chester university accomodation sham

john.xs

daughter is going to chester uni next month.
she has been granted her 4th choice accomodation but having requested self catering has been told she has to go full board.
was interested to hear from others if they have had similar experiences.
i dont they have been open as they should have been.
i thought university life was about having to grow up and fend for yourself a little bit.
it is going to cost her more in initial outlay.what if she didnt want 3 meals a day.they couldnt say when facilities were open or offer a sample of food on offer.she has arranged to do p/t job which may mean she misses mealtimes if ther are not flexible.if she decides not to stay on campus all the time she will not be getting her moneys worth.
am i being unreasonable in feeling really narked as if she had been aware of scenario may have opted for somewhere else?

dmg24

I dont they have been open as they should have been.

eh?

if she had been aware of scenario

Looking at the Chester Uni website, it is very clear that some properties are catered and some are not. To have been granted a catered choice, she must have put it down on her list?

I don't really see what the problem is. Most (if not all) universities have the same combination of catered and self catering accommodation, it is up to the individual as to what they put down on their form.

If she is not happy about it, she could look at private sector accommodation?

Torby

4th choice...blimey....how late did she apply....I appreciate there are only so many slots available...but 4th place!!!!

If she is a first year it sounds weird...is this her first choice of uni, did she apply late...did she go through clearing?

What if you say....she's happy with the accomodation....but has that many food intolerance problems....charge for the room only...and she won't be eating the food you cook incase you poison her...don't probably want to get the UNI into a legal battle....lol

Gingernutmeg

Most catered accommodation doesn't have much in the way of catering facilities for the students - the most you're likely to get is some kind of small kitchenette affair which most likely will have a microwave and hob. It would be difficult to cook every meal for yourself there and I doubt that the uni would be willing to set a precedent in allowing someone to cook for themselves there.

However, I don't think that the OP is being fair in referring to this situation as a 'sham'. Most universities have a range of accommodation and a lot of first years actually prefer to be in catered halls. It tends to be more social, for one thing. I appreciate that this may not have been the OPs daughters first choice but if she's only been awarded her fourth choice of accommodation then this suggests that she either applied for accommodation very late, in which case what did she expect? Or that she's applied through clearing, which makes it unfortunate that she didn't get what she wanted but there's always this possibility if you apply this way, and I'm surprised she didn't realise. I think you are possibly being a little unreasonable here.

Also, a lot of students drop out in the first few weeks. If your daughter speaks to the accommodation office then it's possible that they'll have a list of people wanting to change rooms or move into the accommodation. Chances are, she'll be able to move at some point, although of course this could be problematic for friendships etc.