UCD Accommodation-Postgrad 2011

Ellie1988

Hi, i've been reading around some of the other threads on this topic but alot of the answers seem to be all over the place/conflicting/from a couple of years ago. Basically i'm moving to Dublin to do a postgrad in September (from the North), and want to move into the UCD accommodation to meet people. Because i'll be postgrad i don't really want to live with first years (been there done that!), not to say i don't enjoy drinking and parties but not to the extent new students will be at it! I've read Glenomena is where alot of postgrad students live...but then in another thread people comment that it's actually full of first years! i'm absolutely clueless on this subject so if anyone has any advice on this situation it would be greatly appreciated

Spear

Moved from N&F.

the west wing

I'm in the same boat. I'm starting my MA in September and can't decide where to live. I'm hoping to live on-campus as I've had a few really bad experiences living off-campus. I'm going to apply to Glenomena I think , as it offers rooms where you can live the full year (Summer 2012 included), and also because rooms are ensuite.

Like you I am worried when I see people say lots of first years live there. But I read that when you are applying you can see who else is in your house so at least you can hopefully avoid first years that way. I don't mind the odd party also, but I'm not paying €15-20,000 to do my MA so someone can turn my house into party central!

Hopefully if you can see who else is in the house, this situation can be avoided!

Ellie1988

Yea that's what i'm hoping for...it's good that you can check what year the others in your apartment will be in, though i think that it would be so much handier if they just had designated accomm for ones who are a little bit older and NEED to be at least a little more studious! I think the CAO students are already able to book their accommodation...hopefully that means by the time we can get on to book our rooms next month the younger ones will be sorted and we can try our best to live with people closest to our own age

mc1990

If you apply for glenomena try go for an apartment in either houses 9 or 10; I live in house 9 and think the majority are either postgrads or final year students. Gets noisy from time to time but definitely not as noisy as other areas on campus

the west wing

That sounds good. I'm 23 so I do want a bit of atmosphere about the place but just want to know if I shut my bedroom door I should be able to get a bit of study done.

mc1990

My apartment is quiet enough; there's two MAs, one first year of a graduate course, one phD and two final year undergrads, can study in my room if I feel like it. But there's also an atmosphere so the place isn't completely dead It's definitely an advantage being able to look at who else is living in the apartment before you book, I know I wouldn't be able to live with first years doing an MA!

Ellie1988

Thanks for the info will definately help me when making my decision! i had heard that houses 9 and 10 would be my best options before this so now you've confirmed that for me i'll try to get into one of those houses...hopefully it will be the right balance between work & play-want to do well in school but also want to have fun as my last year as a student!

Nothing against younger years having their fun of course but i don't even think i could keep up with them anymore lol Cheers

supernutrino

Glenomena does have first years, a lot of them.
Yes, next year you will be able to see (8 July application far as I know) who is in the apt, but keep min mind you may be the first to choose it, and 5 first year friends may choose that apt the day after you do.

Postgrads and Freshers ending up in the same apartment has been a HUGE problem this year with a lot of friction but they just won't seperate them.
I think its logical to put postgrads in 9 and 10, because 9 and 10 stay for the full 50 weeks over summer etc, and are more out of the way, get less noise, and leave the houses 1-8 mixed.
But that would be logical, and UCD is running screaming away from anything logical and these days.

Glenomena used to be all final year/postgrad, but their excessive prices caused a demand slump forcing them to open things up.
Also for some reason the policy is to be biased against continuing (2nd and 3rd years as opposed to freshers and finals) students theres only around 250 places for these across ALL res next year, so what you wind up with is two extremes: immature children who are still in the phase where drink and being away from mammy is a really big deal...and cranky postgrads who, by the way they act and talk about said freshers, you'd swear were never 18 themselves.

With that in mind I'd like to make a simple suggestion...postgrads on here band together, someone start a thread and say "hey im a male/female postgrad lets all at least be in the same apts and all go online at the same time and choose the same apts in 9 and 10".
That way your in control and you are separating yourselves from freshers and have less hassle.
Simple

emacdonald

I am in the same boat right now. I'm coming to Ireland from the US to get my masters and I'm trying to decide what to do for housing. I'd like to live on campus to meet more people however it looks like it is just going to be too expensive for me. With the number of students that go to the school and the limited amount of housing available there must be a lot who live off campus in the area. I've checked out daft.ie though it seems most things are still just listed for summer rentals. Any advice for good areas off campus where I can save money but also be near other students? I will be going to Smurfit so that kind of has given me a general area to look in but if I'm going to be in the middle of residential/families it might be worth it to dish out the money for on campus housing.


