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Bristol student plans weekly Amsterdam commute due to housing shortage | Bristol student plans weekly Amsterdam commute due to housing shortage |
(about 20 hours later) | |
A postgraduate student is considering flying to Bristol from Amsterdam every week for his course after failing to find housing for the past six weeks. | A postgraduate student is considering flying to Bristol from Amsterdam every week for his course after failing to find housing for the past six weeks. |
Sohail Braakman said this was an "extreme case which sounds crazy" but was cheaper than renting in Bristol. | Sohail Braakman said this was an "extreme case which sounds crazy" but was cheaper than renting in Bristol. |
First-year students left with no halls places said they felt abandoned by the university's lack of help offered. | First-year students left with no halls places said they felt abandoned by the university's lack of help offered. |
The University of Bristol said it had managed to offer places to students in Bristol, Langford or Newport in Wales. | |
Budget flights from Amsterdam can be as low as £20 for a one-way flight. | Budget flights from Amsterdam can be as low as £20 for a one-way flight. |
Mr Braakman, who is Dutch and lives in Amsterdam, was told a month after accepting his place he would need to find housing privately. | Mr Braakman, who is Dutch and lives in Amsterdam, was told a month after accepting his place he would need to find housing privately. |
"I had the expectation it was going to be quite easy," he said. | |
"When I was looking on the website of the University of Bristol, I saw that it was all portrayed very nicely. | "When I was looking on the website of the University of Bristol, I saw that it was all portrayed very nicely. |
"If you applied for this university there are five postgraduate accommodations available, there was nothing about lack of availability." | "If you applied for this university there are five postgraduate accommodations available, there was nothing about lack of availability." |
A university spokesman said the information on it website was "clear about the accommodation we can offer and the processes we follow" but apologised if students felt it was not. | |
"We always look to see where our processes can be improved and we will review our communications as part of this," he added. | |
Mr Braakman said landlords would only accept "professional" tenants and others were charging £323 a week. | |
He also thought the university was accepting too many people, similar to airlines overbooking flights. | |
Wilf Gillett Coles, who is due to study physics at the university in October, also had "nowhere to live". | Wilf Gillett Coles, who is due to study physics at the university in October, also had "nowhere to live". |
"Most haven't lived anywhere on their own and halls can be quite a nice transition period but we've just been thrown out into the wind," he said. | "Most haven't lived anywhere on their own and halls can be quite a nice transition period but we've just been thrown out into the wind," he said. |
Sarah Purdy, who is responsible for student well-being at the university, said she was "really sorry" to hear students were anxious but added the process was the "same in every university" in the UK. | |
She added the university had not "let students in, over and above the numbers" it had planned to admit. | |
Instead, she said the influx was due to fewer students deciding to defer or withdraw their places. | |
She also said late-applying first-year students were told they could not be guaranteed university accommodation. | |
Another student, Grace Whittaker, was was unable to find housing in Bristol, and was told her other options were Langford or Newport. | |
"If you know how many spaces you have for students, why give out so may offers and why let so many through clearing?" she questioned. | |
A university spokesman said it had been working "incredibly hard" to help those who were not part of the 6,000 student places in university owned or managed housing. | |
"Before our students started to arrive this weekend we were able to offer every student accommodation in Bristol or at our Langford campus," he added. | |
Mr Braakman said: "If I knew about the housing situation in Bristol, if it was transparent that there was not much accommodation in general, then I wouldn't choose Bristol." | Mr Braakman said: "If I knew about the housing situation in Bristol, if it was transparent that there was not much accommodation in general, then I wouldn't choose Bristol." |
He added he would consider living in Bath, Cardiff or Newport, but said "considering Wales is a different country, it's ridiculous". | |
You can see more on this story on Inside Out on BBC One West at 7.30pm on Monday. | You can see more on this story on Inside Out on BBC One West at 7.30pm on Monday. |
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