Birks Grange Village

Despite the infamous “cardiac hill” (which can be avoided in favour of an easier path at the other end of Birks) and the slightly long 20 minute walk to town, it actually only takes 9 minutes to walk to central campus. I particularly liked this because not only was this walk really pretty, but also it was just far enough from campus that it felt like University and home were different. There are two small shops, a “Market Place” in the village itself, and a “Spar” and subway at a petrol station a few minutes away which is open 24 hours which was handy. I lived in self-catered en-suite, and found my room to actually be bigger than I expected, with plenty of storage. Everything about my room was fine, although by nature of it being a wet room, the floor remained wet for quite some time after having a shower. The kitchen was very nice, with plenty of equipment (often 2 of every appliance, including sinks, ovens, sets of hobs, kettles, microwaves) but I found that the cupboard space was very limited so had to keep some tins and the like in my room. Also, I was in a block undergoing exterior works and so received a rent reduction; I would honestly recommend this to anyone looking to save a little money, as I found being on a course with many contact hours I was rarely ever affected. Any maintenance issues can be reported to reception which I found very friendly. You get a cleaner, which is helpful, for the communal areas. Our first one was so lovely, she used to have a chat with all of us and even used to wash dishes up for us which is certainly not required. In terms of the social life, I found Birks to be a little quieter than I expected. It is certainly not as wild as Lafrowda, but people still do have people round. Overall I really enjoyed my year staying here.

Location is quite far from campus and town - about 25 mins into town and 15 mins to campus. It is also at the bottom of a very large hill - known as cardiac hill. Having said that, the community in Birks is lovely and very friendly. The rooms are very comfortable - all self catered rooms have a double bed and ensuite. The food is quite nice - good value for money and always enough to fill up on, there are always a few options. The shop in the accommodation is very useful and well stocked. There are kitchens on every floor although they only contain a microwave so the amount you can cook is limited. Overall good experience though.

Location is good - 6 min walk from station but the hill up to lectures requires leg work and sweat. Great people and has the benefit of a shop as well.

Got allocated Birks Grange Village for my first year at university and was self catered. Was clean and modern and greenly compared to other accommodation was nice. There were 8 people in my flat and a large kitchen and social area. The area was nice and convenience with the shop. Cardiac hill was a challenge especially for early morning lectures but you get used to it. My room was cosy and had everything I need just wish I had a double bed. Overall my accommodation was really nice and a good social way to start university.

I stayed in a self-catered townhouse and I think that it is the best halls you could live in. You live with 11 other people so you are bound to find somebody you got on with well, it also means that it’s very sociable and there is normally always someone in the kitchen area. The kitchen/living area is huge, the biggest I think Exeter offers. You get one bathroom between two, which is basically like an en suite but a lot cheaper!! Only downside is that you are a bit further from town (only around a 20 min walk though) and you have to go up cardiac hill to get to campus, but it’s a good workout!

Very good accomodation, nice to have self catered and catered blocks in the same place. Ideal location and nice people.

I really enjoyed my freshers experience while living at Birks Grange Villlage. My room was modern and comfortable and the ensuite bathroom was perfect for me. I loved living with 7 other people, through a shared kitchen and living area, and met friends that I lived with after my time at Birks. My accomodation was very close to campus, the only downside was the walk via cardiac hill which killed me every day.

Great rooms and kitchen facilities, good distance to campus. However, a long walk from town and other services. Slightly out of the town which makes good views.

I thouroughly enjoyed my time living in student accomadation. The university set up the groups of flatmates amazingly and we all got along from day 1, becoming very close as friends in just 2 weeks. Birks Grange village was a great location to get to campus- however cardiac hill was a struggle at first. But it was good exercise! I loved the whole sense of community in halls, with everyone being a first year and having a similar living experience and living together in the same area.

