LYIT Accommodation

cosgrove80

I'm hoping to attend LYIT this September and I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on accommodation?

I'm a mature student looking for an apartment/house that's walking distance to the college, as I won't be driving.
I don't particularly want to share but don't want to be stuck too much on my own either.

I had a look at http://www.letterkennystudentaccommodation.ie/ and those apartments look okay.

I don't know letterkenny that well so any pointers are appreciated.

weiss

have a look at daft.ie, i saw a 2 bedroom apartment on there recently for €60 a week.

students have best choice of apartments in the town.

muffler

A couple of older posts here, here, here, here and here may help a little with accommodation and contain some thoughts on other aspects of the town.

Adamcp898

Try Ballyraine Halls, it's literally at the end of the road the IT is on only a 5 minute walk

cosgrove80

Thanks for the replies. Thanks for linking to the older posts too Muffler.

I guess the best thing to do is keep looking on Daft until I can get up to Letterkenny again.

The Dealer seems to be the way to go, so I'll try and get there on a Thursday and see what's about.

I'm hoping to get something no more than 10/15 mins walk to the college (physical reasons, not laziness ) so I'll need to travel up and get my bearings anyway.

Let the search begin!

smashey

cosgrove80 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Thanks for linking to the older posts too Muffler.

I guess the best thing to do is keep looking on Daft until I can get up to Letterkenny again.

The Dealer seems to be the way to go, so I'll try and get there on a Thursday and see what's about.

I'm hoping to get something no more than 10/15 mins walk to the college (physical reasons, not laziness ) so I'll need to travel up and get my bearings anyway.

Let the search begin!

Take a look at the community board at the checkout area in Tesco as well.

curry-muff

Adamcp898 wrote: »

Try Ballyraine Halls, it's literally at the end of the road the IT is on only a 5 minute walk

Id advise against the halls to be honest, im only 20 myself and i could never put up with some of the noise and sh*t that goes on there. Better off looking at the dealer and ringing around.

cosgrove80

I still haven't had a chance to get to Letterkenny to look for somewhere.

There are a few places on Daft that look promising though. I might post a few to get peoples opinions closer to when I'm going up.

In the mean time I came across The Grand Central Student Accommodation Apartments and was wondering what they were like.

I know you pay a premium for the convenience but I thought with refuse and internet included it might be an easier way to budget things. It would also have the advantage of being around other students.

I know a house/apartment elsewhere is potentially better value but was just wondering if Grand Central is decent enough?

Pique

cosgrove80 wrote: »

I don't know letterkenny that well so any pointers are appreciated.

http://www.johnthemap.co.uk/pages/donegal/letter_over.html

Best map of Letterkenny I've seen. Slightly out of date as it lacks some of the newest estates, but v.good anyway.

weiss

Grand Central apartments are up a few years now.

Don't know anyone that lived there, but if it weren't for section 50, i would.

It's close to most of the major shops in town and about 5 min away from main street, so it's convenient enough for that.

It's about 20 min walk from college or roughly 5 if you have a bike.

Harps

That map is quite old, doesnt actually have the Grand Central on it, if you click on the town centre map its located right at the end of New Link Road, right on the roundabout with Canal lane. Theres a load of new shops around there now as well, Dunnes, Marks & Spencer and about another 20 or so so its convenient for food and all your basic needs. Cinema's along that street as well.

I know someone who stayed there last year, never been in the place sober but it seemed like a decent place, much better looking than the likes of Ballyraine Halls

HJL

Grand Central websites says its a 10min walk to LYIT, I would say its more like 15mins, maybe im being picky, but 10min is a little short.

I would steer clear of the student apartments on the Port Road, heard stories of rats running around.

Ballyraine apartments are nice, but as mentioned already if you are a mature student you dont want to be stuck in the middle of 18 year olds drinking and puking everywhere.

If it were me id look to house share with non students, or 4th years, or other mature students. You could put a wanted ad seeking those type of housemates.

EDIT: weiss has already mentioned the walk to college is 20mins [my original though but said 15mins incase im just a slow walker!] and not the stated 10mins on the website.

RoyalMarine

hey im also going to college up there, spent a while looking, but i guess im best to go view places.
any real stay away places i should know about?

OP, did you find somewhere yet? anything you reccommend?

tatabubbly

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

hey im also going to college up there, spent a while looking, but i guess im best to go view places.
any real stay away places i should know about?

OP, did you find somewhere yet? anything you reccommend?

I'd advise going to mc gettigan leasing agents.. up past milan nightclub on main st. They found me and my man a nice place to stay on the cheap...

cosgrove80

Thanks for all the Grand Central info. Could be a contender. Distance wise I guess it's a toss up between being closer to the town/shops etc. or a quicker trip to college in the morning.

