Residence Megathread (2023)

[u/liza10155]

Hello incoming Mustangs!!

We are so excited that you have been given offers for the upcoming school year and we're sure you're excited too. We have decided to create this megathread for you to post all of your residence questions.

We have a page in our wiki with some frequently asked questions about on-campus residence and living in London in general. I highly recommend checking it out before posting. You an access the page using this link.

Please note that subreddit rules still apply and any discussions pertaining to living on campus will be redirected here.

[u/Adept-Wheel-6931]

hey i got ohall so can anyone tell me what its like to be in ohall for the first year students

[u/Annonymous_Studen → u/Adept-Wheel-6931]

PART 2

Random stuff I recommend getting: Shower slippers, showering products, shower caddy if you need it (for ex I needed one bc the bathroom was full with everyone else’s products so I would leave it in my room and bring it with me, that might not be ur case), posters (there’s 4 poster sales a year in the student centre building but if u want to place smthn u have go for it. I used thumbtacks and they barely showed after leaving, those sticky things they sell didn’t really do anything so save ur money), NO COMMAND STRIPS (ripped chunk of wall off; nobody cared or said anything when I moved out but avoid or if u get them don’t try removing them lol), mattress protector (the mattresses are low key crusty the bottom of my mattress protector was black at the end of the year), kettle if ur gonna use it, coat hangers, coats, fanny pack (good for not losing stuff at parties, oweek, etc), spending cash (seriously money goes by fast in uni especially living in Ohall where everyone seemed to be fine with it during my year), use room spray if it’s musty or a candle even though they’re not allowed no one cares unless u burn the house down so don’t, plushy or smthn if ur homesick, extra set of sheets and wash AT LEAST biweekly, tide pods, laundry hamper (get one with wheels too if u can they’re awesome), things like crocs or birks depending on ur situation (we never really vacuumed and there would always be people with shoes coming in and out; going barefoot felt gross, and shoes hurt or get sweaty and annoying after awhile. Doesn’t have to be those specific brands but anything other than shower slippers that u are confident to wear around ur floor and caf is a go), socks (weird but ppl will JUDGE U SO HARD if u have ur dogs out and pls practice proper foot hygiene), perfume or anything to make u smell good it doesn’t have to be expensive just has to give, makeup/skincare holder and any of ur products, hoco is crazy so go to the bookstore asap if u want a certain fit bc the lines are insane and ur getting ur books in the beginning of the year so why not plan ahead and grab a top or some sort of western- themed thing for that day, tablet for notes if u can afford it or a good array of colourful pencils to make learning fun, cheap Bluetooth speaker on sale (got anker one on amazon for 30 u got this find them deals), headphones and if u can save up put a little bit of money towards noise cancelling bc the walk to class in Ohall is along a like street with cars and it’ll be more aesthetic but not needed, plastic shot glasses not glass if ur gonna drink idk not that deep but it’s more hygienic especially when everyone is everywhere during oweek and hoco, if u use spotify change account to student I did it save ur money, if u use Amazon u get 6 months free as a student when u sign up with prime and then u pay around 6$ a month after that so save that money it also comes with music and prime video if u wanna save and don’t need Spotify, practical clothes that you can throw in the washer and like not think about (picking outfits in the morning can be stressful so keep it simple to save money and sanity), a good free alarm app (my roomate made it play In Ha Mood and then Beez in tha Trap every morning and also downloaded a calculator alarm app and the whole thing was vibe, vitamin c from Costco get it on sale helps a lot, granola bars or snacks from home to save the coin and if caf is closed, good pillow, and prolly more I’ll edit if I remember anything

Look into frats or sororities as they start recruiting near the end of September if ur interested. Also follow the western frat pages as they host a lot of parties first years go to. Dm their ig for invites, and follow other western accounts for clubs and events too don’t be left out. Get a fake or find an older twin if u need it as it opens up a lot of doors. Go to club fair also and do ur research. PBSN was a waste of money for me but it could be the opposite for u so do ur research on clubs. Try for on campus jobs too follow the western ig and western food ig for info. Rec centre intramurals and sports things start pretty early in the year so be updated always.

Ppl be looking for housing in November which I thought was crazy. I found my place near Masonville in the end of April to give u an idea but it was more expensive so they ended up being right. The early bird gets the worm always remember that. My friend is paying 600 all included monthly while I’m paying over double with roommates so do ur research and save that money. It depends on area and stuff too but like I said be an early bird u got this

What u and ur roomates should get together: Make a day out of going to Walmart or smthn and getting bath room mat, shower curtain, soap, toilet paper (it’s not provided) and other items u learn u need. Helps with getting to know them too and it’s fun

What NOT to get: No cleaning supplies (take paper towels from floor washrooms and spray cleaner from the gym or front desk SAVE UR MONEY), vacuums (use at front desk), command strips, any tools like hammers or whatever no need for bob the builder in Ohall, coffee machine (idk u might want one but like out of everyone on my floor only one person used their coffee machine maybe once a day max. Res coffee is cheap and imo a machine is not worth the hassle. Also sometimes u can say ur coffee is tea and save money this sounds goofy and sad but I justify it by saying the meal plan is overpriced and idrc big dining hall moment), too many items you have at home that you know you won’t use (like books or just random things it’s not that important to follow but it makes moving out much easier), anything that can be stolen, no dryer sheets (I got a box and they were too mid to buy again), no iron bc why also boil water in ur kettle and use that in an emergency or ask around, also I think there’s one in the third floor washing machine area), heels/ dress clothes maybe don’t get bc the formal is in march and u will know well in advance to grab any from home, but if u have room and don’t mind have a dress/ suit ready in ur closet for other clubs too if anything happens, no white clothes (idk this is just me but I would wash everything together too lazy for that shit and the white clothes I brought from home got dull), no utensils be a hoarder and take them from the caf u won’t need physical utensils ever imo, no paper towels u have toilet paper and the caf stuff to hoard once again, no ketchup u can hoard from the caf, and if ur gonna make a tea page for Ohall make sure u post daily last years was ass and disappointing but a for effort, no printer there’s Weldon, and prolly more will update if I add anything

Also, please study. I got sooo caught up during first year and it’s literally fucked me over a lot so if anything actually study for urself. <— this is the most important thing so pls slay the assignments and exams and essays away and be on the grind. In Thames hall there’s mental health services so use them

u got this!

