, a 7 minute walk from the Great Portland Street station and a 6 minute walk
from the Euston Square station.
Other information: Grocery shopping can be done at Tesco express or Sainsbury’s, both of which are just a 3 minute walk away
from Ramsay Hall. Alternatively, Marks and Spencer’s is just a 7 minute walk away. There is also an Oseyo nearby for those who
would prefer going to an Asian supermarket. Given its great location, various shops and facilities are less than a 10 minute walk
away. For instance, Argos for furniture and home products, Boots for health and beauty products, Primark for extremely affordable
shopping. There are also banks such as HSBC and Barclays, student bars like Phineas and Mully’s, many gyms and the University
College Hospital close by.
13Photos
1415
4 UCL Student Houses
If you wish to have the flexibility of cooking your own meals and do not like catered food for your meals, then the UCL Student
Houses would be your preferred choice out of the various accommodations offered. They refer to exclusively non-catered halls
that provide accommodation only to UCL students.
There are many UCL Student Houses scattered across Central London so you won't really know which one you will end up in.
However, most of the halls are not more than half an hour's walk away from the main campus. Freshers were not allowed to give
their preferred choices during application if they selected this type of accommodation last year but things may have changed this
year with the new online application system. Like the Hall of Residences, a bedding pack is not provided upon arrival and you can
choose to purchase one set for £50 which is ridiculously overpriced for its quality.
For more information, visit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/accommodation/ucl-halls/undergraduate-accommodation Some UCL Student
Houses like Endsleigh Gardens and Bernard Johnson House have not been included due to a lack of testimonials.
For more information on fees for 2021/2022, visit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/accommodation/fees-payment/ucl-accommodation-
fees-20212022
For some Houses, per week fees are given as a range to indicate that there are different sized rooms available.
164.1 Arthur Tattersall House and John Tovell House
2021/2022 John Tovell Fees (per week): Single, non-ensuite (£200.69); Large Single, non-ensuite (£224.42)
2021/2022 Arthur Tattersall Fees (per week): Small Single, non-ensuite (£177.03); Single, non-ensuite (£200.69); Large Single,
non-ensuite (£224.42)
Hall Catering Options: Self-catered.
Hall Size: Arthur Tattersall (AT) and John Tovell (JT) are made up of individual Victorian-styled houses along Gower St with 4-5
floors each (Including basement and ground floor). Your room is literally a room in a big house. Housing is for both sexes and the
total size is about 190 residents. As a result of being individual houses you will not meet half as many people as the bigger halls
because you essentially only have 7-20 housemates. Another result is you have some really tiny half-roof rooms that slope
downwards, and some really dark basement rooms that never see the light of day, but you might get a massive once-a-living-room
room with plenty of sunlight in summer. In JT there are more double rooms than single rooms, so if you wanted to live there, you
might do better to opt for a double room. But ATH is mostly newly renovated and it looks a whole lot better than JT.
Cleaning Services: The corridors, kitchens and restrooms are cleaned on every other weekday, but not on Saturday and Sundays.
The cleaners do not enter your room to clean but heavy-duty vacuum cleaners are available on every floor, sometimes people are
selfish but you could borrow from other floors.
Hall Security: Everyone would be given one key that conveniently unlocks both the front door and their individual rooms. But they
cannot try to open each other's doors because the key does not work. Mind blown. Security wise, there is a surveillance camera at
the front door. Other than that, there's nothing between you and a thug except 3 locked doors. But rest assured, physically breaking
through one door would have made enough sound to wake everyone up because, thin walls. By the third door, the police should
have arrived. If not, the resident warden would be beating up the intruder with her Teflon™ pan (or her hunky boyfriend would be).
You are safe. Vice-wardens rotate being on duty. Some units have "auto-lock" doors like a hotel room as opposed to the traditional
key. Please opt for the traditional key if you think you'll be locked out frequently. The management is open to such requests if you
17send them an email right after you've been allocated. AT is marginally more secure than JT because they have a flat door in addition
to the main door & room door.
