I've been promising you guys a post about living in Trinity Halls for ages now, and here it finally is!
For those of you who don't know, "Halls", as it's colloquially known is off-campus student housing that's affiliated with Trinity College Dublin. I lived there during this academic year (2012 - 2013), and I'm here to tell you about my experience. If any of you out there are thinking about living in Halls, especially if you're an International student like I am, this is a must-read.
So, above I have pictures of my room and bathroom in Halls. I had a single ensuite, which means I wasn't sharing the room with another girl, and I had my own bathroom. I knew people who had double rooms (shared) and while they had tons of floor space, their rooms weren't any better.
The room and bathroom look rather small, but trust me, this is about as big as you're going to get in Dublin for a single room. Everything has that small, cramped European charm to it, so if you plan to come here to study/work/whatever, get over the idea of having tons of space. I'm American, so I was used to fairly palatial (in comparison) apartments, and I have to say, that was a big adjustment.
The Bathroom: it was a bit ridiculous in that the shower is literally in a corner with a small curtain you can pull around yourself and hardly any room at all. Most of the time, I just left the curtain open and didn't even bother. One useful thing if you're a girl is you can put your leg up on the toilet to shave your legs, because it's right there! I'm not being sarcastic. It's really quite convenient.
The Bed: was decently comfortable and long enough for me (I'm over six feet tall, so that's always a consideration). I was able to have friends of mine spend the night without us being completely cramped in the bed. The wardrobe and under-bed drawers made for plenty of storage space for all my clothes and shoes. I had to leave my suitcases out, but I didn't particularly care about that.
The Cost: Living at Halls cost me about 600 euro a month, bills included (electricity, water, etc.). If you think that's expensive, trust me, it's pretty middle of the road for this country. You can find apartments that are cheaper, but they won't be all-inclusive. You pay in three installments, one of which will be due before you get there, so if you're getting loans, be prepared to pay this out of pocket. It'll be due before you have a chance to collect your loan cheque from the fees office. You'll need to have about $3000 ready to pay.
The People: Halls has lots of events, and it's very easy to meet people/make friends. Honestly, half the reason it was worth living there for me was that my roommates helped me get oriented and find my way around, and they ended up being quite good friends of mine! There were five girls in the apartment, and even though that sounds like a lot, we all had our own space or could hang out in our large kitchen if we wanted to be social.
You can smoke and drink on the property on an unofficial basis. You're technically not allowed to have alcohol, but they only enforce that if you're having a ridiculously loud party or trying to sneak non-residents in at night. For smoking, they just want you to stand a bit away from doors, really.
Overnight Guests: Guests technically have to be signed in, but I had friends of mine spend the night all the time without issue. The only time you might be turned away is if it's exam month. They're very strict about keeping parties/visitors away during that time.
Inspections: Halls has quarterly inspections of your room and apartment. These are somewhat ridiculous. They check to see if your room/bathroom/kitchen is clean, and if it's not they give you a list of things you need to fix. They say they'll check up on you in a few days to see if you've done it, but in my experience they never came back. You will be expected to clean the whole place at the end of the year. If you do a good job, you get your deposit back. If you don't, they charge you a crap ton of money to clean it properly. Be thorough.
I actually have a fairly ridiculous story about inspections. I was taking a nap at about 2 PM when there was an inspection, and the lady burst into my room without knocking. I got out of bed, said hi, and then went back to sleep once she left. The next day, I was called into the Warden's office because they wanted to know if I was okay. Apparently being in bed in the middle of the day is a bad sign. They actually asked me if I was ill or hungover, which I thought was really unprofessional. So f-ing what if I AM hungover (I wasn't)? I'm a legal adult and can do as I please. I just sort of looked at them askance and said, "I'm a postgraduate student? When do you think I sleep? At night?"
They literally act like your parents at this place. They have a lot of rules and are not afraid to enforce them.
Fire Safety Talk: At the beginning of the year, you'll have to go to a fire safety talk at about 8 in the bloody morning, and if you don't go, they fine you 100 euro. Trust me, do not miss this.
Moving In and Out: My building had a lift, so getting my luggage up to the fifth floor wasn't so bad, but not all the buildings do. Also, move-in dates are about middle of September and then move-out is around the end of May. If you intend to stay over the summer, be prepared to either extend your stay at Halls (you'll be forced to move out for a few days while they clean and then move back in) or get an apartment somewhere else.
Laundry: They have nice washing and drying machines that can do quite large loads. Be prepared to pay for it, though. The washing machines cost 4 euro, and the drying machines cost 50 cents for 20 minutes. You'll end up spending at least 5 euro for every load.
Getting In and Out: Halls is gated, so you need a key to get into the property, into your building, into your apartment, and then into your room. It's all the same key, but for the love of God, do not leave home without it. I thankfully never locked myself out.
Reception is open 24 hours, so if you get locked out, lose your key or your key stops working, you can go to them at any time.
That's about all I can think of for now, so I'm just going to make a tl;dr Pros and Cons List.
Easy to take the Luas or the bus into college.
Affiliated with Trinity, so everyone you meet is a student at your school.
Lots of events and free food
It's easy to get around the rules you don't like.
Some of the apartments have gorgeous views. Go to my photos to see some.
You'll make loads of friends.
The staff act like they're your freaking parents.
The Wardens are nosy dicks who will tell you to quiet down and kick your friends off the property and call you into the office for taking naps. Seriously, if you missed my above story about that, scroll back up and read it.
There are places out there that are closer to college and cheaper. It's just a matter of finding them.
My Overall Recommendation: Halls was not at all a bad place to live, especially for me, an International student who knew absolutely no one in Ireland and had no idea how to get around. I would recommend living there and then once you know your way around, get a cute apartment for over the summer in city centre.
If I think of anything else to add to this, I will, but for now, here you are.
