[HDNG]IN COLLEGE:[EHDNG][PARA][GRPH]A2[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Catered: 29% [BULL] Cost: ú40 (30wks) [BULL] Self-catering: 24% [PARA]Cost: ú35 (30wks)[ESTAT][PARA][BOLD]Availability:[EBOLD] Whether or not students live in, they remain [PARA]members of their colleges throughout their university careers. [PARA]However, almost all 1st years (90%) live in (places guaranteed for[PARA]those who confirm their application by May). These are basically [PARA]catered with limited shared kitchen provision. The above provides[PARA]a catering subscription card which entitles students to breakfast [PARA]and a 40% discount on food in the dining halls ([ITAL]some of which is [PARA]really good[EITAL]). In general, the self-catering accommodation in [PARA]University Houses and Park Wood Courts - a small village of [PARA]terraced purpose-built student houses on campus - is used by [PARA]students beyond their 1st year. Self-catering houses are mixed [PARA]sex, but colleges are divided into male and female halls. [ITAL] Beckett [PARA]Court is 5 star, spacious accommodation, but other housing is a [PARA]bit run down. Parkwood and Darwin have big kitchens, and [PARA]Rutherford is gaining an extension (400 more rooms for 1995).[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Car parking:[EBOLD] A fee is charged.[HDNG]EXTERNALLY:[EHDNG][PARA][GRPH]A3[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Renting: 45% [BULL] Ave rent: ú42[ESTAT][PARA][BOLD]Availability:[EBOLD][ITAL]Students have to keep their eyes, ears and cheque [PARA]books open if they're going to find anywhere to live in Canterbury.[PARA][EITAL]An increasing number are moving out to Herne Bay and [PARA]Whitstable (5 to 7 miles north), where rents are cheaper, places [PARA]are more plentiful and life more dull[ITAL].[EITAL] 1st years who don't give the [PARA]University enough notice of their arrival will find themselves [PARA]booking into a bed and breakfast for at least the 1st few weeks - [ITAL][PARA]not a welcoming way to begin student life. The secret is to find [PARA]students who are willing to pass their houses on after they've [PARA]moved out, or else make plans as soon as possible. A car is [PARA]very difficult to park, but useful to have - you might have to live in [PARA]it.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Housing help:[EBOLD] The University Accommodation Office employs 4 [PARA]staff who'll help try to place students, especially 1st years, but its [PARA]main concern is allocating places on campus. [ITAL]The service is [PARA]considerably less useful than most: at the beginning of the 1993-4 [PARA]year, 200 places were left empty, and they only started to fill [PARA]them in February.[EITAL]