The location is good, it's like 10 mins to campus maximum and 20 minutes ish to town centre and supermarket. The rooms are not a bad size and mine came with en-suite. The kitchens are a good size as well with 2 ovens and 2 fridge-freezers

The studio room was nice and allowed for personalization on the cork boards. Good size bathroom and small kitchen, but enough room for one person. The Grove (where students with studios can reserve for events or to drop in and hang out) was a great bonus and I used it for holiday gettogethers, which is great with a large fully stocked kitchen. Major downside is the walls and ceiling are really thin so you can hear your neighbors alarms and that it is REALLY far away from the city center. Most students get groceries delivered.

Birks was a 10 minute walk to main campus (unfortunately there was a large hill - aptly named Cardiac Hill). The rooms were quite spacious. It was easy to make friends on your floor. Each floor had a utility room with basic appliances eg. kettle and microwave as well as an ironing board. There was a pool table at the dining hall which was nice. Food got boring quickly though. It was pretty easy to find mates especially on your floor. Cleaning staff were really nice and came once a week. Overall a nice hall as long as you don't mind the hill too much.

Birks Grange Village is a great accommodation, close to campus, just a little bit far away from the city center. The facilities are great (the small market saved my life more than once) and the people at the reception are very nice and helpful. Rooms are big, modern and convenient (at least in the townhouses) and the kitchen are big as well

I could not have chosen a better residence for my first year at university. The people I met in those halls are still my closest friends in 3rd year. The walk to campus was quick, and the Marketplace super convinient! I loved the idea of living only amongst first year students, as we were all new to uni life. Also, the ping pong tables outside were great fun during warmer days.

Great location (other than the hill.) facilities could be improved especially the communal kitchens within the catered blocks. Social experience was great as there was always lots of people about and my room was much better then I expected.

not overly clean on arrival nice room size fantastic staff, learnt names, hosted competitions, provided holiday candy lift was out of order frequently no oven in studios :( too many fire drills can rent out common room, eg. for group xmas lunch

The halls' buildings were complexed like a small campus on its own. It has its own shop, catering halls, bike shed, green areas to relax and pull-up bars if you are body-weight exercise enthusiast. I stayed at catered halls which included breakfast and dinner, the food had good variety and it was tasty (besides the desserts). The self-catered halls also had a common leisure area which accommodated a kitchen and table football. The only major hurdle is the cardiac hill that leads up to the university's buildings for teaching.

I lived in Birks in one of the town houses. Loved the experience living with 11 other people in the flat. The kitchen and common room was very spacious and provided a good space for us to socialise. Likewise, the rooms were lovely and modern and you would be sharing a bathroom with one other person (practically an ensuite). Really good value for the money considering your not sharing your bathroom with many other people.

Close to campus which is nice but there is a hell of a hill. Shop nearby which sells essentials and the staff are all very helpful. Doing laundry is a bit pricey but hey ho.

The location is good, don't get any street noise and close to the station. But it is down a steep hill from campus, can walk to down in 20 minutes. Very nice rooms, everyone was very friendly and the help desk is helpful!

I stayed in an ensuite, non catered room. The rooms were big enough and wet room was good. The laundrette was good too (if a bit pricey) and very close to the block. The on site shop turned out to be really useful although it’s lacking in healthy food. The people really made it for me, and the 7 others in my flat were incredible. Although it was down a massive f*ck off hill from uni.

I lived in a house with twelve people (and fortunately they were all nice), but the shared kitchen got very messy. Having a separate floor to the kitchen (as I was in a town house, not a flat) was good because people could be loud in the kitchen but didn't annoy anyone working or sleeping in their rooms. Main issue is cardiac hill - it's good exercise, just annoying.

I really enjoyed my time staying at Birks. The accomodation is modern, clean and smart. I loved sharing a kitchen with other people but also loved the fact that my room was an escape from the sometimes loud kitchen. The rooms are spacious and the storage is ample. Overall a great experience at Birks with the only negative being the location.

Best part about Birks is Bruch. This is available on the weekends, perfect after a night out. Also, the market place is helpful however the opening hours should be a slightly longer and they should add a ATM. WiFi definitely requires improvement very slow at different points during the year.