If you got an offer for LSE recently, you might be in the process of deciding which accommodation to live in during the upcoming academic year. I stayed in Rosebery Hall in the first year of my undergraduate degree in 2018/19. In this blog, you will find an overview of my experience of living there, which will hopefully help you decide whether it’s the right choice for you.

Overview

Everything you need to know about booking a room at Rosebery Hall and what is offered there can be found on the LSE website. Just by way of introduction, Rosebery is a first-year undergraduate hall, though a few of my friends have stayed there in their second and third year, too. As will become clear below, I really enjoyed my time at Rosebery and found everyone friendly and helpful, which made my first year experience a positive one overall.

Location

The hall is located on Rosebery Avenue in the Borough of Islington, close to Exmouth Market and Angel Station. I had never been to this part of London prior to moving in but it turned out to be one of my favourites.

Rosebery is within 25 to 30 minutes walking distance to LSE campus. There is also a bus leaving right outside the hall that takes around 20 minutes. When I lived there, I spent barely any money on transport since central London and campus were within walking distance. This is something to consider when comparing rent prices of different accommodations.

Exmouth Market is a beautiful street with lots of independent shops and restaurants. I particularly recommend going to Café Nécco, a Japanese café with delicious food and a pretty interior. Apart from that, you will find anything you need around Angel Station, from supermarkets to clothes shops, pubs, and restaurants.

Amenities

The rooms are like most LSE accommodations. There is a single bed, desk, wardrobe, and vanity sink. Make sure to refer to the LSE website for everything else that is provided at the accommodation. For me personally, there was enough space and storage for my things. Rosebery has different rooms and prices based on contract length. As an international student, I opted for a 38-week contract, so that I did not have to move out during term breaks.

Apart from the rooms themselves, Rosebery has nice common spaces. The common room was a great space to socialise since it had table tennis and a pool table. Before the pandemic, open bars were also held there. Since Rosebery is a catered hall, a lot of time was also spent in the cafeteria, which in exam season also doubled as a study space.

Social life

This may obviously differ from year to year and person to person, but for me, the social life at Rosebery was great. I met most of my friends in my accommodation and it was fun to be able to live together and spend so much time together during dinners and socials. Equally, not everyone clicks with people at their accommodation but there are plenty of other opportunities to socialise at LSE. My advice for anyone starting university this year is to just get to know different people during the first few weeks. Most likely, you will not find your best friends immediately but there is no issue with that.

Overall, I would really recommend Rosebery Hall based on location and my positive experience there. I personally found the price reasonable too for what I wanted, but this is an individual decision to make. I hope this blog provided an insight into what it’s like to live at Rosebery Hall and if you decide to live there, I wish you the very best time!