-Erin

the west wing

supernutrino wrote: »

With that in mind I'd like to make a simple suggestion...postgrads on here band together, someone start a thread and say "hey im a male/female postgrad lets all at least be in the same apts and all go online at the same time and choose the same apts in 9 and 10".
That way your in control and you are separating yourselves from freshers and have less hassle.
Simple

That's a really good idea and one I'd like to pursue. If anyone else is interested in living together either reply on this thread or send me a PM. I think it makes sense for postgrads to try and stick together. I'm female and 23, doing the MA in Library and Information Studies. I know a few mods on Boards who can vouch for my sanity and that I've lived with. If anyone is interested in trying to organise an apartment, let me know!

CerebralCortex

supernutrino wrote: »

With that in mind I'd like to make a simple suggestion...postgrads on here band together, someone start a thread and say "hey im a male/female postgrad lets all at least be in the same apts and all go online at the same time and choose the same apts in 9 and 10".
That way your in control and you are separating yourselves from freshers and have less hassle.
Simple

I like this idea. Is anyone up for it? I'm planning on doing a postgrad and I'm looking for accommodation so...

Ellie1988

Sounds like a good idea to me...i'm 22, female, don't mind who i live with (male/female/where people are from etc isn't an issue for me!) as long as they're sane & friendly

emacdonald

just curious the west wing, what kind of bad experience did you have living off campus? I've heard that mentioned a few times and it makes me a little wary...

the west wing

Hey!

Where do I start??? Well the biggest problem for me was always money. People not paying bills on time or not giving money towards bills. One person stole money that was meant to be for bills (that one put me out €150!!:mad:)

Also just the hassle when it came to ordering stuff like heating oil for the house. That always caused an argument as some wanted to pay hardly anything towards getting oil, and because VAT is high on oil we would end up with little actual oil in the tank, and so it would run out in about a month and we would be in the cold again! Others would be complaining that someone was using too much electricity and would only want pay what they used Totally unworkable!

That's why I like living on campus. You don't have to follow people around for money because it's up to the accommodation office. Also in the house I lived in both the washing machine and the fridge went and it took ages to be replaced. At least on-campus there is someone on hand to fix it.

I know some people have a great time living off-campus but for me it was a nightmare!

CerebralCortex

Well I'm 27, male, doing a MSc in Computer Science. I'm looking for a place with in reasonable distance of UCD with broadband connection and a room of my own. People I'm looking to live with need to be up for setting ground rules, and not in the habit of getting pissy when someone tells them they're making a mess as I've experienced in the past.

the west wing

CerebralCortex wrote: »

Well I'm 27, male, doing a MSc in Computer Science. I'm looking for a place with in reasonable distance of UCD with broadband connection and a room of my own. People I'm looking to live with need to be up for setting ground rules, and not in the habit of getting pissy when someone tells them they're making a mess as I've experienced in the past.

By the sounds of it, you are looking to live off campus? I'm hoping to live on-campus in Glenomena. If you decide to go with the on-campus option I'd be happy to share a house with you.

CerebralCortex

the west wing wrote: »

By the sounds of it, you are looking to live off campus? I'm hoping to live on-campus in Glenomena. If you decide to go with the on-campus option I'd be happy to share a house with you.

Off campus, on campus I'm easy. Okay so where do we go from here?

the west wing

CerebralCortex wrote: »

Off campus, on campus I'm easy. Okay so where do we go from here?

Cool. Well applications for accommodation open on June 8th, so what we could do is pick a house and apartment (for example - House 10, App. 6. Not sure if this is what they are called) and then when we each log in, go to the agreed house and pick our rooms. Then we should be all together, one big bunch of happy postgrads!:D

So does anyone who currently lives in Glenomena want to give us a heads up on any apartments we should avoid in Houses 9 & 10? I know a few when I lived in UL had quite a bit of wear and tear!

Donegal_11

Hi Guys, I'm in the same boat but can't apply on the 8th because my exams results aren't published until the 9th! Did yas already receive your UCD student numbers to apply online?

CerebralCortex

Donegal_11 wrote: »

Hi Guys, I'm in the same boat but can't apply on the 8th because my exams results aren't published until the 9th! Did yas already receive your UCD student numbers to apply online?

Yes I have a student number as I've already been accepted.

the west wing

Ya if you have accepted your offer online you should get an email giving you your student number.

Donegal_11

Thanks! Mine's was only conditional, silly though because I only have to pass my current degree! I'll e-mail them proof on the 9th but they'll probably take ages to distribute the number! I take it yas already paid fees then?

the west wing

I've paid the €500 deposit for the fees when I accepted the offer. You pay the rest when you start. I'm sure the apartment we chose will not have been filled by the 9th so I'm sure you'll be able to get a room in it if you want.

