10 things you need to know before moving to Crown Place

You’re about to fall in love with blackout blinds


Let’s face it: Crown is every Fresher’s first choice accommodation. Maybe it’s the decent location or not having to share a bathroom with a load of strangers on your first day of moving in, living in Crown does have its advantages but like everything in life, there are downsides.

Even though rolling out of bed and heading to a lecture five minutes away from you is the biggest uni flex out there, there’s still some warnings Freshers should hear to be prepared. As I was quite frankly not prepared for life in Crown, here’s a list of 10 things to know about living in Crown (by an ex-veteran of the accommodation for all the lucky freshers who got their first choice halls).

 

It’s always hot

We all know bringing a thick duvet, too many decorative pillows and god knows how many blankets from Urban Outfitters will really set your box room aside from all the other identical people who thought the exact same but give it a week and they’ll all be discarded for a paper-thin blanket because as every ex-resident knows- Crown is ALWAYS boiling hot.

It doesn’t matter if it’s -5 outside and there’s ice on the ground, you will always be in a t-shirt still sweating at your desk trying to cram in a last-minute assignment so you can go to the pub or stood in the kitchen with all the windows open trying to cook a decent meal for the first time in weeks. Of course, there are worse things to worry about than your room being too hot but when all of your mates from Greenbank and Vine are braving the night out in a t-shirt, you’ll be there shivering in a coat wishing you were back in the sauna that is your bedroom.

Don’t go to the Tesco express next to the Greggs for your weekly shop

 Being a student is hard, don’t make it harder for yourself by spending £50 on basic food that you could easily get from Lidl or Jack’s that are both a tiny walk away, think about all the pints you could buy yourself if you stopped spending close to £2 on a bell pepper. We all fall short to just how close the Tesco is from your flat and despite the arguably great music they play in there, please leave your Tesco shop for when you need a quick meal deal between lectures or when you’ve forgotten to buy mixer for pres.

Despite what people may say, no block is significantly better than another

 As a G block veteran, I’m well aware of the argument that blocks A to F are sooo much better but it genuinely depends on who your flatmates are and what your floor is like. Blocks are assigned randomly so don’t feel downhearted if you’re put in G or H block, even if the other blocks get that nice courtyard to smoke in, just think that they’ve all got yet another set of gates to open when their hands are full of shopping from their trip to Lidl (not Tesco of course).

 Make the most of being close to everything

 Once you’re a second-year waiting in the rain for the bus to take you to town or trying to round up all of your housemates into the Uber at the end of the night, the short walk up Brownlow hill will feel years away. Sure you won’t miss feeling like you’ve just run a marathon after walking back from the night out but it’s far better than having to be that person who has to individually ask everyone for their contribution to the taxi.

Don’t leave it till the absolute last minute to get up for a lecture or seminar

 Despite a lot of lectures being online for the foreseeable future, when they resume as normal do not fall into the trap of waking up three minutes before your 9 am (we’ve all been there). Nothing gets your Friday started like running across campus for your seminar then having to sit, sweaty, and out of breath for the duration with last night’s make-up on and your hair still dripping wet from your shower. The main attraction to Crown is its perfect location; it’s where everything regardless of your course is within short walking distance but despite this, do try to get up slightly earlier to save yourself the embarrassment of walking into a lecture late with everyone staring at you.

Get on the good side of the RA’s

 Picture it, you’ve finally moved to uni, away from your small home-town and away from your parents ringing you on every night out to check when you’re coming home to suddenly you meet the resident advisor for your floor. The RA’s jobs are basically to come and tell you all to shut up when pre’s are going on past 11 pm (not sure this will be too handy when the pubs shut at 10) but still, if you speak to them very nicely, they may give you an extra half an hour or if you’re really lucky, just pretend that they haven’t heard you.

 

Don’t take the blackout blind for granted

 Once you get to second-year and you’re being woken up at 7 am every morning by the sun shining through the useless, basically see through blinds in your room, you’ll think back to the lovely slab of wood rolled across your window with fond memories. Sure it doesn’t look too appealing but stick on some photos of you and your mates at Shindie or Heebies and you’ll appreciate it so much more but also remember to set an alarm because there is no sun creeping through that blind to wake you up in time for your 9 am.

 

Make the effort to catch the bus to Smithdown at least once

 Sure the idea of staying in bed all day sounds appealing, but if on the off chance it’s not raining for once, get some of your mates together and some echo falls and catch the bus to Sefton Park. Living in the city centre of course has its advantages and if you’re from a small town it’s great to finally be away from the endless fields and parks, but every once in awhile, it’s nice to get away and relax in the fresh air. Despite sounding like a middle-aged mum, there’s nothing that cures Fresher’s-Flu like non-polluted air and sun, and of course raspberry Lucozade (a personal recommendation). While you’re there maybe stop off at the Brookhouse, chances are it’ll be your local next year.

Make sure you’re in a good mood before deciding to do your washing

 There is no feeling quite like dragging all of your laundry down to reception to find that all of the washing machines are full or out of order. The laundry app is notorious for never actually working and don’t even bother trying to use the cards from the machine. Advice- save your washing for a day when you’re not in a bad mood, nothing tops off a shit day like carrying your soaking wet clothes back up to your flat because waiting in the washing room for a minute longer to use the tumble dryer will actually turn you insane.

Always remember to take your key with you wherever you go

 Imagine, it’s 2 am, you’ve run out of your flat in minimal pajamas to grab some crisps and none of your flatmates are around to judge you for it when you hear the all too familiar sound of your bedroom door slamming shut, locking your precious key inside of it. Unless you’re lucky enough to live above reception, you’ll be faced with the painfully long walk to get a replacement key to have to walk all the way back down to return it.  Keep your lanyard around your neck when you’re in your room, just don’t wear it out in public, we’ve all been there but nothing screams fresher quite like wearing your lanyard weeks after you’ve moved in.

 

So there you have it: Go to Lidl, get a thin duvet, and befriend the RA’s. Although this year in halls may be different to those before, there’s no reason as to why you can’t make it memorable. Wash those hands, stay safe, and have a good one.

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