Hall Facilities: In AT some houses have common rooms (but they’re increasingly being converted to massive bedrooms) and all 4
AT houses share a laundry room in the basement. No matter which flat you live in, including 119, you still have to haul your laundry
basket out the front door onto the streets and risk making eye contact with random people to reach the laundry room. There are 3
washing machines and 2 dryers. Machines uses a system from circuit laundry and cost 2.50 for a wash and 1.50 for drying. To be
honest, I have found the washing and drying quality to be pretty good, if only they didn’t break down that often. I do recommend
settling laundry early in the mornings or especially on days where most people have lessons and you hopefully not.
Pantry/Kitchen: Large kitchens with a grill oven, oven, microwave, electric stove, a freezer, two fridges and large cupboard space or
all. Each kitchen has about 8-10 occupants. Everyone cooks, so it can get crowded at times. Adequate spaces in the fridges to stock
1 weeks’ worth of microwaveable meals at least. The kitchen is the only common space. You either get networking in the first few
weeks of school and make some friends or hang out with your orientation group from Singapore for weeks on end and suffer through
awkwardness during meal times when you finally make an appearance. Also, you may have heard rumours about Arthur Tattersall
house being haunted. That is not true. What is true is that there are rats. This also occurs for places which are newly renovated.
Honestly, this has a lot to do with your housemates and your cleanliness. You will come to realise that most people are irresponsible
and disgusting and leave everything unwashed and open. So be prepared for lousy kitchen habits.
Restrooms: JT has a unisex restroom/shower on every half a floor serving about 6 people each. You're free to use the facilities on
other floors/flats. In AT the restrooms are within each flat and serve between 4-10 people. Showers are also in abundance (6
showers for 20 occupants in Unit 115) and you’ll never queue for anything. Because of the thin walls in traditional British housing,
you can hear everyone who stomps their way to the toilet.
Room Facilities: Room sizes can range from palace to squatter. It depends on luck (and furniture arrangement). Each person gets a
bed, a wardrobe, (shared) sink (ATH provides drinking water but I still recommend a water filter jug), study desk, chair and book
shelves, bedside table. There is also a chair, LAN cable, fire place and a large notice board. AT uses central heating which is
warmer. For JT, you can choose between central heating and individually controlled heat radiators (not advisable). It is advisable to
18purchase duvet and bedding sets on your own. The only mysterious thing is the carpet, no one knows how long it has been there. In
JT, it sometimes emits a strange, mouldy smell but you quickly get used to it. You don't know what the carpet has been through, and
no matter how many times you run Henry the Vacuum Cleaner over it, you cannot shake off the feeling that something horrible had
happened at every spot. Of course, that’s just exaggeration. It's not that bad. But the 3 second rule for food should still be banned for
the sake of your health. A roommate of a UCLSS member once vomited on the carpet, but 3 months later he/she could hardly tell.
Nevertheless, one learns to adapt to circumstances, however unfortunate.
Distance from UCL Main Campus: AT and JT are on Gower St. If you're a skilled jay-walker, it takes 10 seconds to cross the 3-
lane road to the main campus.
Closest UCL Faculties: The closest faculties are the Departments of Engineering, Biological Sciences, and Statistics. Cruciform hub
is also a minute walk away and so really good if you need to get some last-minute printing done as it is open 24 hours.
Transport Network: The hall is a 3 min walk away from Goodge St. tube station. Within a 10 min walk there are Warren St, Russell
Sq, Euston Sq, and Tottenham Court Road tube stations too. There are several buses right in front of AT and JT. (Due to ongoing
regeneration works (West End Project), it is unsure how this will change, but I mean, the tube stations can’t run away!)
Other Information: JT is generally quieter than AT with mostly post-graduate students who keep to themselves, but then again this
is subjected to who lives there next year. AT and JT function as one hall - there are occasional hall parties in the AT common room.
