Finding a place to stay in a place unfamiliar to you can seem daunting. Many options are available, and it may be difficult to choose which one is the right one for you. Let me tell you about my personal experience of choosing to stay in AUB’s Halls! I stayed at Madeira Road Halls of Residence in my first year of university, and it's one of the best choices I've made.
Now, what is the living situation like for Halls? Halls are part of the university, so you get to stay with other AUB students in the same flat, whether it be six or eight people in a single flat. The rooms itself are nice and comfortable with a heater that keeps your room nice and toasty all throughout winter, and you’re given the luxury of having an ensuite bathroom, which is nice to have your personal space.
I also really liked that there was security 24/7, so I knew I could turn to someone in case of an emergency, particularly during late-night hours. Moreover, it was easy to report any problems; broken lights, broken hobs, leaking fridge etc. through the AUB Accommodation app. These problems would be fixed swiftly without worry of any extra costs, often within a day or two. It was also comforting to know that the front desk would be there to receive my parcels, so it would always be kept safe at reception and I did not have to stress about rushing home in fear that my parcels would get lost.
Personally, I'm thankful that I stayed in Halls as it gave me the opportunity to befriend other AUB students. It was incredibly easy to get to know people thanks to the regular events held in the common room, which brought together students from all sorts of courses. There was always something going on, especially at the start of the year when we were just moving in, which made those first few weeks much less daunting.
Moving into university felt like a big change! But being surrounded by friendly faces and having these opportunities to socialise made settling in so much easier. I quickly got to know the people around me, and before I knew it, I felt right at home. Many of the friendships I made there have lasted beyond first year – in fact, I ended up living with a few of them in a student house in my second year!
One of my favourite features of living in Halls was the common room. This was where the Halls events were held. I always found it an extremely wholesome place, especially with the blackboard where people would write down memories or silly notes for others! People would come together to play Switch, watch a movie, or just chat. Birthday surprises often took place here (at least for me and my friends) – it was just a place of a lot of memories!
As I was at Madeira Road, I stayed in town and not on campus. I preferred this, as I had time away from university to roam about town – I just can’t spend too much time in a single place. I’d also often go for runs by the beach as it was a 10-minute walk (or a five-minute run) away from Halls, which helped relax my mind a lot.
If you’re into the night partying scene, living in town makes it extremely convenient to get back home after a night out, as you can just walk back to your accommodation. If you’re coming back from a trip, coming from the main Bournemouth train stations or bus stations, you’re able to walk back to Halls instead of taking a bus or worry about an Uber back home.
It was also relatively close to university. A lot of prospective students have told me their worries of living in town, afraid of arriving late for classes, or simply did not like the idea of being so far away from the university. I have good news for you! Madeira Road is a five-minute walk to the nearest bus stop, and then a 10-minute bus ride into university if you take the U1. The U1 runs quite often – about every 10 minutes during peak hours (09.00–17.00) – and every 30 minutes during off-peak hours (when you’d likely not be at university anyway). I remember rolling out of bed at 09.00, leaving at 09.10 and making it in early for my 09.30 classes!
There are a variety of shops around as well. Madeira Road is closest to a Co-op, just around the corner. A little bit more of a walk towards the Bournemouth train station and you’ll pass by a Tesco, before reaching Asda and Lidl! But that’s only for grocery shops. There’s also a bunch of bars in town, and restaurants and cafés right around the corner from Co-op. I’d highly recommend Noodle Bar (they offer student discounts as well) if you’re up for a big hearty meal.
Overall, I enjoyed my time living in Halls. It was nothing but good memories, and I’ve found friends that I can now call family! If you’re hesitating, have a chat with an ambassador on Unibuddy about your concerns. But I believe everyone should experience the fun of Halls life.
