QUB and a few questions...

madmac187

aaronh007 wrote: »

Hi again folks, I've come to annoy you once again and partake of your great knowledge of the City of Belfast

I'm currently looking for accommodation for the year and am going up to Belfast next monday to have a look at one or two that I've found so far.

One of them is located on Dunluce Avenue and the other on Fane Street and I'm just wondering what you think of these locales... I must admit to liking how close they are to QUB, about a 5/10 minute walk

Coolaboola man, Dunluce would be really close, the doctors is there aswell, I don't know fane street personally. Remember the Botanic Inn is close by aswell to Dunluce This is a good spot for going out in downstairs anyway.

Might be an idea to have something else lined up maybe 2 more properties.

Glico Man

madmac187 wrote: »

Coolaboola man, Dunluce would be really close, the doctors is there aswell, I don't know fane street personally. Remember the Botanic Inn is close by aswell to Dunluce This is a good spot for going out in downstairs anyway.

Might be an idea to have something else lined up maybe 2 more properties.

Yeah I have viewings in places in Ormeau Road and another in Wolseley Street. Those two are a bit pricier than the other ones though so they're my backups.

Badly need to find a job as soon as I get up there. I've heard Shaftsbury Square is a good place to start looking?

madmac187

aaronh007 wrote: »

Yeah I have viewings in places in Ormeau Road and another in Wolseley Street. Those two are a bit pricier than the other ones though so they're my backups.

Badly need to find a job as soon as I get up there. I've heard Shaftsbury Square is a good place to start looking?

Yeah thats true, go into the place above Queens bookshop there is a student advice centre there, they can sort you out with a job too aswell. They are given jobs to fill by places.

Glico Man

madmac187 wrote: »

Yeah thats true, go into the place above Queens bookshop there is a student advice centre there, they can sort you out with a job too aswell. They are given jobs to fill by places.

Ah right thanks. This the place ya?

http://www.queensbookshop.co.uk/online/default.asp

madmac187

aaronh007 wrote: »

Ah right thanks. This the place ya?

http://www.queensbookshop.co.uk/online/default.asp

Thats the spot alright, there is a building above this and they will help you.

Vado

http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/ is the link for the Student Guidance Centre.

You can't really miss it. It's pretty much just across the road and down a bit from the main Queens Building and there's a huge sign on the wall.
If you have your Queens Online details already or when you get them, you can sign up to get emails about on-campus jobs aswell from there.

Halls are expensive for what you get but are a good way to meet people apart from getting to know ones on your course especially if you don't know many people from around the area. The main thing I'd have to say about halls is the internet is terrible. Ports are blocked so you can't do a fair few things, no wireless and towards the end of my time in Elms, I was getting around 50>80kb/s, so even streaming youtube videos wasn't constant. Just something to look out for. Also, if you plan on having any visitors they have to be signed in before around 8pm since they start checking ID when you're entering anytime after 11pm.

kev1

Hi,

I decided to opt to look for a room in private rented accommodation. However, in all the places that I have looked at on gumtree/daft etc., they are telling me that the min. lease length is for 12 months and that that is the norm for student houses in belfast.

Could someone here tell me if that really is the case in Belfast?? The reason I question it, is that every house I've ever rented in Galway is always just for the duration of the college year (Sept-to end May).

Thanks in advance.

pow wow

kev1 wrote: »

Hi,

I decided to opt to look for a room in private rented accommodation. However, in all the places that I have looked at on gumtree/daft etc., they are telling me that the min. lease length is for 12 months and that that is the norm for student houses in belfast.

Could someone here tell me if that really is the case in Belfast?? The reason I question it, is that every house I've ever rented in Galway is always just for the duration of the college year (Sept-to end May).

Thanks in advance.

Most people I know who rented student houses had to sign for 12 months and then try and sublease for the summer. The rental market is pretty buoyant so if your landlord was cool with it you probably wouldn't have too much trouble filling the room come May.

kev1

Hi,

Have found a room in a house located on Candahar Street just off the Ormeau Road.