All mail is consolidated at the ATJT residences office that is located just beside AT and a 2 min walk from JT. The office is open only
in the day on weekdays until about 5pm so you can't collect your mail after that or on weekends. Note that AT and JT are on Gower
Street, which is a main road, so there'll be lots of vehicle noise, including ambulances/police/fire engine sirens which can be quite
disturbing at first, but you should get used to it after a while. It is also quite dusty, so do bring along cleaning material when moving
in, and consider an air purifier if you're no good with dust. Alternatively, request for a room that is not facing the main road or the
basement room. There are supermarkets nearby (Sainsbury's and Tesco are 5 min away), in case you're worried about having to
carry your groceries and walking all the way home. Generally, AT and JT are both pleasant places to live. If you would like to
experience authentic British university accommodation life, this is the place for you. Not Garden Halls
19Photos
2021
22
4.2 Campbell House (East and West)
2021/2022 Fees (per week): Small Single, non-ensuite (£177.03); Single, non-ensuite (£200.69); Large Single, non-ensuite
(£224.42)
Catering Options: Self-catered.
Cleaning Services: The residents clean their rooms on their own while the kitchens and toilets are cleaned 3 times a week. Vacuum
cleaner is available for borrowing.
Hall Size: There are 6 floors in total, including the basement, making a total of roughly 100 single rooms and 50 twin rooms. The
rooms are of varying sizes so it really depends on your luck!
Hall Security: Campbell House is probably one of the halls with the least security. There are no restrictions on the number of guests
and how long they can stay. Basically, there is no receptionist, you can get 100 people to party in your big kitchens and even host
poker tournaments!
You will be issued one key fob that unlocks the main door to enter the building. Quiet hours are from 2300-0700 and should any
resident raise a complaint, the Resident on duty will be activated to attend to the commotion. The Residents are senior students, very
friendly and will be more than willing to help you adjust into Campbell House.
Hall Facilities: There is 1 common room with sofas and a TV. There are also small backyards with benches. The laundry room is
only located at Campbell East. Washing machines and dryers cost £3.5 and £1.5 per wash and cycle respectively. An iron is also
available in the laundry room, but advisable to buy your own iron. There is also no lift but stairs are great for your daily legs workout!
The Hall recently partnered with Circuit Laundry which has an mobile app that allows you to top up and spend credit on the
machines. Detergent is self-supplied.
Pantry/Kitchen: Roughly 10 residents share 1 kitchen, which is generally well equipped and spacious. Each kitchen has 2 sinks, 8
stoves, 2 refrigerators, 1 freezer, a microwave, 2 ovens and 2 toasters. Each resident is also assigned a storage cupboard. The
kitchen is accessible with the same key that you use to enter the room.
23Restrooms: On average there are 2 showers and 2 toilets for every 5 residents. Toilets tend to be dirty after a heavy party session
(as with all halls). Nevertheless, cleaners ensure that the toilets are serviceable during the weekdays.
Over the longer Winter and Easter breaks, cleaners may not be on shift.
Room Facilities: Bedding is not provided and you will have to get your own. They offer a bedding set for £50 but it is definitely not
worth your money, purchase your own instead. Rooms are all non en-suite. Wi-Fi is available in all rooms. Room sizes vary
regardless of it being a twin room or single. But rooms in Campbell House West basement and 1st floor are big in size with a balcony
to use as fridge.
Distance from UCL Main Campus: This is one of the halls where you can wake up 10 min before a lecture and still reach in time. It
takes less than 5 min to get to the main quad. For economics/science students, your lecture theatre is just 30 seconds sprint away.
For the Law students, you can reach your tutorials in under 5 minutes. One of the halls that allow you to go back to take your notes
during break and get back early!
Closest UCL Faculties: Campbell is close to the Department of Chemistry, Department of Economics and Faculty of Law. It is close
to The Student Centre, Libraries, UCLU Bloomsbury Fitness, UCLU Bloomsbury theatre and other UCLU bars.
Transport Network: A 3 min walk will get you to Euston Square and Euston tube stations while it takes 10 min to get to Russell
Square tube station and it is not very far actually.
Other information: The main positive aspect of Campbell House is that its location is extremely close to school. A 3 min walk also
gets you to Euston Station Plaza where there’s a small Sainsburys, M&S and a number of cafes and restaurants (like Nandos).
