UCD Accomodation Thread - All Queries Here

Het-Field

antSionnach wrote:

Okay what exactly is the problem with Dubliners getting campus? My brother got campus two years in a row and Glenomena in his final year. He actually worked over the summer to pay for it because he didnt want to live at home (we live in Ranelagh). Personally I have four years left on my course, I dont want to move out yet, but I can see myself applying to campus before I finish up.

Why do country people need to live in UCD as opposed to Ranelagh/ Dundrum/ Stillorgan if they are "so close"?

It doesnt have to be any more expensive, and could often be cheaper for them
Campus is handier than Ranelagh/ Dundrum/ Milltown for EVERYONE.
There is no shortage of supply of accomodation over this city, especially when compared with places like Galway. This idea that people who live in Dublin dont need to move out of home is ridiculous. Im going to be working in Dublin in 5 years time, should I stay living in the parents attic then too so as not to take up property opportunities for country people? God knows the hassle of househunting is bad enough...

1.Each of the places mentioned has direct bus routes. Ranelagh/ 11/ 11A.
Dundrum 17 and Milltown has its own bus im just not sure which. They are also within walking distance of the campus. My friend walks from Ranelagh in 10 minites, and the bus will take you quicker.

2.Campus accomodation is excellent to integrate people who are new in college and have no other people they know. Rest assured if you live in the surrounding area, you are guaranteed to know somebody in the college, and if not, you are in the county where most of your friends will be. People from Donegal etc find it very difficult to know hoards of people on arriving in UCD. Res helps big time as a social tool

3.If people are so anxious to live out of home in Dublin, they should go looking elsewhere, and not force new people (some who may never have been to Dublin) to have to familiarise themselves with Sherrif street or Drumcondra, or the area around the Phoenix Park which are like mazes. If you come from Dublin you will already have a good idea about other areas

humbert

antSionnach wrote:

Okay what exactly is the problem with Dubliners getting campus? My brother got campus two years in a row and Glenomena in his final year. He actually worked over the summer to pay for it because he didnt want to live at home (we live in Ranelagh). Personally I have four years left on my course, I dont want to move out yet, but I can see myself applying to campus before I finish up.

Why do country people need to live in UCD as opposed to Ranelagh/ Dundrum/ Stillorgan if they are "so close"?

It doesnt have to be any more expensive, and could often be cheaper for them
Campus is handier than Ranelagh/ Dundrum/ Milltown for EVERYONE.
There is no shortage of supply of accomodation over this city, especially when compared with places like Galway. This idea that people who live in Dublin dont need to move out of home is ridiculous. Im going to be working in Dublin in 5 years time, should I stay living in the parents attic then too so as not to take up property opportunities for country people? God knows the hassle of househunting is bad enough...

you should try doing a 1 to 4 hour commute to dublin, a city which you may not know at all, to try and search for accommodation which starts at prices you can barely afford before you start criticising country people for feeling they should get preference. The fact is that college accommodation is reasonably priced and applying for it is fairly straight forward and as you say there are other options for those dubs who simply want to move out and have the money to do it. I can completely understand a person wanting to move out enough to fork out rent when living at home is practical but I think college accommodation should be reserved for those who need it.

panda100

Everyyear Ive lived on campus theres been someone from Dublin as my next door neighbour.One of the guys in first year was from Ranelagh but put down his cousins address in sligo so got campus.I think its really selfish cos it really isnt fair for us from the sticks.
From what I know there is a board that decides the campus accomodation at the end of Juy.Tony Nicholls is the college representatve,Colm whiley (clare td) is the goverment representative and the accomodation and empolyment officer is the students rep when the board sits. Therefore its all very above board and I dont any of them will give accomodation with someone with a Dublin address.

rainbow kirby

Much as I would love to live on campus (after 4 years of this ****ty commute from Firhouse every morning... *tears hair out*), I definitely think that preference should go to students from outside Dublin. And that it's very unfair if a student from Dundrum/Ranelagh etc gets a place that could have gone to a student from outside the county.

dajaffa

Het-Field wrote:

PS Dundrum is a five minite walk from UCD, taking a room would appear fairly wasteful if you ask me

K NOOOOOOOO. If it was I'd shop there a lot more . Still ridiculous if ppl from there did get campus, which I'm quite sure they don't unless it really can't be filled.

Het-Field wrote:

Dundrum 17 and Milltown has its own bus im just not sure which.

