Here’s five key things I wish I’d known before living in Pollock

Ah first year, gone in a flash. This means my freshers stint at Edinburgh is officially over, as are my days living in Pollock (although most of my belongings are still in my room RIP).  So, I thought I’d share the top five things I think you should know before moving in. Of course, we’re now all too aware of the Pollock stereotype and the infamous JuJus pres, but it’s time to delve into the real nitty gritty of living in Edinburgh’s most well-known student accommodation and how to ensure you survive the experience.

The toilet paper runs out at the weekend

This is top of our list and potentially the most important thing to know. If you’re not aware it could lead to some very sticky situations (sorry for that visual). As the cleaners don’t work at the weekend, the toilet paper supply can get pretty low by Sunday or even Saturday if you’re really unlucky.

Normally you can find some on the other corridor but the last thing you want to do is find yourself trekking all the way up to the third floor to find some. If you want to come really prepared, add a loo roll or two to your packing list. Better safe than sorry!

No matter how trustworthy you think your fellow floormates are, they will steal your food from the fridge when drunk

 I can’t express the heartbreak I felt when come lunchtime my mac n cheese had been taken from the fridge. That wasn’t the only victim of theft, gone were the grapes, chorizo and cheese, and other people on my corridor went through this tragedy too.

To prevent this, take some protective measures such as wrapping your food in a plastic bag first before putting it in the fridge. Drunk people aren’t at the top of their mental capacity so they’re unlikely to go through the trouble of unwrapping and opening a plastic bag just to see what’s inside.

Most pantries have a freezer! 

So I knew from the moment I checked out our pantry that we had a freezer but I was SHOCKED by the fact that most of my corridor had no idea that the top compartment of the fridge is actually a freezer. Arguably a world away from fancy fridges with the water dispensers. I must’ve pointed out the freezer to at least five different people who walked in on me enjoying my ice lollies with an amazed look on their face.

Sadly, not all of the fridges have a freezer compartment but figure out which pantries do and make your friends accordingly if you want to enjoy the occasional ice cream fix or microwaveable frozen chips (yes they exist, check out Farmfoods on Nicolson Street).

Take your keys with you, always and everywhere

Staff at Pollock take the locking of doors pretty seriously and cleaners will lock your door once they’re done with your room – even if your keys are inside. Don’t be the fool who leaves their keys in their room whilst you head down the corridor for a shower and end up locked out in just a towel as the cleaner has moved on and is nowhere to be found.

Don’t risk a nightmare situation and just take your keys with you if you go anywhere whilst your room is being cleaned.

Finally, Circuit Laundry is the worst

Unfortunately, I don’t have any life-saving tips or solutions for you when it comes to using the washing machines and dryers but just know that they’re the absolute worst.

First of all, I guarantee there will be at least one occasion during your time in Pollock when the machines aren’t working just when you desperately need them. This is bad enough when you’re out of clean underwear, but it becomes even more of a disaster when you find out the machines are down AFTER you’ve already loaded them up and covered your clothes in detergent.

However, for this calamity to actually happen to you have to manage to find a machine that’s free in the first place! All I’m saying is if you’re in urgent need to put on a wash don’t be surprised if you have to make a journey to another laundry room to do so. Just make sure you don’t drop your granny knickers on the walk over.