Best accommodation

lost_soul

Hi im going to DCU next year and i was wondering which accommodation is better to live in and why, Larkfield or Hampstead?:)

nachos

lost_soul wrote:

Hi im going to DCU next year and i was wondering which accommodation is better to live in and why, Larkfield or Hampstead?:)

If you're coming to DCU as a first year, only Larkfield is open to you afaik. I'm open to correction on this...
hampstead has better living conditions, but larkfield is better craic esp. for a first year

gizmo

Well as a first year I stayed in Larkfield and I must say that I really enjoyed it. Sure the rooms are small and a wee bit dodgy and you have to share a bathroom with your other room mate but the atmosphere over there is great and its the best way for you to make friends outside your course. Hampstead is of course nicer however chances are you'll be living with 2nd years and up so it could be harder for you to settle down and make friends in your own year. Also note that if living anywhere on Campus you cannot have random people back with you after 12pm.

The alternative to both however is, Shanowen Hall and Square. These apartments are situated just across the road and, depending on what faculty building your in, are just as close as Res. They're also nicer than both Larkfield and Hampstead and have far leaner security when it comes to having people back to your place.

As I said, I spent first year in Larkfield, second year in College Park and am now living in Shanowen Hall. I loved Larkfield for the simple reason that I met most of my best friends there and hada great time. College Park was really nice also but the only new people I met were my room mates who I was lucky to get on really well with. There is however, little or no atmosphere over there. Shanowen, imho, is the best of the bunch for after 1st year as it has all the benefits of Res but with none of the negatives.

In short, I reckon you should go for either Larkfield or Shanowen and stay away from Hampstead.


Btw do you guys think we should make a sticky for accomadation since its looking like we're going to be getting alot of interested people over the next while.

lost_soul

Ok thanks for that. From what i gather you are only sharing your flat with one other person in Larkfield and with 4 other people in Hamstead so i would have thought that there would be better oppertunities to make friends in hamstead? Is there common areas in Larkfield or something? Also is it just same sex or can they be mixed?

rugbug86

Faceless Man wrote:

Btw do you guys think we should make a sticky for accomadation since its looking like we're going to be getting alot of interested people over the next while.

mightn't be a bad idea

thewools

lost_soul wrote:

Ok thanks for that. From what i gather you are only sharing your flat with one other person in Larkfield and with 4 other people in Hamstead so i would have thought that there would be better oppertunities to make friends in hamstead? Is there common areas in Larkfield or something? Also is it just same sex or can they be mixed?

There are Common Areas in Larkfield but dont think they have been open in years due to vandels, drunks, u name it etc!!!! Larkfield is sooooooo small - hard to describe really but this is how i think the campus situation works

Larkfield = cheap, small, share bathroom, not mixed generally

Hamstead = dearer, adequate size, share flat with 4 others, mixed

College Park = V.Dear, Spacious, Modern, share flat with 4 others, mixed

Also the best way to make friends in DCU is to join a club or society that interests you and that you wil commit a bit of time to whether it be Rock-Climbing, GAA, Music, Canoes etc - its all down to ones personality at the end of the day anyways so best of look with your selection fresher to be....:D

StupidLikeAFox

Larkfield arent that cheap btw

CGorman

Thanks, everyone, im also heading to DCU in September (points dependant!), I applied for the Lakefield Res on Monday... now i'm just waiting for a reply....

phantom_lord

I applied for larkfield and was told I had gotten it, but I got up graded to college park. It's kinda funny that i spend more time in larkfield tho...i just sleep in college park...

Larkfield is (has :rolleyes: ) much better craic. Plus you get all those college park begruders...

Suaimhneach

Gizmo for mod.

gizmo

Shush woman...

*slap*

Cina

Larkfield is only about 7 euro cheaper than hampstead and 12 euro cheaper than college park a week, you're basically paying 100E a week for a bedroom, a shared bathroom and a tiny kitchen that half the applianbces don't work in! Also it is possible for first years to get onto hampstead/college park, if larkfield gets over booked I think they do some lottery thing and those eople get to go on hamp/CP if they want. I don't mind larkfield myself but the lack of television is a pain in the arse!

gizmo

Hrm, seems you got the short end of the stick there Cina, everything in my apartment worked perfectly. That said I did need to bring up my own microwave which was a pain in the arse but twas well worth it in the end.

I also brought up my own TV which, even though I could only get RTE1, RET2 and TV3, was still grand. I found myself watching less TV in college anyway, far more interesting things to do up here!

deisedolly

But is it not really dull just living with 1 other person in Larkfield? And God knows what kinda of weirdo I might end up with hehe! I think I'm going to go for Hampstead, do any of ye think that that's a bad decision??

gizmo

Hrm, yea thats always a worry but don't forget you could equally be stuck with 3 or 4 weirdos living with you in Hampstead. Meh, I loved my time in Larkfield, others hated...just like the college itself its really what you make of it really, it isnt really a "bad decision" or not per say...

deisedolly

Faceless Man wrote:

don't forget you could equally be stuck with 3 or 4 weirdos living with you in Hampstead. Meh, ...

That makes me feel so much better

I'm after going for Hamstead and I'm after applying with a friend from school so then there's only a possibility of 3 other weirdos
Hope for the best anyway, Session on in DCU! :cool:

Prezatch

Well I'm a fresher in hampstead and its grand. Nice to have my own bathroom and a quite a large spacious kitchen/living room area. Althought there only 2 house out of ten with first years in them this year, so this can be kind of crappy seeing as everyone else is in Larkfield. It's all girls on the first floor, lads on the second and mixed on ground floor I think. Nobody uses the common rooms.

And btw, the chances of you being stuck with 3-4 weirdos in Hampstead are pretty much non-existent. Besides, I hardly see half my house mates most of the time

gizmo

Heh, I was kidding about the weirdos thing, don't worry if you do choose Hampstead you'll be fine but as JoeyD said there, all the other first years will be in Larkfield and thats where all the parties will be!