Peter Twomey
Web Editor
With the beginning of term only a few weeks away, the rush to sort out a place to live for the next nine months is truly underway. For junior freshman, who have only just discovered where and what they will be studying next year, this search is all the more daunting. To abet those fears somewhat, we have put together a guide to make house hunt that little bit easier.
Trinity Hall
Finding accommodation can often be a struggle for students as there are so many others rushing to find the cheapest places to stay. It’s especially hard for students living in built up cities like London because places offering student accommodation are usually filled instantly. Students then have to look for accommodation elsewhere and rent from landlords. If they’re lucky, they will like where they stay and use the lease extension calculator on Erikas Grig to find out how much is will be to extend their lease until the end of their course. However, not everyone is that lucky and some will need to find a better place for them to rent.
At this stage, no first year knows whether they are living in Trinity Hall next year. In fact, the wait is a drawn out one and is, unfortunately, often a cruel one as places are limited. One thing that must be noted is that the further your home postcode, the more likely you are of getting a place. This means that Cork and Donegal natives are often chosen while those from Kildare usually have to look elsewhere.
If you are lucky enough to get a place in Trinity Hall, you can look forward to one of the best years of your life. Usually, you will be sharing an apartment with 4 or 5 others, if you plump for the ‘modern accommodation’ option and the bedrooms and kitchens are more than adequate. Cunningham House is a cheaper option, but the facilities are quite dated and it means that you will have to share bathroom facilities with others. Still, I don’t know anyone who stayed there who had too many qualms about Cunningham living.
Negar Sharafi gives her insight on a year living in Trinity Halls:
‘I was living in halls last year (I moved to Ireland in September just before college started) and I think that the best option for foreign students like myself for first year is definitely living in halls. I only found out I was coming to trinity about 2 weeks before fresher’s and it would have been soo stressful if I’d had to look for an apartment online from Germany without being able to look at any of them, so the opportunity to live in halls was really great. also, generally foreign students wouldn’t know dublin very well, so even with enough time to look for a place, the pros and cons of living in a certain area are hard to know. Even now after a year in Dublin I still had to ask some of my friends from Dublin fro advice on the best areas to live in.
Other than that, halls is pretty amazing because of the social aspect, which is especially good for foreign students who don’t know anyone in Dublin (or ireland), but in general it makes it so much easier to get to know people outside of your course with different interests etc.
Of course there are also cons to living in halls, such as the wardens, the fact that it’s not very close to college, and there are of course people who don’t get along with anyone in their flat. One of my friends was sharing a room with someone he didn’t know before and eventually the other guy moved out because it absolutely wasn’t working. I was pretty lucky with the girls in my flat and we got along great, but have many friends who didn’t get along with their flatmates at all. At the start of the year you basically just move into a flat with 5 strangers and you’re forced to try and get along, so I’d say halls is definitely not for people who find it difficult to compromise and get used to/get along with different types of people. And, if you just want to be left alone and study, don’t come to halls either because I found it to be a social place above all. Studying can be very difficult, especially in exam period when a lot of people are already finished with their exams. on the upside there’s always someone to talk to and hang out with, so in halls you’ll never be lonely.
if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely choose halls for first year, but next year I’m going to be living closer to college with two friends, because I think halls is not as much fun without all the people and it is a bit far away.’
The main problem with TCD’s student accomodation is not quality, but quantity. Where in UCC and UCD one can complete their course while living in college accomodation for their whole 3 or 4 years, TCD students are lucky to get 2 years. First years aren’t even guaranteed places, as Rory O’ Donovan discovered in 2008:
‘Towards the end of the summer of 2008, I received a bulky package from Trinity College Dublin welcoming me to Ireland’s finest university. The ‘welcome’ was perhaps the only reassuring part of the package, the bulk of it was made up of seemingly endless lists of things I needed to do before the beginning of the college year. Coming from England, applying for a place in Halls went straight to the top of my priority list. Perhaps naively, I wasn’t particularly worried about the chances of my application being rejected. Firstly, the vast majority of universities in England guarantee some sort of accommodation for first year students and, secondly, I lived outside of Ireland, surely I would be given a place? Just a few short weeks before term began, I was informed that my application had been rejected. Actually, I wasn’t even informed. A list was published with the student numbers of those whose applications had been accepted; mine wasn’t on it. Looking back, it would be easy to say I took this on the chin, dusted myself off and got busy finding somewhere to sleep at night. But I didn’t. I was leaving home for a new city, to attend a prestigious university, and I had nowhere to live. I was shitting myself.