However, it takes almost 10 min to get to the closest large supermarket – Sainsburys at Warren Street. In terms of bringing in guests,
there is a lot of freedom so you can make use of the large kitchen spaces. However, the reception is only open on working days and
hours, thus some services such as collecting parcels can be quite troublesome especially during school holidays. The laundry room
is only located in Campbell East, so if you get assigned to Campbell West, it can be a little troublesome to cross the road to do your
laundry, especially during winter. Being a self-catered hall, it may be hard to make many friends in hall since meal times are different
and hall activities are mostly during the first few weeks. There will usually be a Facebook Chat set up, and you can take the initiative
to create one for your kitchen. Cooking and eating with hall mates are great ways of getting to know people.
24Photos
2526
27
4.3 Frances Gardner House
2021/2022 Hall Fees (per week): Single en-suite (£230.58); Double en-suite (£293.30)
Catering Options: Self-catered.
Cleaning Services: The corridors and kitchen are cleaned once every morning (around 10am) during the weekdays. Rooms are not
cleaned. Vacuum cleaners are available at the reception of Langton Close.
Hall Size: A building typically has 5-7 floors and they are all mixed floors. There are approximately 6-8 rooms in a flat with one
kitchen. Total of 217 single en-suite rooms and 1 double en-suite room available.
Hall Security: CCTV cameras are in operation in most of the common areas and electronic keys are needed to enter Frances
Gardner House (FG). The electronic key is also needed to enter the respective block and a key is needed to enter your flat. That is
about four levels of security before you can get to your room. As there is no reception to FG, there is no limit to the number of guests
you want to bring over at any time or how long they can stay.
Hall Facilities: FG shares its facilities with Langton Close (which is right next door). There are 3 common rooms, including one
computer room with printing facilities and one study room. The common rooms have a TV, pool table, sofas and tables. The study
room has tables and chairs. There is a laundry room with both washing machines (GBP 2 per wash) and dryers (GBP 1 per cycle).
The computer room has 10-15 desktops and a printer, and you are able to print documents using the credit in your UCL account.
There is also a mail rack where you can collect letters.
Pantry/Kitchen: 8 residents share one pantry. Each resident has their own cupboard to store food. There are two big fridges, which
are usually sufficient to accommodate all the groceries. There are 8 stoves, 2 ovens and 2 sinks. There are also additional cupboards
if extra space is required.
Restrooms: All rooms are en-suite (you get your own toilet and shower in the room).
Room Facilities: FG is one of the halls that provide the largest rooms and is en-suite. Each room comes equipped with a bed,
bedside table, wardrobe, study desk with four drawers, shelf, chair, heat radiator. All rooms have a corkboard and a metal dustbin
provided. Each room comes equipped with a wifi router, and the wifi is the same as the one used in school, so you only need to
register your devices once. A bedding pack can be bought for GBP 25 but it is overpriced so get your own.
28Distance from UCL Main Campus: FG is one of the further halls and it takes about 20 min to get to the UCL main campus. Good
exercise though!
Closest UCL Faculties: FG is close to the Faculty of Speech Sciences (Chandler House).
Transport Network: FG is near to Russell Square, King’s Cross and Chancery Lane tube stations. There are also bus services 45
and 46.
Other information: FG is very quiet, spacious and good for studying. It feels very safe but can be a little isolating despite its fairly
good distance from school. In the mornings when you are on your way to school, you may cut through St Andrew’s Garden to save a
good 5 min of walking. On the way back, you may cut through Eastman Dental Hospital and exit via its back door to gain direct
access to FG to save around 10 min of walking! FG is very close to the Brunswick, which has an ATM, NHS outlet, movie theatre,
supermarket (Waitrose), Starbucks, shopping and eateries like Nandos.
29Photos
3031
4.4 John Dodgson House
2021/2022 Fees (per week): Single, non-ensuite (£200.69.41), Single, ensuite (£259.00)
Catering Options: Self-catered.