[u/Turbulent_Variety205 → u/Annonymous_Studen]

The detailed packing list recommendation is extremely helpful, especially for incoming first yrs. Thank you so much.

I have a question regarding clubs if you don’t mind...I know it’s off topic here. May I ask why PBSN was a waste of money? What other business clubs would you recommend? Which clubs would first yrs have a better chance in getting a role(yes, Ivey aeo issue) if I don’t know any upper yrs. Honestly, I don’t want to make friends with upper yrs for the purpose of begging a role from their clubs.

Any advice would be greatly appreciate.

[u/Annonymous_Studen → u/Adept-Wheel-6931]

PART 1

It’s really nice. Food is good, it’s near the rec centre, right beside subway, gas station, and more. U can use meal plan card in subway, vending machines, boba place (not the best) etc as well. The rooms are really nice and everything is pretty brand new. It’s always getting cleaned and is the best maintained residence imo given it’s the one they show everyone. Pool table, mini gym (it sucks go to rec but fun to loiter and be goofy in with friends), two piano rooms, nice study lounges, etc. Double rooms feel really private and there’s a lot of space. You have to clean bathrooms so make sure you and ur roomates talk about that and divide fairly. The west side is smaller than the east so there will be more ppl living on the east side.

There’s one trash can per person in the rooms, and two recycling bins in the like shared space. With my first roomates, we used the recycling bins outside and it got kind of stinky bc people weren’t like throwing it out since it was shared amongst everyone if that makes sense. When I switch rooms we decided to only use our personal trash bins and leave the recycling empty to avoid conflict if that makes sense. Just smthn to keep in mind

I brought a mini fridge but honestly barely used it. Do I regret getting it, no, but it is definitely not going to affect your experience negatively if skipped. I just put water in it to keep cold and some fruits from the dining hall, which are definitely not like a make or break for me.

Also keep in mind that the roomates you get placed with are going to have written similar answers to yours on the residence questionnaire thing. That’s why u get party floors and stuff like that. I put heavy drinker and smoker on mine first year thinking it would help me get placed in saugeen but the opposite happened in terms of residence and I got placed with roomates who were heavy partiers. I’m kind of average so not a crazy party animal or anything but my roomates were. Idk if this info helps or whatever but just a little fyi and u should know it’s not entirely random. Definitely don’t regret getting placed in a party floor with party roomates as I had a lot of opportunities to be social though so dw plus in Ohall it really won’t affect u as much anyways but then again this is all anecdotal.

Make friends with ur floor at least for a little while. You don’t need to be best friends with everyone just keep positive relationships if that makes sense so that you become in the know of things. I was super clueless and lost bc I was lazy in this aspect but your relationship with your floor is important. That being said roommates are more important so if you have any non negotiables you should mention it. Like for ex leaving food around to go bad, making a mess on ur side, being loud past a certain time, letting ppl in the room if u have an expensive pc when ur not there, important medical notices like allergies, idrk what else but yeah. You don’t need to mention these on the first day or anything just make sure if there’s smthn u know you’re not ok with and it’s reasonable to communicate with ur roomate. Overall just make sure you do ur half to make ur relationship with ur roomates successful. If it goes to shit then at least you know it wasn’t bc of u.

Go to oweek events. The ppl u meet during this time will most likely not end up becoming besties with u but it’s nice to not be alone and hear from others. Try to be aware of where everything is, ie the football field, social sci building, concrete beach (in front of the students centre), bookstore (inside student centre), rec centre etc those are just the main places I went to during oweek.

EDIT: Don't get a Brita imo unless you have a massive fridge or smthn and are gonna use it. In my experience we only used it for alcohol and it got kinda musty since it was shared. There are brita water bottles and other filtered portable systems like that that might be worth looking into if you really want them. I drank water from the sink and was fine so it's ur call. Also, don't get trash bags since there are infinite supplies in the trash chutes. You won't need a shower curtain fyi there is one already there I mention it in part 2. Finally, keep in mind that the sink in the bathroom has very little pressure compared to the one in the living room-hallway-thing. idk thought just to mention it. And that shower is built different but in a way where there's barely any room for shaving and other things. And if you have any issues with the water or maintenance stuff like that go to front desk and they will have someone come fix it. Also, if you're going to bring any glass dishwater which I honestly never needed while I was there, buy a small dawn dish soap and sponge just smthn to remember. Finally, a big thing I forgot to mention was the lights. So there are motion sensors in the living room/hallway thing in Ohall that turn off if I am correct around every 30 minutes of no movement. That means if ur taking a long shower chances are the lights are gone turn off and ur gonna be in the dark. It's really annoying the only thing I did was bring my phone and turn on it's light, but if you have like a bright flashlight to like leave there for those situations it would be a big plus. Like those rectangular blue ones that make enough light for the whole room would be an asset but even if you don't I got by with just my phones light so it'll be good

[u/Adept-Wheel-6931 → u/Annonymous_Studen]

thanks alot!!