The Vale Village

The location of the vale was good in terms of distance to uni (20 minute walk) however it was far from supermarkets and shops, making shopping inconvenient. If you had an emergency and ran out of loo roll or something like that, you could go to the costcutter on the vale but it was very overpriced. The good thing about the vale though was that the different accommodation blocks were very close together, you could walk across the whole thing in 5 mins. The green landscape was absolutely beautiful and was great in the summer when you wanted to get some fresh air when taking a break from exam revision. I lived in chamberlain so I had a large room with plenty of storage. The layout of the flats was good and the maintenance team were able to fix problems within a day or two. Despite this, it's still not worth the price. I paid nearly £8000 for 9 months of accommodation, it did include the 'meal plan' however that did not cover all my meals so I would still have to buy my own food for breakfast or lunch anyway. It was nice, but unaffordable.

I lived in Mason which is part of the Vale Village, it's close to campus (around a 15 minute walk), all rooms had an ensuite and we were self-catered. It was expensive but not too much more than paying for a house plus you get an ensuite. The kitchen was big but lacked storage space (we had one cupboard each). Maintenance was carried out quickly and was generally good. Security was very good. Only issues were proximity to a supermarket to buy groceries, the closest shop was Spar and they raised their prices, and also washing machines were far away and expensive to run.

Excellent accomodation with all students around I stayed at chamberlain. Very pricey at 7800 but like living in a hotel. Some good food facilites but not many shops around. Just a costcutters on the vale.

Maple bank is where I stayed for my first year. It needs a lot of work doing to it to be honest, we were left without hot water for weeks on end and the maintenance people would come to fix it only for it to break 3 days later. The rooms are a modest size and the kitchen is nothing special. You live in a flat of 5 and have no say of who you’re with so be prepared to meet some strangers! There are two bathrooms, one with a toilet and one with both toilet and shower and these are both really tiny, as well as having to be shared between all 5 of you. It can be really annoying when you are waiting to use the shower behind 4 other people, so if you are not good with having to share and be patient I would probably splash out a bit more and get your own en suite, particularly if this isn’t your first experience of living away from home. That being said, maple bank for me was only £80 a week, all bills and really speedy internet included so you don’t have to worry about sorting out the splitting of bills. For your money you save a great deal despite the compromises you make, like the shared bathroom. Particularly in second year you’re going to have to share bathrooms with people anyway unless you want to pay a fortune, so it’s good practice to start learning from the offset of how to deal socially with a big house. The best thing about maple bank I see undeniably the night life. It’s renowned for being the party halls of the uni, as well as tennis courts which is further down the road, and every night there will be a pres amongst any of the blocks. If you aren’t the partied perhaps it’s not for you. Be prepared to walk to uni, it’s about 20-30 mins to get to the centre of campus and if you are on the drama campus in selly probably about an hour and 15 mins or so, so perhaps get the bus. They will probably tell you a bus goes through the halls for transport but thats a lie so I wouldn’t wouldnt listen, you’ll have to walk to the public bus stop and wait for the correct bus. But the vale is so pretty and you get to celebrate with the incredible festival valefest at the end of the year. For the money you save and the experience you gain, maple bank is by far the best halls and I miss it so much! So make sure you make the most of it, with any of the halls that you pick, because first year is the year to do everything you can before the real crux of University life begins. Enjoy and good luck!

Maple Bank - cheap, good value for money. Small kitchen but not really needed as meal plan is included, although too small for social life/pre-drinks. Good landing space for pre-drinks between 3 flats. Meal plan is expensive and food not always good.

I live in Shackleton on the Vale, and I, overall have had a positive experience. As for the Vale overall, it is a lovely place to live. The student village surrounded by trees and a lake in Edgbaston, which is one of the nicer and safer places in Birmingham, is both picturesque and useful. Its also the most social place, and I am glad to live here as a fresher, as freshers who don't live on the vale don't seem to have many friends. However in comparison to Selly Oak and Prittchats Park is one of the furthest accomodation zones to walk from, the furthest away walking for 25-20 mins. If I speed walk I can get from my flat to seminar in 20 mins, which isn't too bad but not ideal. The Vale has so many different accomodation options, which I loved, both shared and ensuite rooms, catered and self-catered in a variety of different sizes. I chose ensuite at Shackleton as the rooms were quite big, with big kitchens but I liked the independence of an ensuite bathroom. The pull of Shackleton was being so close to the hub, I only had to go down a floor to get food for meal plan, and costcutter, cash machine, the pub (duck and scholar) etc, and I do love this. However I wasn't expecting the building to be as it was. As it is so old, there are frequent mould/condensation/damp issues, and the hot water has gone off a couple of times, and it is often cold with poor radiators. Shackleton is expensive enough I do now wish I just paid the extra bit to live in Chamberlain and have new good quality rooms with bigger beds! I do love the meal plan aspect, I'm not a huge cook and the flexibilty of £56 on my student card to spend all over campus and the Vale is really great. Overall I do like living here, I'd live on the Vale again and could live in Shackleton, but it hasnt been perfect.

