Hey there! Hope you are doing well!

It has been a while since I last put out a blog, but I am very excited to start posting again and sharing my experiences at the university with all of you. As you might have guessed by the title, in todays blog I am going to be talking to you about accommodation in Guildford. As I have been living in Guildford for the last four years, I feel that I have a lot of personal experiences to share about different types of accommodation. So, I will be dividing this into three different blogs: living in Band D, Living in Band C, and living in a rented house. In all three of the blogs I will be speaking about what it was like living in each respective type of accommodation. I don’t really want to include any details regarding any of these accommodations as they are subject to change, especially during Covid-19, but I will include some links and websites which might help you out!

So this blog is going to be about my time living in Band D accommodation at the university. Band D accommodation at the university are en-suite rooms. More information such as amenities, average room sizes and pricing for Band D accommodation can be found on this website: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/accommodation/our-accommodation/band-d-rooms.  Band D rooms are located at both, the Stag Hill campus and at Manor Park. While I’m sure that the Band D rooms on Stag Hill campus are great, I am going to be talking mainly about the Manor Park rooms since the both the times I have been assigned a Band D room they have been at Manor Park.

The first time I lived in a Band D room was three years ago, during my foundation year. At that time, I was assigned a room in the very centre of Manor Park. The next time I would be living in a Band D room would be this year, when I was given a room in Bellerby Court (slightly outside of the main Manor Park area, but it still counts as Manor Park). While size might slightly differ from room to room, from my personal experience and what I have heard from other friends, the Band D rooms are more than sufficient in terms of size. In a typical Band D flat, you’ll usually have around 5-8 rooms and a shared kitchen. As you enter your room, you will find a study table, some shelves, a pin board and a wardrobe and a bed (obviously). Most importantly, you will find an en-suite shower with a toilet and washbasin. The en-suite shower and washroom is your personal area, therefore you are responsible for cleaning and taking care of it (just as you are for the room), and if you are someone like me who prefers not to share a washroom it is an amazing option. However the kitchen, as mentioned before is a shared area, and is cleaned once a week by the Housekeeping team (however you are expected the communal area in a tidy condition).

One thing in specific I love about Manor Park is its location. While it can be a slightly long commute into town, the Manor Park campus has a lot of your essential needs in and around it. Firstly the Manor Park campus has quite a few easily accessible launderettes and bus stops. It is also located near the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Surrey Research Park and the Vet School. One of the most convenient things about Manor Park is how close it is to the Tesco Superstore and the Surrey Sports Park. These two places have covered my day to day needs from groceries, to health and fitness respectively. While these places aren’t too far from the Stag Hill campus either, being at Manor Park just helps when you are having one of those lazy days. The Manor Park campus also has a few cafes and restaurants such as Heart+Soul, Starbucks and The Bench Sports Bar. I have had a great experience at all of these places whether I’m just looking to grab a bite, study with friends or watch a football match.

Coming back to it, I mentioned before that commuting into town can be a hassle at times. But since you are a university student, you can buy a subsidized student bus-pass which will make it cheaper for you to catch buses within Guildford. More information about these can be found over here: https://transport.surrey.ac.uk/bus/bus-passes. I had bought a bus pass when I first lived at Manor Park as it made it so much easier to commute. But this year, due to Covid and me just trying to be a bit more healthy, I just try to walk to places as much as I can. This includes a very quick and pleasant 20 minute walk to Stag Hill Campus, and sometimes even into town. There are also storage facilities for bicycles at both Manor Park and Stag Hill campuses if you wish to cycle between the two locations.

To summarize I’d probably say I have had some of the most comfortable experiences in a Band D accommodation, which is something I am thankful for especially now during hybrid learning. I really do enjoy how conveniently located my accommodation is to the Sports Park, Tesco and the Stag Hill campus. I also do prefer having my own washroom and shower, and having the liberty of not worrying if I need to start my day earlier than usual to have a nice shower. While saying this, I would also like to mention that I did really enjoy living in the other two types of accommodation I mentioned at the start of this blog. I shall be posting about my experience living in those very soon! Once again if you are trying to decide on which type of accommodation you want to apply for, I’d suggest exploring through the options at: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/accommodation. See you in my next post!