Living in Student Accommodation: Parkgate Road

I lived in university-owned student accommodation during my first year at Chester, studying BSc Psychology with Spanish. This was mainly due to the pricing being lower than partnership accommodation, but it also meant I'd have lots of different options that would work for me.

As someone whose hometown is three hours away from Chester, finding the right accommodation was incredibly important, as commuting wasn't an option if I decided I didn’t enjoy living where I was.

How Did I Choose My Accommodation?

I looked through all the accommodation options on the University of Chester website, weighing up the pros and cons of each. I also had a campus tour before joining the University, which included looking at accommodation.

When it came to applying for accommodation, I personally found choosing my preferences quite easy. This is because there were three key things I wanted:

1. I wanted to live in self-catered accommodation. I really like cooking; I find it a nice way to relax and draw myself away from work when I need a break.
2. I wanted to be able to meet people immediately to help me settle in and hopefully make some new great friends (spoiler: I did!).
3. I knew that I would be receiving the minimum maintenance loan amount, so had to consider accommodation prices carefully.

Two options ticked these boxes, self-catered en-suite and self-catered shared bathroom. So, from here I needed to decide if I had a preference and why.

As I’m the younger of two siblings, I saw my brother live in both en-suite and shared bathroom accommodation (at a different university), all with shared kitchens, so it was something I was familiar with and remembered him enjoying and benefitting from. I didn’t mind the idea of sharing a bathroom with other people, especially when I discovered that all shared bathrooms at the University of Chester are single sex.

So ultimately, it came down to my third concern – price.

My Experience of Living on Parkgate Road

I had a really positive experience living at Parkgate Road; I loved having the communal space in the kitchen as it gave all of us a place to hang out and get to know each other. We would often spend time in there when we weren’t cooking just to chat to whoever was there. It was also nice having this space so that we could each have friends over, especially before going out into town.

It is also incredibly useful living so close to the campus and having everything you need nearby, such as supermarkets within a 15-minute walk.

The rooms in the houses are also a nice size, something that can be a luxury in student accommodation. Not all are the same, with the downstairs bedrooms being larger than upstairs, but no one was cramped in any way. The rooms have plenty of storage and space for you to bring any knick-knacks or anything you might want to bring to make your room feel homely and your own – something that is super important when you move away to university for the first time.

I also came away from the first year with new friends, not just in my house but from others nearby. The feeling of community definitely exists, with many people being friends with their neighbours and lots of us spending time going between the different houses to visit. I also chose to keep living with one of my first year housemates when we moved into a different house in the second year and we’re still very good friends now - over three years later!

Based on my experience, I'd definitely recommend living in university accommodation!