Thwaite Hall is one of the halls of residence of Hull University.

Thwaite Hall is the closest hall of residence to both the university and the centre of Hull. Located in the large village (some say the biggest village in the UK) of Cottingham, it is a 20-minute walk away the university, and a 20-minute bus ride from the centre of Hull. The buses run quite late at night from both the university (as there is a nightclub there) and the city, but even if you can't find a bus there are plenty of taxi companies to call upon.

Thwaite Hall is located in wonderful grounds, which include a lake with ducks to feed all your left-over bread to, and pathways through the trees and round the lake which make a nice place to walk off dinner in the evenings. The actual hall is an old brick building, set around a few small courtyards.

The hall is semi-catered; breakfast/brunch and evening meals are all included, as is getting your room cleaned about once every two weeks. The food isn't gourmet, but it provides a balanced diet and means you don't have to bother cooking for yourself!

The rooms vary in size, from shoebox to very large, and in your first year it's generally pot luck as to which room you get. However, if you stay on you get to state your preference of room, and if you get elected to the JCR (Junior Common Room) committee you have a free choice of which room you want!

The JCR provide all the 'extra-curricular' events that happen in the hall, from buying a PlayStation to go in the actual Common Room (a project on-going at the moment) to organising ten-pin bowling competitions and the like.

You're never bored in Thwaite Hall - free Internet access in every room means if you have your own PC you can surf the net all day and all night for free, and if you don't have a PC you can use the computer room, also free of charge. Then there is the JCR and the TV room, both with televisions, and the Games Room with a pool/snooker table, table tennis, a dart board, and table football. And living in a hall of residence means there are always friends around to hassle if you're really bored!

All in all, halls of residence are probably the way to go, especially in your first year of Uni, as it means you have a bunch of ready-made friends when you arrive! It also means you don't have the hassle of cooking, cleaning and paying bills while you're trying to settle in to Uni life.

Related Links

• Some more information and some pictures of Thwaite Hall
• Information about Hull University accommodation