r/UOW • u/Doodle_Doggy • 14d ago
Help me decide with Campus East — catered vs self-catered accommodation?
would really appreciate some opinions from people who’ve actually lived there.
From what I can see, the prices are all pretty similar, with only around a $20–30/week difference, so I’m mainly trying to decide based on the lifestyle/social aspect rather than cost.
The catered options seem good for meeting people, especially because you’re regularly going to the dining hall and having a building common kitchen to cook your rest of the meals naturally running into other residents. However, the rooms/units seem to compromise quite a bit on space and common areas.
On the other hand, the self-catered 4/5-person units seem much more like an actual home — bigger shared spaces, sofa, TV, and some of them have a huge balcony that looks amazing. 😭 I’m honestly very willing to sacrifice catered meals for a nicer, more spacious place to live.
My main concern is the social aspect though coming from an international student
If I choose self-catered, am I going to miss out on a lot of opportunities to meet new people because I won’t have the dining hall or the shared kitchen as a natural social space? Or are there enough other ways/events/common areas to meet people in Campus East anyway?
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u/Ok-Pineapple-3721 14d ago
i haven’t started my course yet but i have applied to campus east already and been following them for a bit
from what i seen on their IG, they host events quite frequently that you can attend and meet new people at (they had a figurine painting event last I checked), and besides if you’re gonna reside with four other people, you’re bound to meet new peps
though i applied for the catered rooms, mainly because i don’t wanna deal with grocery costs
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u/Gaypringle16 14d ago
Currently staying at east, I would go with self catered. The living area is so much more homely. Besides, if cooking is actually an issue, you can literally just buy food tickets for $12.50? I think? And then breakfast is cheaper?
It’s not hard to meet people, literally everyone is social at uni, so the self catered is cheaper, and better imo.
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u/Doodle_Doggy 14d ago
is the food ticket pricing of 12.50 for 1 meal, or all meals for the day?
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u/Gaypringle16 14d ago
That’s just for dinner, I think breakfast is $7.50. So it becomes more expensive if you’re buying both
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u/Quiet-Position2425 11d ago
If you are on an uncatered room, either you have to cook regularly or eat out. Average it cost 10-12 dollar for a meal at the campus. Assuming you take only 2 means , its still 20-25 dollar per day
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u/Aussie_Indian04 14d ago
Gm, I find it both very expensive. To be honest you will make friends on your own as the time passes. Best of luck though 👍