Student villages
Student villages are a more recent idea than halls and so there are fewer old and run-down villages — although by no means does that mean they’re always up to scratch.
The term ‘village’ is a bit optimistic. It conjures up visions of cottages, a couple of shops, a pub, a cricket green, maybe a post office. While you might find all of those things somewhere around the university (especially at a campus university), student villages are usually stuck at one end of a site and consist only of houses.
The houses themselves are usually modern and are pretty much the same as halls, only smaller and more, well, house-like. As a rule, student villages are self-catering, so there’s usually a shared kitchen (everyone gets a cupboard which they keep padlocked if they don’t want their Walkers crisps going walkies) and sometimes a common room.
This set-up is a kind of half-way house (or series of houses, I guess) between the convenience of living in and the independence of living out. But try repainting your room and you’ll soon be reminded who owns the place.
Last updated on: 21 May 2008