Philosophy and politics student Mandi gives advice on what it's like to live in halls of residence at Essex.
Try to remember that we are all different and following these simple steps will help you to create a happy and harmonious household:
We all know that bad communication is the cause of most problems, so make sure you get to know your housemates by name; share your languages and your cultural experiences and offer some help to our international visitors that might be a little overwhelmed. They may be experiencing the same anxieties as yourself but without the benefit of immediate family and friends.
Take a step back if things get a bit heated, then try to re-connect once everyone has calmed down. Remember, it is good to talk!
You can start having a guest to stay, two weeks after your contract has started for occasional stays of up to three nights duration.
If you want your guest to stay for more than 3 nights, then you are required to request permission by by contacting the Student Services Hub.
Please let the team know the name of the person staying overnight, as well as their contact details and how long they will be staying (children under 16 are not permitted to stay overnight in our accommodation).
If you live in a designated single gender flat, you are not permitted to have guests of the opposite gender visit or stay overnight.
Please remember, that you are responsible for the behaviour of your guests.
Additional beds and linen are available upon request for main campus only (please contact the SIT in the Silberrad).
Visiting or staying over
If you are planning on visiting a friend or they have invited you to stay, please check with them first and do not visit their flat if anyone in the flat is self-isolating, which will help stop the spread of Covid-19 and keep everyone safe.
Ok, just to clarify, noise can really travel so we thought an extra segment on the subject would be a good idea. Lack of sleep can be a considerable source of stress and anxiety, so no noise should be heard from outside your room, which includes from any electronic equipment (such as televisions or stereos) plus remember sub woofers are not allowed.
Noise from chatting and the use of communal areas, as well as late arrivals etc. should be kept to an absolute minimum and no parties or loud gatherings are permitted (sorry).
To help everyone get the peace they need during exams, we impose a period of 'quiet hours'. This means that during the period 24 April to 16 June, you all need to make sure that you are quiet between the hours of 5pm and 9am each day, during the week and 24 hours a day at weekends. This will hopefully help everyone to get the sleep they need and time to study.
If you need to report excessive noise at anytime, please contact Colchester Security services or Southend Security services and the team will attend to help you resolve the problem, as well as report anyone in breach of the Code of Student Conduct or our Terms and Conditions.
If you and your flatmates are struggling to understand and communicate with each other, then seek the help of Residence Life. They have a team of student staff who are all returning students living on campus in University accommodation. They can help you approach the situation in a different way and facilitate a flat meeting to work together and try to resolve any issues.
If you want to check exactly what the rules and regulations are, then read our Terms and conditions of Residence.
For enquiries about accommodation or about an application you're making, contact us at the Student Services Hub. Quote your full name and PRID or PG number on all correspondence.