The kitchen space is of a good space, allowing it to be used for social interactions. The rooms are also of good size, however the ensuite option does limit room size. In Mason, there is good space with adequate storage for clothes on racks, in cupboards as well as under the bed.

Love the uni halls life as all u mates are so close to you. It’s a beautiful area but the kitchens in mason aren’t built very well. For example the door of cupboards were missing and skirting boards have come away from the walls. The rooms are great tho as it’s nice to have your own bathroom

Quite a trek from the city centre, but cheap buses are available until late at night. Getting back from a night out may be expensive due to the use of an uber. But it's a really nice facility. The kitchen/living space has plenty of room to hold all of my flatmates, and it's a very chilled out atmosphere that is very warm and welcoming.

I was in Elgar Court, which is at the top of the vale village. It is quite a long walk onto campus every morning. Additionally Elgar doesn’t have its own washing facilities so you have to walk to either chamberlain or maple bank.. the rooms were standard, quite spacious with a single bed. They do have an ensuite which is very useful. Maintenance do seem to take a while to respond though if you have an issue. It is also on meal plan which I personally found quite unhelpful as I had sports and then after training the only thing open was the pizza place.

It is great for social life and is a beautiful park with lovely wildlife and atmosphere. It could be a little closer to campus.

Good student atmosphere. Ok food but not enough healthy options. Good student bar. Range of prices and facilities in each accommodation block. Sick scenes if it snows

Location is great - perfect distance from uni, but in terms of facilities, I reported the lift (which would break with students inside by shuddering to a halt for a minute or so before eventually moving again) on multiple occasions but nothing was done about it

Better food opportunities on uni campus than on accommodation campus and a trek to the uni, nice living in a big community though, beautiful surroundings

Mason is a very lovely place to live big windows close to uni campus and very near to the beautiful lake. Only thing I do not rate is the inability to wash me clothes as the ones a good 5 minute walk away just do not know how to dry clothes

Shackleton hall is the central hub for the vale village and by far the most social as you'll find people coming from all over to use the facilities here, namely the costcutter, the melt and the pub. It's good, although rooms are outdated and mine in particular is very small compared with flatmates'. Meal plan is also useful if you don't want to cook, but the value for money is poor especially if you buy sandwiches and you will have to cook to make it through the week, and I don't see the benefit of using mealplan at infusion rather than just using a debit card at checkout.

Elgar Court- The Call An 'on campus' accommodation that's still nearly a 25 minute walk from main campus. Huge rooms and really nice kitchen . All been redone in late 2017. Don't go on meal plan , youll save money buying your own food

really great in chaimberlain, very happy, the facilities are great, the meal plan has a wide variety of choice which can be used at all the outlets on campus, the atmosphere is very social and i have made a lot of friends

I really really loved living in the Vale Village in my first year - it is perfectly located so you can get to main campus in under 15 minutes, and the scenery was second to none! Nothing better than a walk around the lake when you're hungover on your way to grab a pizza from the Duck and Scholar. TC till i die.

The Vale overall is great and I would fully recommend it. The setting is beautiful with the lake, you feel really safe and it's only 15 minutes walk to campus. I was in Mason halls which are really nice and well equipped. The only thin I'd say is for what you are paying there isn't much storage in the room and there's no table in the kitchen which is a bit annoying. My flat wasn't that sociable but i think that was just unfortunate as most people i know got on really well with their flatmates and did loads of stuff together. The Vale has everything you need with places to do laundry, a pub/bar, a little shop, outdoor picnic tables and parking available if you get a permit.

In Mason halls.: The room was a great size with a convenient en suit bathroom. The kitchen also was fully equipped however the lounge section could have been better as the sofas and table were inconvenient. The location was fantastic with a huge lake and grass which was a beautiful view and only a short walk to campus or public transport to town. The social experience was also ideal as all the halls were together with the hub in the centre being ideal for meeting friends and hanging out.

I was in Maple Bank, in the Vale Village. It is currently the cheapest accommodation and was well worth the money. It was a very basic and standard living space but it had everything you needed and the most lively social atmosphere. I met a lot of my friends there who I still am goo friends with now and was one of the best parts of my university first year. The Vale Village has such a safe atmosphere too and beautiful green grounds, as well as a large lake to walk around and admire. The walk to campus is quite long compared to other universities and accommodations but I grew to love it! It was good exercise and a good time to let your mind wander but also where you saw many of your friends walking to or back from campus.

Mason was a close walk to campus and all the facilities were pretty good. However, the wifi and sometimes the water didn't always work which was quite annoying.

Really nice set around a really pretty lake, lots of different accommodations and lots of space. Tennis courts is fairly cheap and very nice. However meal plan is definitely not worth it. About 15/20 mins to campus and probably 25 mins up Aldi about 25 in the other direction to Morrisons.