The 'Modern Accommodation' option in Trinity Hall
Thankfully I got in touch with friends in Dublin and eventually managed to find myself somewhere to live with relatively little stress. But I know countless people who weren’t so lucky. I know students from abroad who were also rejected from Halls and who didn’t know a soul in Ireland, let alone Dublin. Naturally, they sought advice from the accommodation office of the university they were coming to attend. Disappointingly, their desperate pleas fell on relatively deaf ears. Most were advised to travel to Dublin, to (maybe) get a room on campus for a few days and to go about conquering the mission of finding a home alone. One student remembers this time with little fondness: ‘Having been rejected from Halls I called and was told to come to Dublin and find somewhere to live. I was informed that a notice board had been established – how very good of them – with adverts for houses and apartments for students. When I asked why this ‘notice board’ wasn’t online so that international students could at least have the security of knowing they had a few viewings arranged, I was told that it ‘just wasn’t possible’. Another time I rang I was assured by the lady who answered that I was ‘sure to meet other students in the accommodation office in the same situation and could look for somewhere to live with them’. Now I was as open minded as the next fresher, but, call me old-fashioned, I wasn’t too sure that desperation was the best terms on which to move in with a person.’
Non-Offcial Student Accommodation
So, if it is the case that you’ve failed to get college accomodation there are a number of issues that you must be aware of before starting your house hunt and choosing where to live. First off, take your time, don’t rush into accepting just any old dump. Every single day new property becomes available so keep checking the ever reliable daft.ie and property.ie and you’ll eventually find somewhere. If you’re after somewhere to live in Sheffield for uni, check out the range of student accommodation Sheffield has to offer. The dangers of going gung ho and moving in to the first place you find are illustrated by Ronan Costello:
‘In late August 2007, just around the time first years are given notice of whether they’ll be living in Halls, I went up to Dublin on the accommodation hunt with two school friends who were going to UCD. We had made a deal to live together, figuring that Rathmines would be a good halfway ground between the two universities. We didn’t view many places and we were ignorant to the whole process of leasing and the standards one should expect of an apartment. Anyway, we ended up viewing a basement apartment on Leinster Rd. The landlord was very charming and sold the place as being suited to our needs. It was an absolute hovel. A glorified cave. It stank of damp and mould, there was very little natural light. The bathroom was a joke, wedged underneath the stairs that lead up to the front door of the house. This meant that I would have to bend my neck sideways all year when I was taking a piss. The heating didn’t work and there were mice living in the couch. All in all, it was a desperate choice. It was made all the worse when, after we’d signed the lease, I received an email telling me that I had been given a modern ensuite apartment in Halls. When you find your place don’t forget to find a something similar to Local removal company in glasgow. A friend told me having a local team really helped her because they gave her some useful advice on how to navigate their new city.
All that being said, it was the best year of my life. Whatever it is about first year and the excitement that goes with it, all the faults of the flat became hilarious. Still, I’d never live there again. ‘
You must also keep in mind that not all property is available to students. Many landlords prefer, for obvious reasons, to rent to a ‘young professional’ than have to deal with a student, we really do have a bad reputation. Laura Morley experienced the negative student attitude first hand last May:
‘After weeks and weeks of trawling daft.ie on a daily basis, my roommate and I had finally found the perfect property. In an amazingly central location, the newly refurbished apartment was exactly what we’d spent hours looking for. We quickly scheduled a viewing, and the minute we stepped inside we knew that it was the place for us. The perfect size for two people sharing, the apartment was less than three minutes walk from campus, and less than five minutes away from Grafton St. Immediately, we let the auctioneer know that were interested. However, as soon as he thanked us and left, the waiting game began. Much to our dismay, we were informed that the property owners had no interest in our custom and were in fact on the lookout for “young professionals” to occupy their apartments.
This was the main problem I encountered in my house-hunt; the stereotypical view of students held by many a property owner. The idea of droves of unkempt young people leaking beer on their brand new carpets, and using their coffee tables as ash trays, is one which I am sure the majority of landlords would rather live without. However, we weren’t ready to give up just yet, and it turned out that a few persistent phone calls and a guarantor’s letter or two from our parents could change the owners’ minds. After a few weeks of panic (I had gotten a job in Dublin for the summer and desperately needed a place to stay) we finally moved into our apartment on a specially adapted year long lease. We may have stricter house rules than many of our peers, but it’s certainly worth it to be able to live where we do.’
In TCD there certainly exists a pretense on where you live. In fact, many rule out completely the option of moving north of the Liffey and embracing an odd-numbered postcode. What students must realise is that the north side has one massive benefit – cost. Nearly all northern districts represent a huge savings in rent, even though they contain the exact same local amenities as the equivalent southern areas. Such cost savings also includes areas within a 20-25 minute walking distance to TCD, which is difficult to argue against.
Many, however, feel that these areas are dangerous. To be honest, it is difficult to comment on the safety of such places without experiencing its day-to-day happenings. What can be said though is that reputations often precede the realities of an area, places are never as bad as people imagine.
Doreen Burke heralds the benefits of northern living:
‘I lived with friends just off Dorset Street last year and it worked out really well. It was only a 20 minute walk from college, loads of buses, Drumcondra train station nearby, really well serviced by airport buses as well. From what I’ve heard, a lot of people seem to be a bit prejudiced towards living on the north side of the city thinking its too far away from college, or that its a bit dodgy or whatever, but the rent is often a lot cheaper and I’ve never experienced any trouble in my area. You can get a good place from 200/250 per month, which definitely surpasses most of the south-side prices. Smithfield, Bolton Street, Dorset St, Phibsboro, Drumcondra are all worth a look.’
