Aitken is great, big rooms, big kitchens, sinks in your room, stairs! Probably the UOB accommodation with the most unique selling points and was just refurbished. The storage is great too! Whilst it is on the far side of the vale, you don't have to pass the other accommodations if you go up the hill, like you would at Chamberlain/Elgar/Maple Bank. Plus a great view of the lake! Whilst I get on with my flatmates, aren't close them but can't fault Aitken for that. It's fairly quiet and chill if that's what you're after.
University of Birmingham Hall Rankings
| Bentley House | #22 |
| Oakley Court | #23 |
| Tennis Courts | #24 |
| Canvas The Heights | #25 |
| Aitken | #26 |
| Shackleton | #27 |
| Chamberlain | #28 |
| Canalside | #29 |
| Ashcroft | #30 |
| Lakeside | #31 |
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Aitken is great, big rooms, big kitchens, sinks in your room, stairs! Probably the UOB accommodation with the most unique selling points and was just refurbished. The storage is great too! Whilst it is on the far side of the vale, you don't have to pass the other accommodations if you go up the hill, like you would at Chamberlain/Elgar/Maple Bank. Plus a great view of the lake! Whilst I get on with my flatmates, aren't close them but can't fault Aitken for that. It's fairly quiet and chill if that's what you're after.
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Aitken is the hidden gem of the vale. From someone who’s stayed here for nearly the whole academic year it is great! The rooms are spacious, with a small double bed and sink which are super convenient. The desk has lots of space and the unserved storage means there is loads of space to store things. Each flat has 6 residents with an upstairs and downstairs bathroom. These are quite good from my experience and having a downstairs bedroom means you only share it with one other person anyway so it’s basically an en suite but bigger. It can get a little damp and dingy if you are in some of the bottom floor flats (experience from block B), so I would advise an upstairs flat if you visit and work out which one you like. In my experience Block B is great for social so make the most of chatting to people as there is no common space in Aitken. Overall, Aitken is fab and so are the people in it, you are also one of the closest to Broad street where all the nightlife is!
Aitken has been redone and is now really nice. You have a sink in your bedroom so sharing a bathroom isn't that bad. It is really easy to know your block so social for introverts and extroverts. Its set-up makes it really easy to form strong groups. Its near the uni and the hub so overall most underrated and best value for money accom there is.
Aitken is great, big rooms, big kitchens, sinks in your room, stairs! Probably the UOB accommodation with the most unique selling points and was just refurbished. The storage is great too! Whilst it is on the far side of the vale, you don't have to pass the other accommodations if you go up the hill, like you would at Chamberlain/Elgar/Maple Bank. Plus a great view of the lake! Whilst I get on with my flatmates, aren't close them but can't fault Aitken for that. It's fairly quiet and chill if that's what you're after.
I wanted to love Aitken but I really didn’t. It’s bland, whitewashed walls and dampish smell wasn’t very welcoming at all when I arrived. My friends even likened it to a hospital ward. Also, it’s the furthest away from campus and up a massive hill so the location isn’t great. My social experience wasn’t great either as I didn’t really get on that well with my flatmates. A major problem I found with aitken is that the walls are paper thin so you can hear everything. I was next to the kitchen and literally could hear every word of every conversation that was had in there. So overall, even though it’s good value for money, I wish I’d never picked aitken as after looking in every other accommodation (even maple bank) I can assure you they were far more homely than aitken.
Recommend aitken so much! So social and being on meal plan is so much easier and helps you socialise. It's so much better value for money than most other accomdation! Sink in the room is so convient and in most flats 2 bathrooms for 6 people so never any issues waiting. Also you need to be on the vale! Enjoyed aitken so much!!!
Nice people, decent sized rooms. Absolutely poor management, take ages to fix things. Bought a TV license and my tv with me and they have aerial sockets but can't be bothered to fix them. Meal plan is convenient but all frozen, processed crap and won't last you the full week
Really really quiet, big rooms but you have to clean yourself :)
Being a rare and mythical creature that is a (former) resident of Aitken, I can tell you that it is the greatest pleasure when bleary eyed and confused in the smoking area of Snobs to meet a fellow Aitkener. You relive the halcyon days of the treehouse lifestyle; when people wandered into each other's kitchens for a cup of tea, when you had to walk for ages to get pizzas on Aitken Wednesday and when the washbasin (we are very proud of our washbasins) fell off the wall because your drunk friend tried to take a dump in it. Aitken is cheap and cheerful, without being the sinkhole of despair that is Maple Bank. Yes Chamberlain does tower over us with their shiny kitchens and lines of Prosecco bottles, but due to our small and hidden location, we are doubly proud and fiercely loyal to our halls. Plus you get a roomy kitchen even though the halls are catered. A great place to make memories and friends, just don't expect maintenance to fix your broken light anytime soon.
Would pick it again every single damn time.
Good location at the top of the Vale yet quicker to get to than Maple or Shackleton, great views of the lake too! However the rooms are smelly and with only single glazed windows, everything outside can be heard so very noisy! Carpets need changing in most flats. Although they've all received new kitchens, which are nice, new bathrooms are most definitely needed! Not worth the price paid, when compared to halls of the same price, e.g. Jarratt Hall. Also, meal plan is not worth the money!!
Wouldn't want to live anywhere else, so many hall socials and because it's so small everyone becomes a great group of friends!
Great vibe without too many people so you get to know all the people in halls. If you want a night out you can find someone, let alone having great socials organized by the Residents Association. Plus we get some of the biggest rooms of all halls, as well as kitchens bigger than the self catered halls
It's so friendly and welcoming and there is a real sense of community and friendship. I feel like I've got an Aitken family!
Aitken is the smallest halls at UoB which is what makes it one of the best! You know everyone who lives there. It's on the beautiful Vale and you even get Meal plan, which is ideal. It's genuinely the best value for money of all the halls.
Amazing feel to the whole place! Friendly! Social! But also quiet enough to study and do work. I've stayed in my flat alone and with no one else in the block on my own and i've felr perfectly safe! Near morrison's for essentials, because you're on meal plan, which provides plenty of food and options but for things like milk and fruit its located nicely! Lovely views across the lake, and only 15-20 minutes walk from campus!