h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

i've just moved to my new digs (i was thrown out of college because the national service program is using all the rc's for the second phase of training). it's at a '5-star' student hostel just off the campus. a deluxe twin room (for two people), *much* bigger than a standard room (i'm not sure about the measurements, but you can lay about 5-6 single beds side-by-side along one wall - and the room is square. well, sort of - the bathroom is in it). fully furnished (beds, wardrobes, book racks, luggage compartment and computer tables) and comes with an attached bathroom. comes with air-conditioning, water heater, telephone and broadband internet connection. approx US$115 (and no, i don't have to pay electricity or water bills; because it's 10 mins from my faculty, i don't have to fork out any transportation money either). free laundry service 4 times a week (7 kg per load), access to the gym, recreation and reading rooms. convenience store and food court on the ground floor. utter luxury.

How big? For how much? What sort of a student are you?

Sheesh, when I was a student there were 150 of us living in't shoebox in't middle o't road...

Enjoy your new home!

danny - never ask a person with ocd for measurements! naturally i had to get up and measure my entire room with a metal ruler because the question wouldn't let me rest...

room measurements: 3.695 m x 5.820 m
bathroom (built-in): 1.920 m x 1.920 m = 3.686 m2
room (minus bathroom) area: 17.81 m2

cost per month: approx USD 118 = approx 65 british pounds

too bad about your shoebox i suppose shoe sizes were much bigger in your day.

i'm a masters degree student, but this hostel takes in students from just about every nearby institution. previously i was living in the university's residential college (where i was the choir pianist); but as i've said, i've been forced to take up residence elsewhere - and a good thing too!

Congrats on the new digs, Farlander!

$118 a month?!? Whoa, that's cheaper than may first one-bedroom apartment, back in th '70s! I wonder if you could arrange to stay there a year after you graduate the program? I wonder if I could? (Nah, my wife wouldn't go for it.)

Never did the shoebox thing. I picked up a trade to get myself started until I could find an employer willing to pay for my education. It took a while, but it worked. Even so, my student loan payment is about the size of your rent check.

Now, on to the master's program!

wrong neighbourhood, fords! the amount of money you'd spend just flying here and back... then again, what are the odds that you turn out to be my next-door neighbour?

at any rate not only students live here. i believe that full-time working adults and travellers are taking up residence here as well. (i saw some backpackers come in the other day. and as for non-students - there's this bit in the registration form where it says, 'are you a student? if not, state your profession'. my guess is that they don't really care, so long as you're decent and adhere to the rules. which, by the way, is longer than the national constitution)

i'm exceedingly lucky - the government subsidised like 80% of my bachelor's degree education (my entire course cost about USD 4,000), and i'm currently on full scholarship for my masters. (and yes, i get a hefty allowance) - shrugs -

Farlander. Living off but near campus is very nice I think.

Not Only 'Living off of the Campus', but 'Living off the Campus'!!!

Sweet deal, indeed!

My previous employer covered 100% of my college tuition, sans books and fees. My current employer does cover 80%, so it is only the last year that I had to sweat.

My son is luckier. We kept his hyper-intelligent nose to the grindstone, and he got a fully paid scholarship (as predicted by his first-grade teacher!!). We are required to kick in a small percentage, but we'd be doing that anyway.

His rent deal is not nearly so sweet, and that's where the real cost comes in. He tried dorms the first two years, and shared a house with 5 other guys the third.

Now, he is sharing an apartment with a lovely, young, female student. It costs him no more, and is a whole lot more sanitary. Her family loves it because he can cook. Sometimes he even double dates, he with his girlfriend, and her with her fiance.

Not Only 'Living off of the Campus', but 'Living off the Campus'!!!

Sweet deal, indeed!

My previous employer covered 100% of my college tuition, sans books and fees. My current employer does cover 80%, so it is only the last year that I had to sweat.

My son is luckier. We kept his hyper-intelligent nose to the grindstone, and he got a fully paid scholarship (as predicted by his first-grade teacher!!). We are required to kick in a small percentage, but we'd be doing that anyway.

His rent deal is not nearly so sweet, and that's where the real cost comes in. He tried dorms the first two years, and shared a house with 5 other guys the third.

Now, he is sharing an apartment with a lovely, young, female student. It costs him no more, and is a whole lot more sanitary. Her family loves it because he can cook. Sometimes he even double dates, he with his girlfriend, and her with her fiance.

Times certainly have changed.

cohabiting with members of the opposite sex - that's cool. this is still a big no-no here (well, within campus and in student hostels at any rate). sometimes i think we're still living in the bloody victorian age!

your son is lucky to find a female housemate - and one who is tidy! when i moved in on monday, i discovered that a boyfriend-girlfriend couple were illegally cohabiting in my room (illegal, as in - they only paid rent for one!!!) - and had taken just about every inch of it. the place was an absolute mess - cockroaches wouldn't have lived in it. of course, they muttered an apology and proceeded to clear things up and get out... i have not seen either since, but their stuff seems to be disappearing from the room.

When I was at University there were a few shared (two-person) rooms in College. In my third year (which wasn't *that* long ago) there was the first recorded instance of opposite sex sharing. This was probably the College's single biggest news story of the year...

Welcome to the 20th Century, everyone

20th century? it's the 21st, although we still seem to be living in the 19th. opposite sex cohabitation? that's a laugh... although, mind you, that doesn't stop us from sneaking into each other's rooms...

"20th century? it's the 21st"

My point exactly

Hmmmm, slowly vanishing stuff, and invisible cohabitants? Sounds like a plot for a Dirk Gently book?!?

i feel ancient...

More ridiculous is when the rules of a University are so old they've failed to even consider mixed-sex student cohabitation (even of a platonic type) and never had a rule about it at all unlike guests staying. A male and female whom I knew exploited that when applying for college rooms in order to get their first choice of suite with separate bedrooms. They knew that they couldn't be barred from sharing at all on grounds of sex because such a clause had never been written into the rules. But they also knew the authorities were too prudish to then allocate them one of the bedroom-lounge combinations.

farlander, i'm vv jealous! i pay £80 per week at the mo for a horrible grotty room on a floor of 12, all sharing one kitchen and bathroom. they're actually being demolished when we move out!

sef - we're not even allowed *visitors* of the opposite sex!

arwen - do you mean to say you're sharing a flat with *12* others? that's awful! i'll send you pics of my room when i upload them...

"sef - we're not even allowed *visitors* of the opposite sex!"

Ah. You've missed the point. The rule about visitors was that they had to be signed in for at the gate (so it was known who was where) and signed out before curfew. The gates were locked overnight with guards on many of them and others patrolling. Any relatives staying had to be lodged in guest rooms (booked in advance). NB More than 8 people together in a room (with music and food/drink) was defined as an orgy and also against the rules at any time of day/night. I did my fair share of climbing over/round gates though.

I remember one night having 32 people in one dorm room all singing "Hey Jude".