Things to keep in mind before deciding where to live:
Steer clear
– Suburban areas may be cheaper, but you must factor in transport costs which can be as high as €100 monthly.
– New property is nearly always cheaper to run, especially around winter when heating bills can mount.
– Also, with old property, always check for dampness and mold. These can cause health problems, especially in the winter months.
– Keep checking websites like Daft.ie and Property.ie, new property is uploaded here daily but interest is high at the moment and nice places will move quickly
– Just because you pay the deposit doesn’t mean you got the accommodation.
– Factor in added costs associated with all property – such as waste and electricity. Just because you can afford the basic rent rate, doesn’t mean you can afford the house or apartment.
– Always try to haggle, the rent offered is the most a landlord s hoping to achieve and many will be persuaded to lower or throw in extras.
Living at Home
Most students from Dublin, however, aren’t afforded the same opportunities as their rural brethren and live at home during their time at college. This however can bring positives. If, for example, you are doing a high-intensity course like medicine, the luxuries that living at home entails can be a massive aid when it comes to study and exams. Instead of having to worry about cooking, paying the bills… more time can be devoted to getting work done. And it’s cheaper, a lot cheaper.
This obviously comes at a high non-financial cost though – independence. The main benefit of moving out is an immediate increase in maturity, which is probably worth more than a weekly fillet mignon. A lot of students who stay at home during their time at university find their experiences there to be more of a secondary school part II. They keep the same friends and lead the same life as they did in school, but it’s a tough cycle to brake away from, it’s safe.
Jack Leahy gives his personal experience of living at home:
‘Jack, do you have anything for the wash?’ – both my favourite and my least favourite question. Of course I have something for the wash, I’m a student, but when I hand over my socks and shirts, I also hand over my autonomy.
Living at home during College is difficult, especially if, like me, you’re in a course filled with Halls- and rented accommodation-dwellers. I hate that look of sympathy cast in my direction by classmates who have all the freedom in the world, whereas I head home for 6pm family dinner like clockwork. ‘Oh. you’re living at home are you? I couldn’t manage that’, they say. Yeah well, neither can I.
It’s not that I have a curfew or anything; I’m 19, and I’m trusted to do what I want. But that’s not the issue; I truly feel less mature than my friends who have had to become self-sufficient in the last year. Sure, most of them have forgotten what an ironed shirt feels like and only eat proper meals once every eight weeks when they trundle home with a big bag of washing, but they’ve survived. They’ve had to look after themselves for a year and fend off the dangers of scurvy, and they’ve done so with only a small loss in bone density. 19 years of having everything done for me mean that, while I can cook enough to defeat starvation, I’d probably destroy all of my socks if I tried to wash them. In terms of growing up and taking responsibility for my own actions and wellbeing, I’m at least a year behind them, and that’s hard to take.’
Erasmus
If you are moving abroad for a year we have you covered also. Last March, we did a series of articles documenting the experiences of three different TCD students doing an Erasmus in 3 different universities.
Some might say going against the wind, I chose to study Polish as part of my degree. Hence the academic year 2010/2011 finds me in Kraków, Polska, which is luckily quite a stone’s throw away from the doom and gloom that has enveloped the Emerald Isle. Kraków (or Cracow if we use its anglicised sibling) is, put simply, an incredible city. Filled with art, theatre, opera, music, great grub and countless pubs, clubs and cafés, its unofficial status as the cultural capital of Poland is entirely appropriate. All of this in an architecturally spectacular landscape brimming with history, recalling the hey-days of Poland and a time in which the city was Poland’s royal capital.
“I just want to go to college, have fun, and then get a job.” This is the attitude that pollutes the dreary halls of the arts block, that greys the whitewash of the Hamilton, and infiltrates the seclusion of Aras an Phiarsaigh. It’s demotivating, it’s boring, and it’s wrong.
“I just want to go to college, have fun, and start my own business.” This is the attitude that races through the self-sustaining Reynolds Campus Centre and doesn’t stop ‘til it reaches the tip of the Entrepreneur Tower of Babson College, Massachusetts. It’s inspiring, it’s competitive, it’s exactly what Ireland needs.
Ah, the Erasmus year. A great time for personal development, they say. An excellent opportunity to become independent, to develop and improve language skills, to figure out what direction your life will take. Leaving for Germany in September, I looked forward to doing all of the above. Not to mention living alone, meeting lots of new people and getting my very own grant to finance what I’d envisaged as a yearlong holiday. However, in my naive anticipation of the best year of my life, I’d failed to account for one small detail – all of these things would have to be achieved whilst living amongst 83 million Germans. The most efficient, rigid 83 million people in the world. And that, I have since learned, is no easy feat.
The Germans have long been recognised as one of the continent’s most formidable nations. Famous for their steely resolve, terrifying punctuality and rather unique sense of humour, it’s clear that Ireland and the Fatherland amount to the Mutt and Jeff of Europe. Cue Culture Shock.
