Everything Leeds freshers need to know about their future halls
Get ready for a year of fun-filled chaos
Congratulations! You got into Leeds. Get ready for a year of Bakery 164 lunches, drunken nights at Mischief and never finding a seat in Eddy B. By now, you’ve probably found out where you’ll be living for the next year. So, whether you got your first choice of Central Village or got unlucky with Sentinal Towers, here’s a list of everything you need to know about each accommodation.
Henry Price
Yes, it’s all single beds but with just a three minute walk (or 30 second sprint) from the University of Leeds campus, Henry Price is not a bad accommodation by any means. If you applied for en suite you might be disheartened with a shared bathroom outcome but, trust me, this is all in good preparation for the horrors you’ll face in your second year house.
Lupton Residences
This may not have been your first choice and the trek to campus might be a pain but people tend to be pleasantly surprised by Lupton. Once you find your people, along with the local Sainsbury’s and Greggs, suddenly life’s not so bad.
Leodis Residences
It’s pretty sociable and not far from campus, although I would pay good money to never face that hill again. There’s a residence cat who everyone has a different name for and the pres you’ll have there will be memories for life.
Charles Morris Hall
You won’t even notice you’re up north because you’ll still be surrounded by your small town southern friends left, right and centre. The sentence on the uni website which reads, “All residents at Charles Morris can enjoy home comforts in their flat/on their corridors, such as flat screen TV” sums up what your year will be like.
CitySide/Central Village
It’s a great location and you’ll definitely be living in luxury. With a diverse crowd you’re bound to find your people whether that’s in your flat or another. Regardless of this, how tough can life be when you have a deluxe cinema room and a touch screen vending machine?
Sentinal Towers
Oh dear. Surrounded by post grads, medicine students and grey corridors this accommodation may not be exactly what you had hoped for. You’ve got the steepest hill and steps from hell to climb every day but at least you get an en suite and Adil’s takeaway next door.
Montague Burton
With big flat sizes there’s plenty of opportunities to make friends. The rats might join you for a pres that will almost definitely get shut down but that’s all part of the fun. The walls are excruciatingly thin but at least you have a cute barbecue area to escape to (when it’s not freezing outside).
Devonshire Hall
The good news is that you’re about to live out your Harry Potter dreams with a Hogwarts-esque building and formal dinners four times a year. The bad news is, much like the Hogwarts prefects do, the Devonshire wardens will shut down pres at the 10pm curfew so Hedley Verity is looking like your best bet.
White Rose View
So, you basically opted for a hotel instead of an accommodation. You may argue against this but when your residence has a gym, games room and library it’s hard to win that battle. With a great location, not far from campus or from town, there’s very little to complain about.
James Baillie Park
Maybe you chose JB because you’re a party animal or maybe you got placed there against your will but, either way, it’s not a bad accommodation. It’s not the closest to campus but the social atmosphere makes it worth the trek and while the sensitive fire alarms might drive you crazy, just be grateful that security’s not unreasonably strict.
Marsden House
If you’re a Beckett student you may have chosen Marsden House.
Although it’s far from both Beckett campuses at least you’ll never have problems socialising with Marsden’s “party house” reputation. However, once the Freshers’ Flu kicks in and you’re craving a quiet night in, be prepared for non-stop noise regardless of the fact Freshers’ Week has finished. It is first year after all.
Carnegie Village
If you study on the Headingly campus this is an ideal location. With decent rooms and a good noise level it’s an ideal space to live in for a year. However, if you’re studying on the City Campus the bad news is you’ll be facing a one hour hike to uni every day.
iQ (in general)
As it’s a private accommodation you’ll have the chance to meet students from a variety of Leeds universities.
The en suite rooms and studio flats are located across three locations; Altus House, Marsden House and iQ Leeds. Maybe it wasn’t your first choice or maybe you heard it can be unsociable but the reality is that, wherever you live in first year, it’s about the friends you make and what you make of it rather than the accommodation itself.
Best of luck with move-in day, freshers!
Related stories recommended by this writer:
• Inside the insane double life of Olympian and Leeds Uni student Keely Hodgkinson
• Mel B receives ‘life changing’ honorary doctorate from Leeds Beckett University
• University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett place in top 20 in new uni rankings for 2024