The 17 is one of the most unreliable buses known to man. It's truly awful. There are plans in the pipeline for a bus that would link UCD to dundrum, which could service milltown. There's no bus route from milltown to UCD.

Het-Field wrote:

I really don't think a "blanket ban on people from dublin taking up campus accommodation" is fair either.I live in a west dublin suburb but often started college at 7.30am, but 8am at the latest. (I've just graduated) It was impossible to travel by public transport to ucd for this time. Why shouldn't I have been entitled to campus accommodation?

Agreed. I've often thought the worst situation is that u face a fairly big commute to college, u do a full-time (ie 30+ hours a week) but with rent how it is u can't justify spending a huge amount on it, wheras if u are from say, Donegal, u obviously can't commute, and often your parents will have been saving cause they know you'll have to move out when the time comes. Granted, it is hard to draw boundaries, as some ppl may live far away but have a direct bus, and ppl who live a little closer don't.

I think the system at the mo is as fair as it can be. The ppl who live furthest away get preference, and u'll only get one if u are from say Dublin a month r so into the college year with dropouts etc.

Hopefully the overall situation will improve with the allowance for res in the campus development plan (5,000 by 2010 I think, could be 2015 for the last of them)

Pythia

Het-Field wrote:

PS Dundrum is a five minite walk from UCD, taking a room would appear fairly wasteful if you ask me

Eh, do you know where Dundrum is. It's not 5 mins. Some parts of Dundrum could be up to an hour's walk. I'm 30 mins away and I live in the nearest edge of Dundrum.

antSionnach

Het-Field wrote:

1.Each of the places mentioned has direct bus routes. Ranelagh/ 11/ 11A.
Dundrum 17 and Milltown has its own bus im just not sure which. They are also within walking distance of the campus. My friend walks from Ranelagh in 10 minites, and the bus will take you quicker.

I live in Ranelagh and it takes me about half an hour or more to walk. Essentially, she lives in Clonskeagh. But the point you make is correct. Remember its also very handy for country people!

3.If people are so anxious to live out of home in Dublin, they should go looking elsewhere, and not force new people (some who may never have been to Dublin) to have to familiarise themselves with Sherrif street or Drumcondra, or the area around the Phoenix Park which are like mazes. If you come from Dublin you will already have a good idea about other areas

Thats not very practical! Im going to move out of Ranelagh and live in Swords because while I dont want to live with the rentals, I dont want to take up property that those from Westmeath or Mayo or Waterford would like to rent???

The only point I agree with you on is the socialising effect. But while Dublin people may be slightly more likely to know UCDians, they can have just as hard a time settling in here and can also benefit from res. From personal experience, I think that already having friends in Dublin actually stops you from making the effort in 1st year, youre less likely to integrate, and this is why clumping us all together in res would be good for everyone

irlrobins

Pythia wrote:

I'm 30 mins away

That's cos you walk slow!

Pythia

irlrobins wrote:

That's cos you walk slow!

Sure you live 10 minutes away and you moved into res.

irlrobins

Pythia wrote:

Sure you live 10 minutes away and you moved into res.

Yep. Slightly different scenario though. I was applying to Glenomena back when they only took postgrads. They had more rooms than applicants so I wasn't denying anyone, undergrad or postgrad, a room. And I later worked as an RA.

Stepherunie

Seeing are irl lives none too far from where i lived this year I can tell ya it was more than a 10 minute walk, it was a 7 minute cycle and that's considering there's a giant hill to bring you a good bit down fairly fast.

Het-Field

Well mabye 5 minites is a bit of an exagreation. But its still a stones throw away from the Clonskeagh entrance. I live in Templeogue. From the Montrose entrance its a two hour walk, and from the Clonskeagh gate its an hour and a half. To walk from Donegal id say it would take the guts of twenty four hours. I have made my case for why locals should not get campus accomodation, and they are legitimate points. Furthermore, its much cheaper to rent campus accomodation than to rent outside. Areas like Dundrum and Ranelagh would suggest that those who live there are not devoid of money and the grant is not a necessity. The financial burden would be considerable lifted by offereingcampus accomodation to those who live away from Dublin. While m aware that those who are from dublin suffer from monetary tribulations aswell, they do have a local abode which in most cases is a bus ride away. They have parents or guardians who can supply them with a hot meal, a desk to study at, hot water and a bed. Campsu residences have rules and regulations which other accomodations dont have. Last year, i sat in a house with a few lads i knew listening to music from Trivium, Slayer, Dragonforce, Primus and Mudvayne at full blast (i wanted them to turn it down). When i left the room one of the other tenants had a go at me for playing loud music and asked me to turn it down. On campus residence he would not be suffering from the ignorance of his other housemates, and he could study in peace. By letting him have that campus accomodation he could study in peace. However, as a result of locals living in the residences he was forced to room with a load of rockers.