HJL wrote:

Ballyraine apartments are nice, but as mentioned already if you are a mature student you dont want to be stuck in the middle of 18 year olds drinking and puking everywhere.

If it were me id look to house share with non students, or 4th years, or other mature students. You could put a wanted ad seeking those type of housemates.

Could be an idea alright. I'd be going into 4th year myself. Having said that, if the 18 year olds share a few cans I could get in the spirit of things

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

OP, did you find somewhere yet? anything you reccommend?

I still haven't been up yet, so nothing to recommend yet. I'm hoping to get up next week, as the clock is ticking a bit at this stage. I'm hoping to get up for a Thursday so I can get a copy of The Dealer newspaper, which will have listings in it.

I've just been keeping an eye on daft.ie in the meantime.

tatabubbly wrote:

I'd advise going to mc gettigan leasing agents.. up past milan nightclub on main st. They found me and my man a nice place to stay on the cheap...

I intend on phoning a few letting agents too once I know when I'll be there and see what they have.

RoyalMarineComm

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

hey im also going to college up there, spent a while looking, but i guess im best to go view places.
any real stay away places i should know about?

OP, did you find somewhere yet? anything you reccommend?

I'd stay away from the Lower Main Street area - Westside Apts, Riverside Apts

Although it is the other side of town from LYIT so its unlikely you'll end up there!

RoyalMarine

thanks for the info.
im gonna head up after the cao offer's come out.

my situation is, im a 25 year old mature student, looking for somewhere decent, dont mind about price, i have a car, so distance to college doesnt bother me, but i wanna be somewhere close to walking distance or cheap taxi at drinking times
i want a decent double room, en-suite, dont mind if my house mates are a little bit wild, but not 24/7 session based.
as long as i can get ethernet internet not stupid wireless internet then ill be happy.

Bear in mind that there is very little parking available in the college itself. There is a carpark but with so many people driving...

I think LYIT has come to an arrangement with a local church and hotel about using their parking facilities - I'm not 100% sure on this or how much additional parking is provided.

Something you might wanna look into.

RoyalMarine

hey, im just back from letterkenny, i found a nice place in the ballyraine halls.

anyone know much about it?
seems very nicely decorated and well maintained.

Harps

As said on the previous page, its the main student halls and its full of parties every couple of nights so if thats what you're looking for then its fine. Its a good place to meet new people and all that as well. I've got a couple of friends there and parties can go on until 7 or 8 in the morning but on the other hand its very close to the college and I'm sure you'd have your fair share of peace as long as you get decent room mates

XDivaX

I'd never recommend ballyraine halls ever!
Has few friends who used to live there and I stayed over twice but boy both times were such a nightmare even when I was out partying myself.
You get random strangers barging in.
It is brilliant for partying etc but not if you want to do well enough to pass exams in my opinions. One of my friends got caught up in all partying so much that she had to repeat the whole year- rest dropped out frankly.

One of girls I know who live there is still studying and going in 3rd year though....

I'd reccomend Grand Central apartments or even ones near new dunnes which is about 15mins walk from LYIT but close enough for taxis to cost no more than a fiver after a night out :cool:

RoyalMarine

XDivaX wrote: »

I'd never recommend ballyraine halls ever!
Has few friends who used to live there and I stayed over twice but boy both times were such a nightmare even when I was out partying myself.
You get random strangers barging in.
It is brilliant for partying etc but not if you want to do well enough to pass exams in my opinions. One of my friends got caught up in all partying so much that she had to repeat the whole year- rest dropped out frankly.

One of girls I know who live there is still studying and going in 3rd year though....

I'd reccomend Grand Central apartments or even ones near new dunnes which is about 15mins walk from LYIT but close enough for taxis to cost no more than a fiver after a night out :cool:

lol oh boy. ive already paid for my deposit and first semester. i reckon ill make it through the first year, then probably move depending on what happens.
ive rented 1 of the large twin room's with en-suite to myself. its got locks on the door, and i can put extra lock on if i want to at my own cost etc.
seems nice, roomy, and im just praying my flatmate's are somewhat senseable. but im 25, 6ft2" and pretty beefed up lol ill knock em around if they screw around

XDivaX

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

lol oh boy. ive already paid for my deposit and first semester. i reckon ill make it through the first year, then probably move depending on what happens.
ive rented 1 of the large twin room's with en-suite to myself. its got locks on the door, and i can put extra lock on if i want to at my own cost etc.
seems nice, roomy, and im just praying my flatmate's are somewhat senseable. but im 25, 6ft2" and pretty beefed up lol ill knock em around if they screw around

I'm sure you'll survive!:cool: seeing as you're a bit older than my friends were at time- they were only 17-18. They might put u with another mature student because from what i heard, there is a lot of them coming this year which is brilliant!!:P

RoyalMarine

XDivaX wrote: »

I'm sure you'll survive!:cool: seeing as you're a bit older than my friends were at time- they were only 17-18. They might put u with another mature student because from what i heard, there is a lot of them coming this year which is brilliant!!:P

the manager asked me if id like to be placed with mature students, i said tbh, im 25, 1st year, i dont go crazy etc.
he said he'd do his best.