Donegal_11

Oh right, yeah I paid the same amount.. Yeah, hopefully it shouldn't take too long to get a student number and a pin.. Cheers

ConnieB

Hey there,

I was wondering would I be able to hop on the band wagon and join ye guys in yer idea for postgrads joining together? I am male, 24 and moving to dublin in september to do an Msc in Biotechnology at UCD.

I feel the same way as yourselves, I want the benefits of living on campus without so much of the noise. This is exactly the kind of set up I was looking for.

Cheers

the west wing

Ya sure can't see why not? We can decide next week what house/apartment we all want to live in.

insux

Guys incase anyone is interested I have 2 rooms to rent (1 room includes a separate office) when from August in the quiet end of temple bar. PM me for more details, I'm working in UCD, male 28

Works out around the same as on campus accommodation.

ConnieB

Brilliant, il keep an eye out so

emacdonald

If anyone might be interested in organizing something similar but off campus let me know! I'd like to live with some social people but not have to deal with on campus prices / restrictions. I'm thinking of looking around the Merrion / Stillorgan area.

-Erin

Donegal_11

Hi Erin, I may be interested.. However, I'm going to Cape Cod for the summer so I'd be a little weary of leasing a house which I won't have seen because I won't be back in Ireland until September 1st.. A friend of mine studies at Trinity and says that an individual should expect to pay €500 per month then bills on top.. (That's for 3 sharing).

When you take everything into conisderation Campus would work out as cheap and a lot more convenient.

emacdonald

ahh the Cape! I'm from Boston so I know the area well.

It's interesting... when I look on daft.ie at renting a room in a shared apt the prices seemed to be between 350-450 euro per person. As soon as I look at renting the apt as a whole it jumps up to around 500 euro per person. It's still a decent amount cheaper than the 635 a month on campus. I don't know. I would definitely like to live on campus but I guess it's time to sit down and make a pros/cons list and figure it out before the 8th.

Mardy Bum

Donegal_11 wrote: »

Hi Erin, I may be interested.. However, I'm going to Cape Cod for the summer so I'd be a little weary of leasing a house which I won't have seen because I won't be back in Ireland until September 1st.. A friend of mine studies at Trinity and says that an individual should expect to pay €500 per month then bills on top.. (That's for 3 sharing).

When you take everything into conisderation Campus would work out as cheap and a lot more convenient.

Campus is extortionate and is in no way worth the money you pay for it.
There will be plenty of houses that will cost less than 500 a month each too when most leases are up in the middle of summer.

Donegal_11

emacdonald wrote: »

ahh the Cape! I'm from Boston so I know the area well.

It's interesting... when I look on daft.ie at renting a room in a shared apt the prices seemed to be between 350-450 euro per person. As soon as I look at renting the apt as a whole it jumps up to around 500 euro per person. It's still a decent amount cheaper than the 635 a month on campus. I don't know. I would definitely like to live on campus but I guess it's time to sit down and make a pros/cons list and figure it out before the 8th.

Cool, I'm visiting a friend in Boston for a few days! Yeah, I must ask my friend whether prices have come down but I remember her saying last year that I should expect to pay €500.. They visited a few places and they wern't nice at all, even they place they got in the end wasn't great.. Plus they had to take the lease from the start of August!

Internet, Heat, Electricity, Light, TV licence, these are all extra bills.. I'll def know by the middle of June where I want to live!

Donegal_11

This info may be helpful for ya Erin!

http://www.ucd.ie/studentadvisers/practicalinformation/accommodation.html

CerebralCortex

emacdonald wrote: »

If anyone might be interested in organizing something similar but off campus let me know! I'd like to live with some social people but not have to deal with on campus prices / restrictions. I'm thinking of looking around the Merrion / Stillorgan area.

-Erin

I'd be up for this also. What kind of restrictions could we expect on campus?

emacdonald

Thanks for the link Donegal. I have looked at that before but unfortunately it doesn't really sway me one way or another. I also don't understand why you would spend 800 euro more food living off campus than on? Also does anyone know an average price for bills in an apartment? I'm sure there can be a huge range but any examples would be great.

And CerebralCortex from what I've gathered from other posts on the board the reason why there are so many first years living in Glenomena is because they became very strict with having guests over and registered after a certain time. That combined with the price just caused most postgrads to find housing off campus instead.

Donegal_11

emacdonald wrote: »

Thanks for the link Donegal. I have looked at that before but unfortunately it doesn't really sway me one way or another. I also don't understand why you would spend 800 euro more food living off campus than on? Also does anyone know an average price for bills in an apartment? I'm sure there can be a huge range but any examples would be great.

And CerebralCortex from what I've gathered from other posts on the board the reason why there are so many first years living in Glenomena is because they became very strict with having guests over and registered after a certain time. That combined with the price just caused most postgrads to find housing off campus instead.