-Money
-Comfort
-Social Integration
-A regulated environment

All reasons why locals should be the last considered

antSionnach

Het-Field wrote:

By letting him have that campus accomodation he could study in peace.

I dont know anyone who is applying to res for the 'study in peace' effect. I do know lots of people who did not apply to res for that reason. I dont know about Belgrove but my gf lived in Merville in 1st year, study was not a priority with the neighbours/ often housemates.

Obviously there isnt the same urgency for people who live close to campus to move out as those who live in Donegal or the Aran Islands or whatever. There are lots of helpful resources out there for 'them country folk', like the accomodation office and websites like daft.ie. But do they automatically deserve rights to campus accomodation over others? I just dont see the link between coming from he country and having to get res. Dublin, and especially the area around UCD, is actually a small place and theres nothing about campus that would benefit a country person that wouldnt also benefit a Dubliner.

Also, Im not making mad allegations when I say, and I think most people have some sort of knowledge or experience of it, that the accomodation committee is corrputed as feck. There are two public representatives who I know of that have used their positions within the college to get places for their constituents' kids, and it isnt a once off, I know for definite one of them who is again guaranteeing places for constituents who approached him this year

gubbie

Ya but whats great about on campus accomodation is that it gives you the chance to go to the library when ever you want and not have to leave at 11 to get a bus. Therefor some people do pick it for the study.

People who are from the country usually have no other option but to move out of home. People from... well pretty much anywhere that doesn't have a university. As great as daft.ie is, its hard to come up with a place that is as cheap as campus considering that they have to get a 1 year lease (in most cases) and have to pay the costs of getting to college. Who says these people can afford it? A grant will barely cover the costs of accomodation and then you have to pay about €100 a week to keep yourself going

antSionnach

gubbie wrote:

Ya but whats great about on campus accomodation is that it gives you the chance to go to the library when ever you want and not have to leave at 11 to get a bus. Therefor some people do pick it for the study.

Then shouldnt dubliners be allowed it as well? Okay so I live within easy enough distance but what about those from further away... harold cross? Castleknock? Swords? shouldnt they be allowed it by that logic

A grant will barely cover the costs of accomodation and then you have to pay about €100 a week to keep yourself going

but this is also a problem for country students on campus as well!

Chakar

Oh yeah, disabled students get campus accomodation straightway if they want to even if they live in Dublin or down the road from UCD.They get priority over everyone.

antSionnach

Chakar wrote:

Oh yeah, disabled students get campus accomodation straightway if they want to even if they live in Dublin or down the road from UCD.They get priority over everyone.

Thats fair enough though, I mean lots of them cant exactly cycle or walk into college (...are owenstown and clonskeagh gates even wheelchair accessible??) and probably have more to worry about than we do, no matter where we live

Chinafoot

antSionnach wrote:

Then shouldnt dubliners be allowed it as well? Okay so I live within easy enough distance but what about those from further away... harold cross? Castleknock? Swords? shouldnt they be allowed it by that logic

Eh, I commuted every day for three years from Balbriggan. That's pretty much as far north in North County Dublin as you can go. I walked 15 minutes to the train station and got a train that took an hour into the city centre, then I got the bus out to UCD. On a good day it would take me about an hour and a half and on a bad day (the more frequent type of day) it took me over 2 hours. Not too nice when I had 9am lectures.

However, I would never apply for on campus accommodation and risk taking a place from someone who has to come from Cork or Galway or wherever, because quite frankly, they need it more than I do.

It is unbelievably selfish for people who have the ability to remain at home within commuting distance (Dundrum....give me a fúcking break) to try and get a room on campus if it is going to deny someone else who actually needs that room.

This kind of "well if they give it to me I'll take it" attitude is all too prevalent in UCD. It can be seen with people applying for grants too. I know plenty who have managed to get themselves a grant despite the fact that their parents income would never allow it. I guess the honour system is dead.