Cleaning Services: Rooms and toilets are to be cleared by the occupant, on their own prerogative. Vacuum cleaners can be
borrowed from the reception at no cost, by depositing your UCL ID card. The toilet for handicap access on the ground floor is cleaned
by the cleaners every day. The common kitchen is cleaned by the cleaners thrice a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
The cleaners will take out the trash in the kitchen on cleaning days, but personal trash is to be cleared by the occupants, at the
garbage area on the lower ground floor. Communal corridors and areas are cleaned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Hall Size: John Dodgson House has a lower ground floor and has 6 floors above the ground floor. Effectively, it spans 8 floors.
Excluding the lower ground floor, which has no accommodation facilities, there are about 30-40 students living on each floor. Each
floor has 4 flats, each having either 5 or 10 bedrooms. All flats are mixed sex. Single sex flats may not be arranged in this house due
to its policy.
Hall Security: There should be at least 1 receptionist or security guard on shift at the reception 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Entry
into the hall is via your resident-issued key fob, which you swipe at the automated doors. Take note that you should be mindful when
entering the automated doors, because the doors do not close immediately after you go through them. Ensure that no non-residents
enter the residence behind you without permission. Because of this, there have been incidents when the homeless or even burglars
have gained access to the residence. Access to individual bedrooms and the kitchen assigned to the flat you belong to is by key.
Each resident is permitted to sign in an overnight guest, for a maximum of 3 nights every term, at no cost. The sign-in book is usually
placed on a table near the receptionist. Of course, there are ways around this rule, e.g. don’t even bother to sign in the guest.
Hall Facilities: Most rooms are en-suite (shower, sink and toilet) with the exception of the sole two-bedroom flat. Each room has a
wired network connection point, and there is Wi-Fi throughout the building. The Wi-Fi is generally reliable, but there are periods when
the signal is weak. The reception point is on the ground floor. The reception point is where you can collect bulky parcels, registered
mail, sign in guests and make enquiries in general. On the lower ground floor there is a common area aka social learning space. The
common area contains a separate computer room which contains around 25 desktop computers and printing facilities (using the
32same printing system as UCL, so it is required to use your own printing credits there). At the moment, the regular mail (letters etc.)
are deposited in mailboxes at the common area, according to your flat number. Outside, there is a TV area with comfortable couches
and a large TV where residents can watch TV programmes. The TV is also equipped with a blu-ray player and a HDMI interface,
hence giving residents an area to watch their favourite DVDs or play their favourite console games in a social context. The common
room is open to residents 24/7 (despite rules that there should be no noise in common areas from 11pm to 8am) and most social
events organized by the hall are held there. Residents usually gather in the common room to socialise, have a few glasses and play
some drinking games before heading out to hit the clubs. Recently, they have instituted a new system to hosting parties, where you
have to seek approval from the Estate Manager (Edd) beforehand.
On the lower ground floor, there is also a garbage area (for personal trash) and a laundry room. The laundry room has 3 washing
machines (£2.50 per wash cold cycles and £3.50 for hot cycles, 30min per cycle), 4 dryers (£1.50 per 60-minute cycle), and an
ironing board and an iron. Residents must use their own washing powder or liquid. Be punctual when doing your laundry and transfer
items to the dryer/remove them promptly, to avoid having others handle your freshly washed clothes and leave them in the large pile
of unclaimed clothes atop the washers (which will subsequently be transferred to lost property).
Additionally, there is also a bicycle storage facility (adjacent to the garbage area), lift access serving all floors, as well as
accommodation that is catered for students with restricted mobility e.g. handicap access and toilets.
Pantry/Kitchen: There is a kitchen for every flat of 5-10 bedrooms. Each kitchen has two fridges, freezers, sinks and stoves. Each
resident is also allocated a cupboard (padlocks to be purchased separately) for the storage of dry foods and utensils.
Restrooms: En-suite rooms come with a restroom containing a standing shower, toilet and sink with mirror. The restroom door also
has a full-length mirror. The two-bedroom flat has the same restroom; the only exception is that two people share it.
