Hey everyone! Hope you’re doing well!

I recently posted a blog to let you all know about my experience in Band D accommodation. This blog follows that, and today I will be sharing experiences of living in Band C accommodation. There will be another blog soon following this where I talk about how it was living in private accommodation for me. Once again, I don’t want to include specific details regarding accommodations as they are subject to change, especially during Covid-19, but I will include links which might help you out!

This blog is going to be about my time living in Band C accommodation at the University of Surrey. Band C accommodation at the university is a standard single room. More information such as amenities, average room sizes and pricing for Band C accommodation can be found on this website: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/accommodation/our-accommodation/band-c-rooms. Band C rooms are located across different courts at the Stag Hill campus. I have visited my friends in who stayed in Band C accommodation across different courts, and from what I have seen, I don’t think there is much difference in rooms between different courts. I particularly stayed at Battersea Court which is right opposite the Library, and I will mainly be talking about my year of living over there.

I lived in a Band C room at Battersea Court two years ago, during my first year. The room I was assigned was at the ground floor, and it was a bit different to the other Band C rooms or flats I had seen before. From what I had seen before, Band C flats had around 14 rooms and 4 washrooms, and a washbasin within each room. However, my flat in particular had only 5 rooms and 2 washrooms, and our rooms did not have washbasin. Honestly, not having a washbasin didn’t really affect me at all. I was more worried that since our flat had a different layout the rooms might be smaller. I was even more worried because I lived in a Band D room the year before, so I thought adjusting to the space would be a big problem. But I was very happy with the size and storage capacity of my room and I was able to adjust easily. Before I moved in I was also not quite comfortable with sharing a washroom with another person, due to clashing timings for showers and hygiene concerns, but once I moved in it went quite smoothly. There were times when I wanted to use the washroom and it was occupied, but it didn’t happen so often that it would make me miss Band D accommodation. Also unlike the Band D rooms, the washroom is a sharing area. Thus the washrooms and kitchen are cleaned by the Housekeeping team according to the timetable published in each individual flat (although you are expected the communal areas in a tidy condition).

A major plus of living right in the middle of the Stag Hill campus was how quickly I could reach my lectures which probably saved me a lot of time through the year. I found it so easy to attend lectures, and come back to my flat to relax, cook and study in the breaks. Staying on campus also gives to easy access to the Library no matter what the time. In addition to the library, you also have a quick trips to the Cathedral, Simply Fresh, the Lake and the many cafes and restaurants on campus. The location of the Stag Hill campus is pretty convenient as well. The campus sits in the middle of the Manor Park campus and Guildford town.  The walk to Manor Park  and Surrey Sports Park from the Stag Hill campus is about 20 minutes. About half-way along the route to Manor Park is the Tesco Superstore which is probably the most convenient and affordable way for students to shop for groceries. The walk to town is also approximately 20 minutes depending on the route you take. It is also important to note that there are busses operating between Stag Hill Campus and Manor Park, as well as Guildford town. If you are looking to travel a lot by bus during your time on campus, it would make commute much easier if you purchased a subsidized student bus-pass. I know a lot of people that bought a bus pass and they were very happy with it as it made their commute much cheaper. I had purchased the bus pass too when I was living at Manor Park, but during my first year when I stayed on Stag Hill I chose to walk everywhere instead of taking the bus. In all honesty it is probably one of the reasons I enjoyed staying on Stag Hill so much, that if I had to head into town, or Tesco, or Manor Park, I would just walk. It was probably the year out of all my time at university in which I was most active. If you do wish to purchase the bus pass, you can find more information about it here: https://transport.surrey.ac.uk/bus/bus-passes.

If I was to summarize my experience living in a Band C accommodation I would say it probably gives you the best ‘student’ experience as you are living right on campus with lectures just a 5 minute walk away, and student society events happening all around you. Few of the main concerns I had before selecting a Band C accommodation was its size and the fact that the washrooms were shared. However, the size of my room did not bother me at all, it was cozy, but it easily fit all my essentials. I got used to the washroom situation pretty quickly too, and it wasn’t bad at all. My overall experience living in a Band C accommodation was pretty good as it gave me quick access to everything I needed for study or leisure, and it was the affordable accommodation I have lived in so far during my time at Surrey. 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 blog!