No problem, yeah that doesn't make sense!

My friend in Ballsbridge pays the following:
Light, heat and electricity between 3 people ~ €100 per week, that is max.
O2 have a broadband deal for student, only €10 per month.
Food = €25 per week, depends on how economical you are.

The problem I would see with off-campus would be perhaps having to pay for things you don't want to use.. For example, a TV licence is approx. €150 per year, just an example!

Raphael

If you don't want to use it, don't have a TV. And TV licenses are, afaik, required if you have a TV in an on-campus residence.

supernutrino

Raphael wrote: »

If you don't want to use it, don't have a TV. And TV licenses are, afaik, required if you have a TV in an on-campus residence.

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa

(tears stream down face)


ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

oh...tv license...oh thats classic!

CerebralCortex

Donegal_11 wrote: »

No problem, yeah that doesn't make sense!

My friend in Ballsbridge pays the following:
Light, heat and electricity between 3 people ~ €100 per week, that is max.
O2 have a broadband deal for student, only €10 per month.
Food = €25 per week, depends on how economical you are.

The problem I would see with off-campus would be perhaps having to pay for things you don't want to use.. For example, a TV licence is approx. €150 per year, just an example!

Are you talking about dongles? You're better off with actual broadband! Better value for money.

emacdonald

I have a few UCDers crashing in my apartment for a few days and we were discussing on campus/off campus living and they've come very close to convincing me to live on campus. It will save me some hassel and since meeting new people is one of my top priorities (after studying for my degree of course!) I think it may be worth it to stay on campus at least for the first semester. I would definitely but up for choosing an apartment with other grad students though!

the west wing

emacdonald wrote: »

I have a few UCDers crashing in my apartment for a few days and we were discussing on campus/off campus living and they've come very close to convincing me to live on campus. It will save me some hassel and since meeting new people is one of my top priorities (after studying for my degree of course!) I think it may be worth it to stay on campus at least for the first semester. I would definitely but up for choosing an apartment with other grad students though!

Well I'm definitely staying on-campus so if anyone else wants to live with me just let me know and we can sort it out!

Glenomena2011

emacdonald wrote: »

I have a few UCDers crashing in my apartment for a few days and we were discussing on campus/off campus living and they've come very close to convincing me to live on campus. It will save me some hassel and since meeting new people is one of my top priorities (after studying for my degree of course!) I think it may be worth it to stay on campus at least for the first semester. I would definitely but up for choosing an apartment with other grad students though!

Just keep in mind: Only international students can book a single semester. Irish UCD students have to book both.

Tupamaros

Doing a masters at UCD from September, wondering about a few things viz accommodation.

Did my undergrad in a different college so know little about UCD and don't know anyone studying there. As a postgrad was thinking more of somewhere off campus, preferably with other UCDers and postgrads even better. Would be looking at a 12 month lease Sept 2011 - Sept 2012 possibly.

Is it practical to live in the city centre, or would you be better off living out near the place, or even going on campus as a newbie but postgrad?

Any thoughts appreciated.

the west wing

Just a quick update. So far 4 of us have decided to get an apartment on-campus in Glenomena. Applications for residence on-campus open tomorrow so if anyone else wants to join our merry little group please pm me as soon as possible.

ailsk

interested in joinin the group...28 n doin h.dip in psychology. bit anxious bout gettin thrown in with rowdy 1st yrs...

supernutrino

ailsk wrote: »

interested in joinin the group...28 n doin h.dip in psychology. bit anxious bout gettin thrown in with rowdy 1st yrs...

I thought you were saying theres 28 of you doing the h.dip and lookin for an apt, I was about to say theres only 6 rooms to an apt

eleni_som

hey guys!i'm new here. i would like to ask you whether you know if there are apartments or rooms for couples in the residences?
I'm going to ucd with my boyfriend for postgr so things are tough regarding accommodation.
If someone else is willing to live with us off campus, feel free to contact.

And by the way, is SIS WEB still not available?

supernutrino

hey guys!i'm new here. i would like to ask you whether you know if there are apartments or rooms for couples in the residences?

Couples can book together, but for the sake of your room mates, who even if you try not to you will drive insane, and your relationship, dont.

I'm going to ucd with my boyfriend for postgr so things are tough regarding accommodation.

Get apt across from each other (the next closest number say)

eleni_som

supernutrino wrote: »

Couples can book together, but for the sake of your room mates, who even if you try not to you will drive insane, and your relationship, dont.




Get apt across from each other (the next closest number say)

what do you mean??
So aren't there double bedrooms?? If not, it's difficult to stay there??


Does anyone know about how much you pay for bills off campus?