Wat do ye guys think of this location for someone from the south.??
Saw a few union-jack flags on streets close enough to it, but the landlord said it was a quiet area. Could anyone let me know asap?

Many thanks.

pow wow

That aspect of things isn't one to worry about really, but it is in Holylands which may or may not be your thing? 24/7 parties and drinking on office chairs in the front garden kinda shenanigans...

El Siglo

kev1 wrote: »

Hi,

Have found a room in a house located on Candahar Street just off the Ormeau Road.

Wat do ye guys think of this location for someone from the south.??
Saw a few union-jack flags on streets close enough to it, but the landlord said it was a quiet area. Could anyone let me know asap?

Many thanks.

My brother (from Laois) lived there for a year. It's a grand spot, he had no problems at all.

kev1

pow wow wrote: »

That aspect of things isn't one to worry about really, but it is in Holylands which may or may not be your thing? 24/7 parties and drinking on office chairs in the front garden kinda shenanigans...

Are you sure it is in Holylands? The landlord was very insistant in saying it wasnt and that they never deal with houses in the holylands.
I thought holylands was really across the bridge/river closer to queens.... Jerusalem/Damascus/Palestine streets etc.

Wouldnt be keen if it was in holylands.

pow wow

There isn't a line where it magically stops. Generally once you're over the bridge and up the Ormeau is gets better (and quieter). Still a big student area.

El Siglo

Got my QUB information pack today, set up the aul email and all. Quite excited by the whole situation!

Just out of curiousity, is it hard to get a place in near QUB? I'm starting on the 30th but won't be finished my MSc thesis till the 24th, so there's only a few days between ending and starting courses.

doho14

Im starting a masters on the the 27th September and was just wondering what the best way to get accommodation near QUB would be.

Im probably going to drive up later this week to check things out
Ive been looking at different sites, but its hard to know which exactly would be the best.

pow wow

www.daft.ie, www.propertynews.com, www.spareroom.co.uk (for sharing), and also Gumtree. If you take a gander around the streets around QUB (or whichever area you're interested in moving to) all the houses 'To Let' have signs up and the same agents usually handle quite a few properties in any given area so you should be able to check out a number on the same day.

pow wow

Also just got an email from the SU saying there's still rooms free at Elms so they can fit you in halls if you really want them to :P

El Siglo

pow wow wrote: »

Also just got an email from the SU saying there's still rooms free at Elms so they can fit you in halls if you really want them to :P

I'm hopefully giving tutorials this year to undergrads, don't want to even see them outside of class room!*:pac:






*Unless it's the Bot/Eg!;)

pow wow

El Siglo wrote: »

I'm hopefully giving tutorials this year to undergrads, don't want to even see them outside of class room!*:pac:






*Unless it's the Bot/Eg!;)

Reason 4,356,711 why I'm not doing my PhD any time soon :P

Re. your question about finding somewhere to live - very easy. The streets around the campus as you know are awash with rentals and there's generally an oversupply of rental houses (and accommodation in general it would seem from Elms' difficulties filling up this year!). There's always the option to do a short term thing via gumtree for a week or two while you look for something more permanent - it's what I did when I moved up and it worked grand.

Lisa20

Im doing an MSc and living in Elms! they are definitely still looking for peeps! im hoping this is not a bad sign????

anybody know much about Elms? I havent been to belfast in like 10 years at least so id love to hear....anything!!!!!

and would anybody be able to recommend me on what phone network to register with? Im guessing i should get a phone specificaly for use in the north? Help

pow wow

Lisa20 wrote: »

Im doing an MSc and living in Elms! they are definitely still looking for peeps! im hoping this is not a bad sign????

anybody know much about Elms? I havent been to belfast in like 10 years at least so id love to hear....anything!!!!!

and would anybody be able to recommend me on what phone network to register with? Im guessing i should get a phone specificaly for use in the north? Help

Elms is alright from what I hear, they zone the postgrads so you generally don't have to put up with the boisterous undergrads I had heard awful things about the noise and parties which put me off living there, but one of the girls on my course lived in the postgrad block and loved it so I guess it depends! I think one of the other posters here (or someone they know...I'm having a flashback) hated the postgrad housing in there b/c they were all postgrads and stayed in their rooms all day. You really can't win :P

Re. the phones, Lebara is cheapest if you are planning on calling ROI a lot - you can buy their SIM cards online or in Tescos and the like. Outside of that they're all much of a muchness, great deals on inclusive minutes and texts even on PAYG. I used to get 300 minutes and unlimited texts for a tenner a month....I miss it!!!

Glico Man

Was walking down University Street and Dunluce Avenue earlier, theres still a few places with "To Let" hanging on em. Just registered online today (had to sit in Maccy D's by Castle Court for the free wifi to do so though ) can't wait to get started on my post grad.

pow wow

aaronh007 wrote: »

Was walking down University Street and Dunluce Avenue earlier, theres still a few places with "To Let" hanging on em. Just registered online today (had to sit in Maccy D's by Castle Court for the free wifi to do so though ) can't wait to get started on my post grad.

Another Corkonian Any more and we can start a football team...

Laura Gaf

Oooouh! Im new to Belfast too. I went up to look at places last week. There's some good spots for 180-220pm. I sort of didn't do my research on the different areas though. I'm after taking a place off the Donegal road near the city hospital. Its a protestant area but its not a bad neighborhood and my neighbors are friendly.
I'm paying 140pm and its a short walk through the hospital to the uni.
The only thing is, and my new neighbors warned me, is to avoid sandy row, don't park on it with yer southern reg car. That street is near enough the uni but you'll defo know when yer on the street.
My neighbor just gave me the low down on all the areas and suggested that I get a northern reg car just because of where I'm living. (Im thinking of buying a car shortly).
Apart from all that I think Belfast is a beautiful city and the university is top class. Maybe you should consider renting off campus its a lot cheaper, you get comfy couches and you can have friends over whenever you like.
I lived in yeats village in sligo and although it was years ago I felt like i was being baby sat by the managers there. Its nice to have your own place and meet the people you'll be living with before ya pay a load of cash.

Lisa20

im just home from my first week! have to say im loving it so far! ive been blessed with my housemates...although im a postgrad and 3 years old than them (which i didnt expect as it was meant for postgrads) i wouldnt swap them for anything! have been really very lucky with the housemates now absolutely love them! Although i will say that if any postgrads or any student that likes their sleep intends on doing the whole campus thing for queens, you should DEFO select the "quiet living block". You get the best of both worlds...you can go out and have a laugh but on the nites you dont feel up to it you can sleep perfectly! have survived this entire week without even being woken once! alot of my other friends live throughout elms and are going nuts with the noise already!

i think cos i shared a house for 3 years already the novelty has worn off. i like having my own room and my own space but also have lots of people around to talk so elms is perfect in that respects! peoples experiences of elms have been quite negative in general but i reckon its the luck of the draw at the end of the day!

the university is amazing, the city is top class!!! will be staying up quite a bit cos i detest all this travelling business! if anyone knows of any good places to go out - particulary somewhere where 17/18 year olds dont go (no offense intended but fancy mixing with peeps my own age

El Siglo

I registered last Thursday, it's ****ing class I can't wait now!!!:D

Laura Gaf

cool whats everyone studying?
I'm starting Msc in Sustainable design. I'm super excited about it.

El Siglo

Laura Gaf wrote: »

cool whats everyone studying?
I'm starting Msc in Sustainable design. I'm super excited about it.

You're out in the David Keir building so?

I'm starting a PhD in Geography, should be good craic!

littlemizz99

Hey everyone,
Im starting an LLM in Queens on Monday, just wondering if anyone knows what this presidents meeting thing at 5 is about and if its important to go?!
How is everyone gettin on up here, just landed today and havnt a notion where Im goin really!!Looks like its gna be a fun year tho!!

Glico Man

pow wow wrote: »

Another Corkonian Any more and we can start a football team...

Haha we're everywhere to be honest


Getting a great vibe from the college so far, even if our programme coordinator gave us the ol' if you don't do this or that you will fail speech

Looking forward to getting down to the nitty gritty.



And to answer the question, I'm studying an MSc in Construction and Project Management this year