DCU 2012 Accommodation Thread **MOD WARNING POST #48**

smeal

Looks like no first years will be heading for shanowen if the first installment is due August 15th. It's mad how quickly accommodation is filling up this year.

Diamondsandrose

smeal wrote: »

Looks like no first years will be heading for shanowen if the first installment is due August 15th. It's mad how quickly accommodation is filling up this year.

Actually first years have until 24th august. So true though accommodation is flying!

Vista255

What would be considered the next best accommodation for first years if shanowen gets fully booked?

Petra157

Shanowen Hall?

smeal

Vista255 wrote: »

What would be considered the next best accommodation for first years if shanowen gets fully booked?

Did you apply for Larkfield? If not probably Gateway, Schoolhouse Apartments or Hazelwood. Or you could start looking for a house to share with people, on a 9/10month lease:)

Vista255

iv heard mixed opinions about larkfield and gateway, but i havnt got to talk to someone who has stayed in either isn't hazelwood really far away from DCU? would it be too late to apply once the offers come out? at the moment its the no.1 thing on my to do list once i get an offer

polkabunny

Vista255 wrote: »

iv heard mixed opinions about larkfield and gateway, but i havnt got to talk to someone who has stayed in either isn't hazelwood really far away from DCU? would it be too late to apply once the offers come out? at the moment its the no.1 thing on my to do list once i get an offer

I stayed in Gateway, it's prefectly fine, the rooms are a nice size and there's some stuff in the kitchen. We had an oven/grill/hob, fridge/freezer, microwave, kettle, toaster and a television with some UPC channels - the bedroom doors were also lockable from the inside and outside too, so you got your privacy. The only downfall is sharing a bathroom, but one flatmate used to be up and gone by 7, I'd usually be up at half 7, and the other would get up at any point after 8 or 9, so there was no issue with bathrooms. Gateway has Super Valu, Firehouse Pizza take away, a leisure centre and a pharmacy right beside (there's other stuff, but stay away from them). You also have Tesco just beyond Super Valu in the shopping centre, though it does close early. I loved living in Gateway, they're not too strict on the rules as long as you keep the noise down and it's a nice 20 minute walk to the college.

Diamondsandrose

Not sure this is entirely relevant in an accommodation thread, but can anyone advise areas/places/pubs/businesses NOT to go in the DCU area. I'm not familiar with dublin and don't want to wander into the wrong places in September!

Oh and of course any recommendations are welcome too

Zhavey

Hmmm... these stories I have read about the Larkfield area worry me slightly, haha! Is there no positives to living there? :P I am student that will hopefully going into DCU...

Noodleworm

The positives to Larkfield mainly involve the location. You are right on the campus. Meaning you can go Library or gym at all hours, go to society events in the evenings. Go back to your apartment to get lunch instead of wasting money in the canteen.... etc etc.

It was also nice to only have one house mate for the first year. Simple. But the downsides usually involve the fact some people want to party, and can't due to regulations, and quieter people get fed up with hearing those peoples attempts at parties.

smeal

If you're outgoing and willing to make friends then Larkfield is a great place to make first year friends outside of your course.

I didn't stay there last year as I wasn't accepted but often stayed with my friends there.

Downfalls

• There are only two bedrooms seperated by a small kitchen and a little bathroom so you'll basically be living in your bedroom as a lot of idiots damaged the common rooms last year and as far as I know they were shut most of the year?
• There's no television or anything like that if you were expecting one
• It's a bit too pricey for what you get in my opinion especially as there is no sitting area/place to chill when you get sick of looking at the four walls of your bedroom unless u go and chill in someone elses four walls:P
• If you end up with a room mate who is completely opposite to you or generally unfriendly and doesn't want to get to know you then you're stuck. I know one or two people who this unfortunately happened to and they basically had to live in other peoples apartments for the year as they felt uncomfortable. More than likely this won't happen as most people do get on with their roomies or become best friends with them. I'm just saying it's a possibility and you should be aware of it.