XDivaX

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

the manager asked me if id like to be placed with mature students, i said tbh, im 25, 1st year, i dont go crazy etc.
he said he'd do his best.

That'd be good let us know how you get on.
LYIT is a brilliant college although I might be a bit biased but most of lecturers are so approachable and always delighted to help out.

zoey

XDivaX wrote: »

I'd never recommend ballyraine halls ever!
Has few friends who used to live there and I stayed over twice but boy both times were such a nightmare even when I was out partying myself.
You get random strangers barging in.
It is brilliant for partying etc but not if you want to do well enough to pass exams in my opinions. One of my friends got caught up in all partying so much that she had to repeat the whole year- rest dropped out frankly.

Just to reassure the poster who has paid their deposit in the halls, they are nowhere near as bad as some people make out. If I was reading that and only starting college I would be dreading it. Ok for the 1st week or 2 there might be a fair bit of noise but it's not like there are constant parties all through the year.
As for people dropping out due to getting caught up in the party lifestyle, I don't think you can blame the halls for that, AFAIK LYIT has 1 of the highest dropout rates in Ireland...I'm sure they didn't all reside in the halls! You can get caught up in that lifestyle wherever you live if thats what you want!

muffler

And I trust you guys have all given your support here

RoyalMarine

just an update.
i moved into ballyraine halls, AND ITS EXCELLENT!

muffler

Moved to LYIT forum

Irish_polizei

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

just an update.
i moved into ballyraine halls, AND ITS EXCELLENT!

Yeh +1 on that, deadly craic alrite!! Good decent people down there!!

orlam2010

Advertise somewher else.

i suggest daft.ie

regards,
RMC.

Irish_polizei

orlam2010 wrote: »

I stayed at Ballyraine Halls for 2 years and enjoyed my time there. ....,

It doesnt have dishwashers, suitable size fridges for 3 people...and apartments are often cold....they don't retain heat to well!!
Great management though!

jkell061

I'm nearing the end of my fourth year, the first of which i've done in Letterkenny, and the advice i can give you is not to consider the flats (student accommodation) across the Port Road from the IT.
Unless you fancy shooting your ESB bill through the roof in the hope of retrieving any ray of heat at all, or freezing going to bed at night, or constantly annoying the landlord to come and fix something (that he might have even broken in the first place). (and much more). They're located in the industrial estate area across from the college.
All i can recommend is that you look at rooms in houses instead of these kind of accommodation. Cheaper, and better quality!
Hope this can be of benefit to anyone..

Harps

I thought those halls were shut down last year by health & safety? Pretty sure I read that somewhere

jkell061

harps,
i'm not sure about that, i heard that the guy who built them ran out of money n went bust or something, n he sold them onto the guy thats renting them out now. Then again, i'd well believe they were shut down for H&S reasons. Built to a poor standard! Did a quick google on it though n found nothing.

Shanmeister

Hi,
I'm hoping to be starting a course in LYIT next September and I was wondering if I could get some advice and maybe some recommendations of places to stay next year please:D

Harps

If you read back through this thread you'll get plenty of places.

What age are you, what sort of accomodation do you want etc?

Ballyraine Halls are a good place to go if you're young and wont know anyone

Piriz

stop recommending Ballyraine Halls, its a kip, its expensive, and its full of dicks setting off the alarms at night etc.. well thats what it was once like..

I recommend getting a room in a shared house in Ashlawn, its as close to the college as you can get...good student population but respectable little area..should be good value too..

Glazun

Yeah, I'd avoid Ballyraine Halls too, it's just horribly overpriced when compared to sharing a house. Then again it can be difficult to get into a house if you don't know anyone. That's why Ballyraine's population is largely made up of first years.

RoyalMarine

Piriz wrote: »

stop recommending Ballyraine Halls, its a kip, its expensive, and its full of dicks setting off the alarms at night etc.. well thats what it was once like..

I recommend getting a room in a shared house in Ashlawn, its as close to the college as you can get...good student population but respectable little area..should be good value too..

ballyraine this year wasn't too bad. Yeah there were a few assholes around, few cars egg'd, alarms etc, but nothing serious.