Room Facilities: Rooms come with a bed (with mattress), cupboard, drawers, storage shelves, study desk, chair, LAN port, table
light and heater. On the walls beside the bed and above the study table there are corkboards that you can make use of to pin up
notices and posters. The placement of posters upon the walls with tape or blue-tack is prohibited, but do as you wish, just be
reminded to remove them before the periodic room inspections. Dates of room inspections are broadcast over the UCL e-mail.
33Residents may purchase a bedding pack from UCL residences before their arrival, which includes a pillow, duvet, pillow and duvet
covers, and fitted sheet. All rooms are carpeted.
Distance from UCL Main Campus: It takes about 10-15 min to reach the UCL main campus on foot.
Closest UCL Faculties: The nearest faculties are the Faculties of Psychology and Geography in Bedford Way (around 5-10 min
walk) and the (temporary) Faculty of Law building in Bentham House. The School of Pharmacy is nearby Brunswick Square
Gardens, which is also about 5min walk from the residence.
Transport Network: John Dodgson House is extremely conveniently located. King’s Cross St. Pancras tube station is literally right
opposite the house, about 2min walk across the main road. The next nearest tube station is Russell Square, in the direction of the
Brunswick, around 5min walk away. The bus stops along the main road have many bus services (including night buses and 24-hour
services) that serve various destinations, making the area relatively well-connected. It is also convenient for rail travel. The St.
Pancras International rail station (for the Eurostar to France, Belgium, Germany etc. and journeys to the further northern part of the
UK) as well as Euston rail station (for travel to nearer areas, such as Warwick, Bristol and Birmingham) are both a mere 5min walk
away.
Other information: John Dodgson House was newly re-opened in the autumn of 2013, after renovations the previous year. As a
result, the facilities are relatively new; you’ll get nice kitchen facilities and rooms (as compared to some of the older halls). The TV
and computers in the common room are also completely new, and run really quickly. You will definitely have a good social life in this
house, as long as you take the initiative to talk to new people and avoid staying in your room by yourself all the time. The nature of
this house allows for completely self-sufficient living, but don’t allow that to define you, and get to know the great mix of international
students, both male and female, that live in your flat. You could even get to know people from different floors, especially during pre-
drinking sessions in the common room. The Brunswick shopping area is just 5min away from John Dodgson House. There are some
pretty good food outlets such as King of Falafel, China China, Fork Patisserie, Alara (for all you organic foodies), Gourmet Burger
Kitchen (which has a killer 30% student discount), and most of them offer student discounts, because of the large number of students
living nearby. If you get tired of that, hop on the tube at King’s Cross or take a short walk to Camden Town, Leicester Square,
Chinatown, Covent Garden or Soho where there are lots of good food to be found. The Brunswick also offers many shopping
34options: Waitrose (groceries), Robert Dyas (your kitchen utensils), Holland and Barrett (health products), and some clothing and
shoe stores. There is also a 24-hour Tesco opposite Russell Square tube station, for your late-night snack. Right outside John
Dodgson house, there is a convenience store that sells some fresh produce, snacks, tobacco and liquor. It’s a tad bit more
expensive, but it’s really convenient. Other options right outside the residence along the main road include Pret a Manger and
Starbucks for breakfasts, and the Euston Flyer for a couple of pints and a good EPL game with friends.
35Photos
3637
38
4.5 Langton Close
2021/2022 Fees (per week): Small Single, non-ensuite (£156.03); Single, non-ensuite (£179.41); Large Single, non-ensuite
(£203.07)
Catering Options: Self-catered.
Cleaning Services: Common areas, such as the toilets, corridor and kitchen, are cleaned. ROOMS ARE NOT. The kitchen is
cleaned every morning, the toilets once every few days and the corridors vacuumed occasionally. Vacuum cleaners are available at
the reception.
Hall Size: Rooms are arranged in flats. There are 5 or 8 rooms to a flat. Really huge and segregated such that you generally only
meet and hang out with people in your own flat, though this means you form close relationships with your flatmates. Moreover,
Langton Close is home to a handful of exchange students that change at the end of every term - hence you get to make more friends
from more places in the world.