Pros

• You'll make a lot of friends if you try. Get out into the corridors your first night there and join in the excitement with all the other first years.
• You're back on campus, less than 5 mins to most lectures, next door to the gym, next door to the library, next door to the hub if anythings happening.
• If you're a party person the party people always tend to stick together and have parties in someones house who does enjoy parties. I don't think theres a lot of cases where one person would have a party if his room mate didn't agree to it. Like i said, theres always a few who always have the pre drinks and that'll be quickly decided in the first few weeks:)

In my opinion the biggest advantage is the friends benefit. I wish I could have made a lot more first year friends who were outside my course. Obviously I did make plenty of friends in college but the Larkfield family is great:) (Moving into the Hampstead family this year tho and cannot wait!) Biggest con would be the lack of room and the price you pay for literally 4 walls (I think it's just over 4000euro for the year, about 110euro a week) but if you make the most of it it'd be worth it I'd say:)

Garefield

I am looking at renting a room in Hazelwood. They are usually around 400/month for the room. However I saw that an entire 4 bed Hazelwood apartment is up for rent. If I could find 3 other people who would be interested in teaming up then we could all save a load of money!

So if you are interested in a new, clean single en suite room in an apartment in Santry that is about 20min (if even) walk from DCU with bus connections to the city, for only 340/month (ie. 85/week), please PM me. It doesn't get cheaper than this for something this nice (trust me I've looked).This just seems like a great opportunity to me and I don't see why we should pay more for accommodation than is necessary!

http://www.hazelwood.ie/ (that's the complex the apt. is in)

Send me a message if you want more info.
Sandra

Yer_Wan

Are Shanowen Halls strict when it comes to overnight guests?

joy28

Anyone looking for digs or student accomodation two rooms in house close to DCU. you can contact me here. Pictures included!

excalaber

Gracepark Manor
single-75 per week
double ensuite-95 per week..............(both with bills not included)
email for details....<SNIP>

EmmaDoc

Heya.. Id say i'll be headin to dcu in september and my friend is hopefully going to st.pats too. I heard that the colleges were pretty close to each other so we were thinking of living with each other! Does anyone know of a good safe area to live in that would be central to both colleges which would be full of 1st years and be wild craic? Thanks guys

Konata

Please note - rooms may be advertised here but ALL correspondence must be done via PM. Any e-mail addresses or telephone numbers will be removed promptly. Repeated offenders will be infracted.

Yer_Wan

When are Shanowen Halls room numbers given out? I got an acceptance email but it didn't say a room on it and I need to send it back before next Monday

RoebuckWilson

Hey all,

Anyone looking for a single room in Drumcondra area?

Houseshare with 2 others. House is in great nick, new kitchen, decent living space. In quiet residential area, opposite Ivy House; off the main road but within 5 minutes walk of main bus routes. 15 minute walk to town.

€400 p/m, with €400 deposit.
PM if you want more details.

Viewing from next Monday - August 27th.

shteve

Hey folks,

I am starting a postgrad in DCU this September. Never lived in Dublin before, so not entirely sure of the area. Hoping to get a house share with other postgrad/final years.

I have looked on daft etc, but the majority are 1 year leases (I was hoping for a 9 month lease). So if anyone has a room free please give me a message!

Nitsuj

Hey,
So I filled out the application form for accommodation in maybe April or early May and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get an offer for computer apps tomorrow in DCU.

Once I get the course (again, almost certain I'm getting it), what do I do for these dorms/rooms? Am I gonna get an email?
I have heard that you have to be quick on paying for the rooms on the website as it's fist come first served. When is this happening and what are the steps to doing so? What's the website? Apart from a credit card to pay with, what else do I need?

Oh, and which dorms would you recommend? I want it to be close, so I wouldn't need to pay for buses everyday.

Cheers.

Laura says

Nitsuj wrote: »

Hey,
So I filled out the application form for accommodation in maybe April or early May and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get an offer for computer apps tomorrow in DCU.