Ive heard a few horror stories about parties in ashlawn.

then again, no matter where you live, it all depends on the attitude of other students. if they are rowdy, it can ruin it on everyone.

Harps

The reason I mentioned Ballyraine is that its good for first years if you're young and dont know anyone. Obviously if you're not into parties or whatever then its not the best but its the best place to get to know people. I have a few friends there and the flats are perfectly fine if you take care of them and dont have open parties.

Some houses in Ashlawn aren't much better inside and as said above, you're risking a lot if you plan on having a party with random people just showing up and thrashing the place. Happened to a friend of mine last year and he lost his deposit

Shanmeister

Thanks for the ideas. I'm 22 and I'm hoping to start the computers development course in September. I'm just wondering should I look into getting a shared house or to go with somewhere like Ballyraine halls. I don't mind the drinkin and partys and stuff, I just want to do the course properly and pass. Will anybody who stayed in student accommodation last year be going back again this year?

shanemitchell1

Hi,

I am going to college in LYIT this September (2010) and looking to get a room in a house near the college. I am 26 and have finished a course in Carlow IT a few years ago where I stayed in a 10 room house and loved it. Have been working and travelling around the world since and really dont want to stay in one of the halls with a load of 18 year olds just finished the Leaving cert, in an apartment that gets inspected every few weeks.

Can any one tell me the contact details of a land lord in Lettekenny that lets out rooms to students? I have looked at Daft.ie and only see summer rentals up at the moment, and I have asked the college and got no reply.

I would like to sort this out before I start on my trip home where I will be out of contact for the best part of 2 months.

Any help you be appreciated.

loca1

If any of you looking for accomodation have a car I'd advise looking for an apartment out of town a bit. Most housing estates now haven1 or 2 bedroom apartments joined on to a semi detached house. I know a few girls in my class were in student accomodation and they found it difficult to get study and assignments done and often got very little sleep. Pm me for my landlords number he would hav appartments in various places in the town. House share is good too but you really have to get to know people first for this in my opinion. I've had some dodgy housemates in the past.

aaahhh

I would not recommend that anyone stay at grand central apartments. my mates and i had really bad experiences staying there. the manager walks into the flats without giving notice whenever he feels like it, he gives out fines for everything, he doesnt give back deposits even if you leave the flat in perfect condition, he is a very unreasonable person to have to deal with. the flat are nice but the landlord makes them not worth it. the internet is crap and the flats can get really cold and to heat them up is quite expensive. i definitely think that they are not worth the hassle.

Shanmeister

So what would my best bet be for accommodation in sept guys? If anybody out there interested in trying to rent a house let me know. I'm 22 so I'm not a party animal or anything:D

mrmac

I know this is not much use you anyone outside the county, but there is a free-ads paper up here, called "The Dealer". It comes out every Thursday. It's a really good source for anyone seeking accommodation, flats, house-share etc.

I live in Letterkenny, and I'm hoping to get a place this year (mature-student), so if there is anything I can help you with, just ask!

I'll pick up "The Dealer" tonight, and if there is anything specific that you want to know, send me a PM.

mrmac

I've picked up this weeks "Dealer", so if you're interested in somewhere in particular, PM me with an email address.

Irish_polizei

aaahhh wrote: »

I would not recommend that anyone stay at grand central apartments. my mates and i had really bad experiences staying there. the manager walks into the flats without giving notice whenever he feels like it, he gives out fines for everything, he doesnt give back deposits even if you leave the flat in perfect condition, he is a very unreasonable person to have to deal with. the flat are nice but the landlord makes them not worth it. the internet is crap and the flats can get really cold and to heat them up is quite expensive. i definitely think that they are not worth the hassle.

My son is planning on heading there in September, I heard rumours that the heating issue was fixed recently, was this not the case? Where you staying there recently or a few years ago? And what sense is the broadband crap?

mrmac

Anyone who gets an offer from LYIT, will receive a letter from Admissions with some useful accommodation info.

For anyone who may be out of the country atm, here's the contents:

Should you need to organise accommodation in Letterkenny, you may be interested to know that a Student Union approved accommodation list will be available via the SU from the end of July. Tel. Deirdre Devine, S.U. Welfare Officer, (074) 918 6826. We will send this on to you at a later stage.

BTW - registration (for first year computers) will be on Monday 13th September.

justshane

Hey my 3rd year in LTKY. If you like to party alot head for the Ashlawn estate, rent is cheap, 50 a week and your sorted. Dont go nar whitethorn to far away and you wont get parked if you drive. The student appartments opposite the collage are a dive, stay away. Any questions anyone pm me no hassle.