Stepherunie

Never had a problem with that, never would, have a friend who always gets campus because of his needs - its only fair and right - i'd in fact protest against those who need campus due to health reasons being denied campus just because they're from dublin.

antSionnach

peachypants wrote:

I walked 15 minutes to the train station and got a train that took an hour into the city centre, then I got the bus out to UCD. On a good day it would take me about an hour and a half and on a bad day (the more frequent type of day) it took me over 2 hours. Not too nice when I had 9am lectures.

However, I would never apply for on campus accommodation and risk taking a place from someone who has to come from Cork or Galway or wherever, because quite frankly, they need it more than I do.

If you chose to live at home thats fair enough. But you didnt do it for the good of the students or whatever. As Ive already said, there is ample accomodation available within EASY commuting distance to UCD. Ranelagh is student city during terms, for example. Living on campus isnt all about journey time. Yes, its good, but res is about parties, drink and getting to know one another. Why not include everyone? UCD is very accessible due to high availability of accomodation in local estates, the 46A and the DART. Not to mention biking it.
What I dont understand is why is it okay for a dublin student to bike in and not a country student???

It is unbelievably selfish for people who have the ability to remain at home within commuting distance (Dundrum....give me a fúcking break) to try and get a room on campus if it is going to deny someone else who actually needs that room.

Yes Dundrum is quite handy isnt it. Lots of country people should live there and commute in no time. For south Dublin, you can get some really cheap acccomodation there. Good suggestion!.

This kind of "well if they give it to me I'll take it" attitude is all too prevalent in UCD. It can be seen with people applying for grants too. I know plenty who have managed to get themselves a grant despite the fact that their parents income would never allow it. I guess the honour system is dead

Agreed, the grants abuse is a disgrace. Still, when it comes to paying taxes, an honour code is the stuff of a dreamworld, not real life. Sure, its not right but its not going to change. This is not the soviet republic of Ireland, get down with capitalism! When it comes to alcohol, parties and women, its every man for himself

humbert

antSionnach wrote:

Yes, its good, but res is about parties, drink and getting to know one another. Why not include everyone? UCD is very accessible due to high availability of accomodation in local estates, the 46A and the DART. Not to mention biking it.
What I dont understand is why is it okay for a dublin student to bike in and not a country student???

that would only be a valid arguement if there was a surplus of accommodation and students from dublin were still excluded,it isn't relevant as far as who gets priority is concerned.

antSionnach

humbert wrote:

that would only be a valid arguement if there was a surplus of accommodation and students from dublin were still excluded,it isn't relevant as far as who gets priority is concerned.

Go and daft.ie right now and you will easily find places that are similiar to res rates (cheaper wouldnt be uncommon) that isnt within normal travelling distance. Theres not a surplus of accomodation as in 'overflowing' but there is absolutely no shortage of it. A friend of mine is after renting a 4 bedroom house in Milltown with her mates, 1400 a month. And theres no way that took more than 2 days to get found and sorted.

If people want res then I hope you get it, but queue up like everyone else, if you dont get res youll find places in the surrounding area. How many people do you know who are students in UCD and had to get a house in Swords because there was nothing else available? Okay so not in my case, but surely the people who have to do the most commuting into college are the Dubliners who live with their parents.

humbert

sorry I ment on campus accommodation, the topic of the thread.

there is a lot of accommodation on daft but not a lot of it is at or below 100/week and near ucd. there is also a lot of competition for it so for example if you were a first year male you would still find it hard enough to find a place that isn't a complete dump.

InFront

Perfect solution! Well imo

I think i m going to move out of home this year (I live in Dundrum, "for shame!":rolleyes: ) anyway my parents are on about renting my room if I do move out, which will pay for my accomodation in return! Now if everyone employed this method, wed all be happy.

Although good luck to whoever wants to live with my folks. Party animals they are not.

So whats the story, is campus actually out of the question for Dublin stoodents or???? I heard the old folks home was offering late accomodation?

Dave!

InFront wrote:

Perfect solution! Well imo

I think i m going to move out of home this year (I live in Dundrum, "for shame!":rolleyes: ) anyway my parents are on about renting my room if I do move out, which will pay for my accomodation in return! Now if everyone employed this method, wed all be happy.

That's a f*ckin good idea actually... But my family wouldn't be up for it

Pythia wrote:

Not my fault if they give it to me over someone else. I'm not gonna feel guilty either.