Once I get the course (again, almost certain I'm getting it), what do I do for these dorms/rooms? Am I gonna get an email?
I have heard that you have to be quick on paying for the rooms on the website as it's fist come first served. When is this happening and what are the steps to doing so? What's the website? Apart from a credit card to pay with, what else do I need?

Oh, and which dorms would you recommend? I want it to be close, so I wouldn't need to pay for buses everyday.

Cheers.

If you're talking about the rooms on campus, they're usually offered a few days after the offers. . however bear in mind, not everybody will get offered a room. Only those with over 500 points are guaranteed a place, after that it's allocated randomly.
That's the mistake I made last year, I definitely thought I'd be offered a room on campus and didnt have a back up, meaning that when the campus offers were made a few days after the cao offers, alot of the good off campus accommodation was full up!
If you want to check out specifically student apartments, the best and closest are. . shanowen square (which as far as I'm aware is fully booked already) second to that, shanowen halls,then gateway and then hazelwood. All are within walking distance, shanowen about 5 minutes. Gateway about 10/15 minute walk and hazelwood 25 minute.
With regards payment, as far as I know, you can pay by cheque, bank transfer or with cash in person.
If I were in the same position again, I would start organising accommodation as soon as the offers are made- its a rats race! :L

Nitsuj

Ah ****, I only got 445, so I guess I have to look elsewhere. How exactly do you apply/buy rooms in shanowen halls, gateway or hazelwood? Are these places also owned by DCU? And what are the prices like?

Laura says

Nitsuj wrote: »

Ah ****, I only got 445, so I guess I have to look elsewhere. How exactly do you apply/buy rooms in shanowen halls, gateway or hazelwood? Are these places also owned by DCU? And what are the prices like?

It doesnt mean you wont get offered a place in larkfield, you're just not guaranteed it! they say it's randomly allocated, but I myself think the further from Dublin you are, the greater your chances. . also if you were on a programme like HEAR or ACCESS, because Im pretty sure they offer subsidised on campus accommodation in DCU.
No, the other apartment complexes aren't owened by dcu and the prices vary, obviously shanowen being more expensive than gatweay and gateway then more expensive than hazelwood because of the distances to dcu.
Each have a website;
http://shanowenhall.com/
http://gsv.ie/
http://hazelwood.ie/
Your other options would be to rent a room in a privately owned house with other students, or to look into digs. . alot of students take this options aswell, pros and cons to both

Creidim

When will the offers be made for Larkfield??

Laura says

Creidim wrote: »

When will the offers be made for Larkfield??

I dont know about this year, but last year. . . the cao offers were made on the monday and the campus offers were made 2 days later on the wednesday, I presume it'll be similiar this year

smeal

Yeah offers for Larkfield were made about 2 days after the results via email. Complete lottery as I applied for accommodation at the very beginning when the Larkfield applications opened and my friend applied on the last day for applying and she got it and I didn't and she didn't have 500 points.

http://www.dcuaccommodation.ie/ there's the link and knowing campus residences they'll want an installment in the next 2 weeks or so i'd imagine.

nuggetclv

Yer_Wan wrote: »

When are Shanowen Halls room numbers given out? I got an acceptance email but it didn't say a room on it and I need to send it back before next Monday

I'm staying there next year too (subject to repeats ) I'd imagine you have to forward the Licence Agreement before they'll assign you a room. Needs to be in by the 29th, so save it from the email, sign and send it in

nermal15

Double room available!

Double room available in a modern and spacious two bedroom apartment in a safe complex off Clonliffe Road (close to Drumcondra). Would suit Mater Dei, St. Pats or DCU (one bus away) students. Would be sharing with a female third year student from Mater Dei. Rent 500 pm. Privacy and comfort guaranteed! PM if interested and want more details.

Nitsuj

So when are we going to get room offers? I signed up for DCU accommodation and put Larkfield as the first preferance (I hear they don't really care about that though). I accepted the CAO offer to do comp apps in DCU.

Oh and I hear the people who got 500+ points get it first?
I was eligible for the HEAR scheme, btw.

Should I wait a little longer or look for an apartment somewhere else?