Hall Security: Hall security is minimal. An electronic key is needed to open 2 sets of doors at the front porch but that's all. Reception
is open on weekdays from 8am to 6pm. There is one key for the front door of the flat and another for the room. However, that said,
Langton Close is arguably very safe without being restrictive, due to both its location and the number of doors one has to pass
through to get to the room
Hall Facilities: Langton Close has common rooms, a laundry room, a printing cluster room and communal bathtubs, all of which are
located at the basement. The common room is very clean – well furbished with a TV, pool table, table tennis table and a vending
machine, together with comfortable couches, making it perfect for gatherings.
Pantry/Kitchen: Langton Close offers probably one of the best kitchens among all UCL halls. It is very well-equipped. For a 5-room
flat, there is a stove, a baking oven, a microwave oven, food cupboards for everyone, storage cupboards, dining table and chairs, as
well as a heater. If you're lucky, you might get other appliances such as toasters etc. Everything is doubled for an 8-room flat. It is
also clean and in an almost-mint condition.
39Restrooms: There is 1 toilet and 1 shower room for a 5-room flat, 2 of each for an 8-room flat.
Room Facilities: A typical room is equipped with a bed (no sheets provided, but you can purchase a set from the reception when
you first move in, it is overpriced so you should get your own), study table (NO study lamp provided so you will have to get your own
if you want one), bookshelves, a small bedside cupboard, heater (centrally controlled), small wardrobe, washbasin, a huge mirror
behind the door and a standard mirror above the wash basin. Note that the hall policy disallows the use of a kettle/electronic cooking
devices in your room. Also, there appears to be a vast difference in room sizes depending on which floor you are allocated on. For
instance, the ground floor level rooms are almost twice the size as the ones on the 3rd.
Distance from UCL Main Campus: It takes 20min by walking to get to the UCL main campus. There is NO bus service to the main
quad. and it is also impractical to take the tube as the nearest tube station from Langton Close (Russell Square) is 5-10 min away
from the main campus and it is not on the same line as the tube stations nearest to school.
Closest UCL Faculties: The nearest faculty is the Eastman Dental Institute, Faculty of Speech Sciences and the UCL Language
Centre which is a 15 min walking distance away.
Transport Network: Russell Square (5-7 min), King's Cross (8-10 min), Chancery Lane (15 min) are all near Langton Close. There
is also a bus stop right outside Langton Close but it only has 3 bus services. There are also bus services from the bus stop at the
back of Langton Close, meaning along Farringdon Road, which has more bus services. There is a night bus from there (N63) to the
Elephant and Castle, which is of great convenience.
Other information: There is a nice little garden (actually a refurbished graveyard...) behind Langton Close. It is a 25 min walk to
Covent Garden and a 35 min walk to Oxford Street and Chinatown. Hall parties are held occasionally and facilities are shared with
Frances Gardner House, although all the facilities are located in the Langton Close building. There is lift access to all levels.
Moreover, its proximity to Brunswick and Exmouth Market (which a lot of people are not aware of), both around 5 minutes away,
gives a massive plethora of restaurants and pubs. Moreover, being just off a main road (Gray’s Inn Road) from Euston Road makes
the walk home late at night very safe as the roads are still busy though there is an alley which is sometimes empty that you need to
walk through.
40Photos
4142
4.6 Max Rayne House
2021/2022 Fees (per week): Single, non-ensuite (£130.97); Large Single, non-ensuite (£151.97); 1 Bedroom Flat (£256.34)
Catering Options: Self-catered.
Cleaning Services: The cleaning schedule includes 5 times a week kitchen cleaning (reasonable quality of cleaning), 5 times a
week bathroom cleaning (reasonable quality, cleaning (2 times a week). Unfortunately, there have been previous instances of pest
problems in Max Rayne. However, that has been fixed and the management and cleaners do a thorough job at maintaining that. The
only problem remains the squirrels. Although not aggressive, they can be annoying if they sneak into the kitchens and rooms through
open windows. Vacuum cleaners are available from main reception at Ifor Evans or can be found in the kitchen in each corridor.
