Rosa Said:

university: catered vs. self-catered?

We Answered:

I went to catered halls (quite some time ago).

I suppose it makes a difference how much money you would save but I would go with the catered.

1) I'm assuming you will have to cook for yourself and weekends like I did
so you'll learn to cook anyway without the immediate risk of starvation.

2) It won't always be the best food in the world but you will always have a choice of options.You will not have such options in your student fridge.(you will upset fellow students if you eat their biology project which they have kept in the fridge).

3) Although you will miss a few meals and feel like you're paying for stuff you haven't had , you will be grateful for sustenance during the latter weeks of terms.
The first few weeks of Bullingdon Club excess are not sustainable.

4) When you have a lot of course work to do you will be grateful that you don't have the hassle of planning/buying /cooking .
Pot Noodle /Pot Noodle /Pot Noodle is not the answer.

5) If we missed breakfast we were given vouchers for a sandwich at lunchtime instead.

6) However much of a domestic deity you and your close friends are ,there will be at least one swamp donkey on your corridor who will bring their ming to the kitchen (girls included).

7)You will have a stock answer when your granny asks if you are eating proper meals.

8)You will never decide that the egg content of mayonnaise will make it possible to make an omelette with it.(not as a filling , with.It doesn't work).

9) We also got given free milk twice a week.You can get stroppy and self righteous when all the naughty boys throw the cartons at each other on their way back to halls.They will not get bored of it.Ever.

10)No matter how unimaginative the catering is, you will never have to experience what smash,pickled onions and cold baked beans feel like in your stomach.However briefly.

So I'd go for catered, eating together is fun and a good bonding experience.You'll have plenty of time to experiment in your following years.

Good luck and have fun (you will).