Meet the new SweetSpotters: Beth in Nottingham
About Me
What course are you on? What do you like about it?
Studying BSc Geography (now in my Second Year) at the University of Nottingham. I love the fact that the course is so diverse and I get to jolly about in other countries if I want and just say that I’m studying for my degree, learning about new cultures; or I can just stay at home and learn about the diverse geography of our own tiny little island.
What’s your favourite thing to do in Nottingham?
I love being able to travel to other cities with great ease but the ‘The boiler Cocktail Bar pretty awesome too. But sometimes you just can’t beat staying in and watching a good movie on the TV at home with a huge bag of popcorn and your housemates.
What the best kept secret on your campus?
The ERC in the Sir Clive Granger (Geography) building. It’s so quiet and out of the way that it makes the perfect place to get work done without getting too stressed – perfect for Geographers (it is a map room after all).
What advice would you give people wanting to move to Nottingham to study?
Definitely come to Nottingham – it doesn’t matter whether you’re moving from far away or an hour down the road, it’s such a lovely city with friendly people and lots to do. The University is amazing with such a beautiful campus, you won’t regret studying at such a brilliant university. Live on campus in your first year and really think about who you want to live with and what you’re willing to pay in your second year for a house. It’s much better than staying in halls again – you feel more grown up and independent, plus you get your own space. And don’t be afraid to pay a bit extra for your house if you do, because it will be SO worth it!
Finding the right home
How did you find your flatmates for your new home? How did you decide to move in together?
We searched online and found some nice looking houses within our budget and then contacted the representatives of the companies. I think we searched on Unipol, Rightmove Students and the SweetSpot website itself. We decided to live together because we were friends in halls and therefore thought it would be a great idea.
When did you sign up to move in? Did you leave it till the last minute?
We signed up to our contract in January and then officially signed in February/March I think. I’m not entirely sure. We definitely didn’t leave it until the last minute, however I think we were slightly panicking that there wouldn’t be any houses left in January as lots of people had already signed for their houses in both Nottingham and many other cities where our friends from home go to university.
How was your flat/house hunting experience? What would you do differently (if anything) next time?
House hunting was a bit stressful, but I think that was because we panicked a bit, I think if we had done it again we may have looked around a bit and talked things through better, however ultimately I feel even if we had done that we would still have gone for the awesome house which we are in now.
It can be a stress finding the right home, what made you choose this one?
We chose this one because our local rep Gwen really sold us on the refurbishment of the property and how it was ultimately going to look in the end. We are in a recently purchased house so when we looked around and signed for it, it was completely different to how it is now, therefore we took a bit of a gamble but we always knew it was going to look great because of the other houses that we have seen on the site. The current students living there were really pleased with the house and the broadband and TV license included in the rent was an added bonus that sold it to us.
What’s your favourite thing about your new home? Why?
The favourite thing about our new home has to be the living room. There wasn’t one in the house previously. The whole communal living area is now great with us all being able to socialise in the lounge/kitchen/dining room area. Its really makes the difference being able to socialise in a way that you’re just not able to do when living in communal catered halls on University Park Campus.