That's the attitude!

panda100

antSionnach wrote:

I dont know anyone who is applying to res for the 'study in peace' effect.

If you want to get more then just a pass on exams I wouldnt recomend campus.In first year when I lived in Roebuck I failed my summer exams and the year I lived in belgroive I had to repeat the year..doh!!Since Ive moved out of campus I have actually been passing my exams consistently.The thing about campus is that you dont know who your going to be living with.Ive been lucky be with who Ive been put with but you could be a final year commerce student wanting to get a first and they could put you with a second year repeat art student who has only 6 hours a week.Its the risk your taking with applying to campus. Dont apply to campus if you want peace and quite for study...you wont get it.


Also apart from disabled students there is priority for those who speak Irish ( ) and those on sport scholarship.There are at least two galetach houses in merville and three for those on sport scholarship.

gubbie

antSionnach wrote:

but surely the people who have to do the most commuting into college are the Dubliners who live with their parents.

So you wouldn't include the 4-5 hours that it takes to get home at the weekend and the expense of it as anything to bother with. We all have to do some amount of travelling

On campus accomodation, because of the rules, everyones in the same situation as you so it helps with the whole dauntingness of not knowing anyone

Blush_01

Pythia wrote:

Eh, do you know where Dundrum is. It's not 5 mins. Some parts of Dundrum could be up to an hour's walk. I'm 30 mins away and I live in the nearest edge of Dundrum.

Give us all a break. Stepherunie, if she was to commute from where she lives, would have to spend the best part of 5 hours on a bus to the city centre, before getting a bus to UCD. Last time I checked public bus services didn't run at 3 am. What time would she get home from college? How long before she had to turn around and get back on the bus?

I, if I was to commute from home, would have the bones of a two hour yo-yo walk (thanks, local geography, I loves ya!) to the train station, almost two hours ON the damn train and then a commute from the city centre. Then reverse that at night. Two prime examples of people who cannot commute - the sheer exhaustion alone would lead to a bloody breakdown.

What you want is a luxury. What many of us have is called a need. In the case of Steph and I, we were both lucky enough to be in the position to have relatives who could put us up short-term at the beginning of first year, but it wouldn't have been a year-long possibility. I had to commute from Kildare on the 6.45 bus, like many people commuting from further-away parts of Dublin. Leaving UCD at 4 I got back to my aunt's after 7. Some life, eh? I empathise with people like Peachy who had mental commutes, and definitely don't think that they should be excluded from the confines of on-campus rules. But Ranelagh? Dundrum? Milltown? Give my head peace. While I accept that antSionnach's assessment that we could, if we wanted to, find somewhere to live off-campus (I have done for my three years in UCD) the purpose of res. is to provide somewhere to live to students on a need basis, is it not? If life was all about selfish wants why have a student hardship fund?

And antSionnach, if trying to find an affordable place to live within a fairly manageable commute is so easy, then why do so many people spend months trying to find somewhere before ending up in overpriced dumps? One place I was looking at last year had at least 7 other interested parties at that viewing and half the living room roof was made of corrugated plastic, for much more than €100 pppw. The others within the €100/€125pppw price range were either in Rathfarnham or Cabinteely. Most estate agents won't deal with students; many places on Daft are grossly exaggerated and/or well gone but not removed from the site. It's not the pretty picture you paint it to be.

Essentially the argument here isn't whether one person should or shouldn't get campus. It's what kind of perimeters should be placed around the catchment group for the service of campus res. and why. The most basic why I can see is need. Those of us who don't have the option of living at home have a greater need for the service. Those of us who could live at home and commute easily don't need res. and therefore it's a luxury. Why should one person's luxury take precedence over another's need? Anyone able to explain that logically to me?

Blush_01

Chakar wrote:

Oh yeah, disabled students get campus accomodation straightway if they want to even if they live in Dublin or down the road from UCD.They get priority over everyone.

Do you have a problem with this? Surely that's something to be lauded - someone with a greater need to be close to college (lets face it, transport systems in Ireland aren't the most disability friendly, are they) will definitely get it.

Your post implies incredulity at this fact. If I've misread it, I'm sorry. If not, are you actually serious?

Pythia

Blush_01 wrote:

blah

All I said was I'll take res if other people won't because of the time delay. No need to get on your high horse about it.

And why should I 'give you a break', I was only correcting someone on facts.

:rolleyes: