Accommodation

Mayo1

I am hoping to do Veterinary Medicine in UCD and was wondering which would be better: to live in student accommodation on campus or to rent a house nearby. I also heard you can live with families or something? Which would be best?
I would like somewhere where I'd get alot of study done and where I could have family and friens stay over from time to time.

Thanks.

Konata

Pros and cons to all of course.

Living with a family is known as 'digs'. I've no personal experience of it so can't say much about it.

Campus Accomodation: I really would recommend this for first year. It's great for getting to know other people and there's a great sense of community around. It's handy for getting to college too - 10min walk to the veterinary building - which is great in first year cause you've so many other things to get used to.
There are disadvantages of course. Campus accomodation is generally more expensive than renting a house. It can be noisy but I've found that depends on where you're living - I've lived in both Roebuck and Merville and Roebuck is by far the quietest. Belgrove is similiar to Merville in terms of noise and activity. It's not all that bad though - just a bit of ruckus around 11ish as people leave campus to go into town and the odd shout at 3am when they're returning Most nights you probably wouldn't even notice but if you're really looking for piece and quiet, Roebuck is the place to go. Unfortunately it's the more expensive one.
You're allowed to have people to stay overnight in all the campus accomodations - you need to apply in the office before 4pm that day I think, giving info about your guest etc. If you're having a member of the opposite sex stay over you're supposed to get signed permission from all your other housemates just to check that its alright with them. That's the official rules anyway. It's very easy to have someone stay over without following the correct protocol but you do it at a risk of a fine if you're caught (think its 100euro?). Chances of being caught are very slim but if you know in advance that someone is staying over, best to just do the official thing.


Renting: Great option after first year. Cheaper than campus accomodation and there's loads of properties around and close to UCD. No problems with people staying over obviously. However, there are ALOT of disadvantages. I have heard many many disaster stories regarding landlords. It's luck of the draw whether you get a bad one - who'll cause you hassle all year - or a good one. ALWAYS investigate your landlord before you sign any contracts or give him any deposits - I know of a group of girls whose landlord turned out to be mentally ill, and who really scared them last year. He was also being investigated by the guards for legal issues regarding his properties. The girls left immediately and found another house but are still fighting to get their money (deposits + some rent) back from the original landlord.
If you're not familiar with the area around UCD (ie most first years), it can be hard looking for a house aswell. Many areas that sound nearby e.g. Dundrum, are actually a good 35-45min walk away, or you could end up somewhere on a really awkward bus route. It's alot easier after first year as you're more clued up on the good/bad/accessible etc. areas.
You also need to keep track of electricity, phone and internet bills (all of which are already paid for on campus) aswell as refuse. It's not just a simple case of leaving a bin out to the dump - you need to pay for it.

That's all I can think of for the moment...

Oh and on a side note - if you choose to apply for Merville, try and find out which are the renovated houses and pick one of those to live in. All houses in Merville are the same price but there is no comparison between the renovated and old ones. It'll been the difference between enjoying your first year accomodation and despising it, trust me!