Hall Size: Max Rayne has 5 mixed floors and 28 corridors. Each corridor holds around 10 occupants of mixed sexes. Total of 243
single and 28 twin rooms.
Hall Security: Two guards are posted at Ann Stephenson House (near the main gate). The security guards patrols the whole gated
compound (4 halls plus reception including MR) but do not check for identity of guests. However, people cannot get into the building
unless they have the keys and access fobs. (If you want to be on good terms with the security guard, one of them is especially
interested in solar energy.) Look after yourself and lock the door when you are out for a long time. Reported cases of theft of laptops
and strangers seen wandering within the building acting as relatives of students. However, such cases are very rare.
Hall Facilities: Common room with a TV, vending machine, pool table and foosball table. It is usually utilised for gatherings but at
times you can head there to study. There is a table tennis room as well. Laundry room is shared for the whole building and situated
at the ground floor. It holds 5 washing machines and 5 dryers and is operated by circuit (laundry card company). Try to do laundry on
weeknights to avoid long waits on weekends.
Pantry/Kitchen: People along a corridor share the same kitchen, so around 10 to 12 people per kitchen. There are individual lockers
for you to keep your cooking equipment. Provides 2 shared fridges and 1 large freezer for the corridor (you can request for an
additional fridge on top of the one they provide if you are persistent in bugging the Ifor Evans reception) If comfortable, do explore the
option of sharing milk and other commonly used essentials such as dishes, cooking pots and pans so that the kitchen will not be
overloaded with personally tagged items and cause unnecessary arguments. Rice cooker is available for purchase at Argos and
43Morrison, which are within walking distance. There are also 2 stoves and 2 ovens, and multiple cupboard and locker spaces, do not
worry about storage options. One person usually gets more than enough space to store groceries and cooking equipment.
Restrooms: There are 2 toilets and 2 shower rooms in each flat shared by guys and girls. It may be a bit embarrassing for girls to
walk into a guy in the toilet but you'll get used to it.
Room Facilities: Bedding items can be purchased from the reception but it would be expensive and bland. Do explore other options
available along Camden High Street which are better quality and cheaper. Students usually purchase home decor items at Primark
on Tottenham court road as they are much cheaper and nicer. Table lamps are not provided but lighting in room strong enough to go
without. Rooms come with a sink, wardrobe, drawers, bedside table, window seat, single bed, a chair and a study table.
Distance from UCL Main Campus: 20-30 min walk to main campus (depending on how fast you walk ) or take bus 29 or 253 which
is directly outside the compound and goes directly to school or to Euston station (near school). Walks to school are quite nice and
therapeutic as the scenery is beautiful and surroundings are less chaotic as compared to the Bloomsbury area. However, on busy
school mornings, particularly for 9am lectures, buses may be quite crowded and you may find yourself having to wait for the next
bus. Buses come at 5-10 minute intervals. The wait may go up to half an hour. Nearest tube station is Camden Town, which is 10
min walk away.
Closest UCL Faculties: Nothing is close. Such is life. But there is the bus.
Transport Network: The nearest tube station is Camden Town. Camden Overground is nearby too. There are two buses serving the
area. King’s cross station is a 15-minute walk away.
Other information: Max Rayne is one of the further out student residences and so more time will be spent travelling to and fro from
school. However, along the way back, you will pass by Camden High Street with a lot of different options to buy your groceries, such
as Lidl, Poundland (where everything is 1 pound) and a large Sainsbury’s. Shop around to get your items to cook since this is a self-
catered hall. Behind the compound is the next town, Kentish Town. If you are lazy to travel to Camden high street, Kentish Town also
has Tesco and Lidl, as well as plenty of quaint coffee shops and food places. If not, eat out and the stalls at Camden are cheaper
too. Night time can be scary at first since it is a foreign place, but you just need to adapt and be vigilant. However, there is little to
worry about as the streets are still busy even in the early mornings, and the area is generally residential.
44You can also read
