Accommodation

Hi everyone!

I believe that once you have met all of the conditions of your offer the first question you will ask yourself is ‘What now?’ Well, my advice would be to secure your accommodation!

Since my first year I have always lived in private accommodation, as my sister used to study here and she secured me a room before I came. It’s cheaper than University owned ones, but if you are not lucky as I was to have somebody you know here, you should be careful and never book a private room over the internet. Make sure you view the place, even if that means you come and stay at a hotel for a week. The average pricing for a private room in a house share is around £250 -£350;, depending on the location, if it includes bills or not and the condition of the house.

Even though I never stayed in University halls, a lot of my friends did. I am quite impressed with the high quality accommodation that Coventry University offers (especially compared with the ones back home in Bulgaria). Around £115per week, would include all your bills and food, if you choose a catered hall.  Food is great, as there is a catering company that provides the food and they cook international meals as well!

A huge advantage of living in University halls is the amount of people you will meet. Don’t get me wrong, you can still socialise and make new friends living in a house, but you do it a lot quicker if you live in halls. Most of the people in halls are first years and are more open and of course have more free time. I lived with second and third year students and they weren’t so fond of going out that much as they had course work or jobs. I still enjoyed living with them, great people, but I think I missed out from the ‘fresher’s experience’ for the first couple of months.  So my suggestion is, if you can afford it, stay in University halls during your first year and then find a house with the people you get a long with for the second year. Just make sure you do it early enough as the good ones go quickly ;)

Speak to you soon!

Mira

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P.S. Just to give you a heads up – in the UK it is all about tradition, so don’t freak out when you see that you have two separate taps for cold and hot water, but you’ll get used to it. 

Living in Coventry

Hi everyone!

Here is something for all of you, who are wondering what life is like at Coventry. Life here is unbelievably cheap, compared to other cities in the UK. Food, clothes, even rent is less expensive.  Conclusions made after talking to my friends who live in bigger cities.

Coventry is really student orientated, which is why you can find student discounts in every store and a lot of the restaurants. With your student card you can get at least a 10% discount. Because of the number of students here, there are a lot of student jobs available too.  Many places offer part-time jobs and are willing to work your shift around your schedule (don’t get confused here, jobs won’t be served to you on a plate ;))

Another advantage of living in Coventry is that the campus is in the city centre, so you don’t really need any transport at all. You might, if you live far away, but all University accommodation and even private housing is in a walking distance from the campus. As I said, it is a really student focused city.  It is really helpful that the campus is in the city centre, making it easy to access shops, banks, post office and basically everything you need. Even the train and the coach stations are in the city centre. I am not exaggerating here! For nearly 3 years in Coventry I haven’t once used public transport. Again saves a lot of money! 

People here are really friendly. Because locals are used to international students (after all there are about 5,000 of us), you will find that it isn’t difficult to adjust and fit in. And don’t worry, nobody will ever make fun of your accent or level of English, as I said people here are used to it and understand where you’re coming from.

Just because it is a smaller city, don’t think there isn’t any social life here! Huge mistake! The Student Union makes sure there are events constantly running and you can sometimes find yourself even wondering which one to choose from the long list.

Speak to you soon!

Mira

xx

Our campus is in the city centre

The Hub

Hi Everyone!

In September 2011 the University opened TheHub and it have now been open for 1.5 years! Even from my first step inside, I was absolutely amazed by its design and functionality. For a £35milion project they certainly did a good job and it is used so much by students on campus.

Entering the building, on your left, is the super market ‘Amigo’. A lovely place to buy some snacks, drinks or even your lunch, though there is a much better place to eat, but that –later! Next you can find COSTA, best coffee to wake you up! Then is the reception – in a futuristic designed ‘office’ with really helpful and kind receptionist. They are also Coventry University students so will understand your needs better than anybody else.

The informal study places are situated on the ground and first floor. There are couple of separated areas around the tables and chairs. The sitting areas are called ‘Nests’, a place where you can sit with your friends on Fatboys and ‘Pods’, ideal for group meetings. Each pod is supplied with a TV screen, where you can play your presentation and ease everybody by look at one screen. Very thoughtful, isn’t it?

Every floor is provided with brand new PCs which are for personal and university use. Fast and easy to use, they are all connected to the university printers so you can print off your files.

On the first floor you can find the food court as well. Allowing you to try different types of dishes you can treat yourself not only with pizza and sandwiches, but with freshly cooked national and international meals. ‘Taste of the Mediterranean’ is great and affordable for all students! Where else can you find Moussaka or Kleftiko?! There is also a comfortable seating area.

The next surprise is the roof garden – astonishing place with sitting area with flowers where inspiration can easily strike you. After all you are on top of the world!

Inspired by ‘Transformers’, apparently, Square 1 is the cherry on top! TheHub’s venue is a cinema during daytime and turns into a club at night! Excellent design and a modern touch with folding chairs hidden in the walls! Another ‘magical’ surprise is the side garden – common for everybody, but when the club opens the gates close and it becomes exclusive only for the customers.

Speak to you soon!

Mira

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