Astor might look like a prison but it’s the most fun you’ll ever have

Above all we’re united in our hate for Ramsay


We’ve all heard rumours about some UCL halls being prison-like.

I didn’t believe them until I got to my one-square-meter room in Astor. Despite the small rooms, we’ve all learnt to love Astor as our new home and we’ve even grown to love the prison-like yellow walls.

Fortunately for us Astor residents, getting a good eight-hour sleep isn’t something we need to worry about, as the parties will keep you up all night, every night.

But soon enough you will learn to embrace the noise and realise that you’ll have plenty of time to sleep (and maybe study) during your second year.

Giving up on sleep will not be a big sacrifice in the end, because Astor people know how to throw the best parties.

This doesn’t mean about pre-drinks, even though there’s plenty of that too. This means parties that will make you reconsider going out to a club afterwards. Because it will seem like you are already in one.

Perhaps it’s because Astor’s long prison-like corridors can make anyone depressed, or because yellow becomes too mainstream for us after a few weeks. The fact is that Astor residents have managed to make an art out of re-decorating the place.
For some, this means having One Direction references everywhere.

Others take it a step further, and bring in urban pieces that could very well be worthy of being displayed at the Tate Modern.

And who says a resident can’t be part of Astor’s very own decoration? This human statue was Spider-Man inspired:

You will become so close to everyone that even doing laundry will become a collective task (see picture bellow). Forget about privacy, everyone will see your dirty knickers at some point during your Astor experience.

On the bright side, this means you will also make friends for life. You will cook nice meals together, you will celebrate Christmas together and you will see each other almost naked when coming out of the shower everyday.

There will be some real family-bonding time. If we have something other halls lack is Astor people truly become a family.

If we have nothing else in common, our hate for Ramsay really keeps us united.

Astor may not be perfect: it may look like a prison, its yellow walls may make you want to become an interior designer to avoid a future crime like that, and you may lack a few days of sleep over the year.

But it is its imperfections that make it unique. At times living here might make you depressed, but once you learn to embrace the craziness you will never want to leave.