The Alternative EEE Freshers Guide: Accommodation

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• Introduction
• The Course
• UROP
• Department Facilities
• Facilities On and Off Campus
• Living in Halls
• Get a life
• Finding Accommodation
• A Day in the Life of...
• The Authors

It could be said that an Imperial College Electronic Engineer's second year at university is the most horrific of their life. From the warmth and comfort of first year, you are thrown into a seemingly endless downward spiral of coursework, group projects, tutorials and exams in subjects you can hardly spell, let alone revise. All this, however, seems like nothing when compared to the pain and torment that can be ...............

Finding Accomodation

Everyone knows someone who has had trouble with housing; tales of dodgy landlords, leaking roofs or neighbours with a taste for drum and bass pop up regularly like urban myths. Like the friend of a friend who had his front door stolen by drug addicts, and had to buy it back from them so they didn't beat him up.

In fact, the boring truth is that neither the second year of this course or student accommodation in London are as bad as they may seem. Most second years seem to stumble through the year without too much complaint, and most London students are quite happy with where they live. The key to not becoming an urban myth is to follow some simple guidelines about where to live, how to find it, who to live with and who not to live with.

Your first task is to decide who you want to live with. Most people end up living with people they lived with in hall. You then have a vague idea of how well you will get on under the same roof. Unfortunately you have no idea what it's truly like to live with someone until all contracts have been signed and you've all moved in. This seems to be the time when what was once a mild irritation can turn into open warfare. It is very important to check that the drinking, drug taking and toenail clipping habits of future housemates are compatible with yours. If you get your choices right, it can go a long way to making your time at university one of the best experiences of your life.

London is a vibrant and diverse place - living in Camden is a completely different experience to, say, living in Battersea. It is a good idea in your first year to get out to as many different places as possible. As unlikely as it may seem, the student union will eventually lose its appeal. This may take as long as the second week for some people. Seeing what else London has to offer will not just be more fun, it will be indispensable research when it comes to deciding where to live after the first year. The best place to look for inspiration is Time Out Magazine, which is available at a discounted price from the Union Shop and published every Wednesday.

Unfortunately, many places that seem like a great place to live are completely out the range of most students. Rent in Zone 1 will rarely be less than £100 a week, and within a twenty minute walk of college you would be lucky to find anywhere for less than £110. Scale this up to a nine-month contract and it will cost you well over £4000. So much for the student loan! There are many places within easy reach of college that generally have affordable rates. In particular, Hammersmith, Battersea, Bayswater and Putney are all popular territories for Imperial students, and would be good places to start looking.

When you know who you want to live with and where you want to live, you have to go about getting a place. For some, this can be one of the most traumatic experiences of your life. Others may painlessly take the first place they see. It all depends on luck and desperation. The best places to start looking are the Imperial and University of London housing offices. As well as producing lists of suitable housing, they can be an invaluable source of information and advice both before and after finding accommodation. Here, you often have the benefit of being able to secure a place without having to move in straight away. It is a great weight off your mind to know you have somewhere to live for the next year before you return home for summer. The alternative is to take part in the annual September free-for-all of searching through Loot and phoning a seemingly endless list of estate agents. This is frustrating, but can be made a lot easier if the task is split between the group of people looking. Generally you will be able to find higher quality accommodation in Loot than from the housing offices.

Thankfully, the days of running water and heating being luxury extras for students have gone. But you should always be realistic. On a student budget, you cannot expect an en-suite Jacuzzi or putting-green in the garden. There are however some things you should check will be present, such as beds, desks, wardrobes or a washing machine. Don't just assume that because it's there when you view the place it will be there when you move in. The ULU accommodation office website has an excellent checklist of things to look for and ask when you view potential accommodation. This is first time that you see how good your choice of housemates was. Making sure everyone would be happy in a place, especially with their own bedroom, is a task that would challenge a trained negotiator. Compromises can be difficult, and are often overcome merely through the desperation to have somewhere to live.

The stress of finding somewhere to live is reconciled with the exhilaration you will feel when you first move in to your new place. This may be your first true taste of independence, the first time you've actually had your own place. And what better way to celebrate this than to have a massive house party. Although I heard that a friend of a friend had his house party taken over by gangsters who tried to set fire to his living room. Maybe it's best to not let the horror stories worry you.

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