March Intake of Nurses

Every year Cardiff University welcomes a second intake of Mental Health and Adult Nurses – if this is you, welcome!

Living in Cardiff

University Residences

In your first year as a student at Cardiff University, you can request accommodation in University Residences. The University provides March intake nurses with the choice of two residences which, should you choose to accept, will be allocated to you between January and March.

Usually, the residency period runs from mid-late March to the middle of the following February. The University Residences available to you include:

• Clodien House – Strictly speaking, Clodien House is a Private Halls of Residence, however Cardiff University works in partnership with Unite to offer this halls of residence to predominantly Heath-based University students. Given that this Halls of Residence is privately owned, it is possible that, should you choose to live here, you will live on the same facility as students from other Cardiff-based Universities, but not in the same block.
• University Hall – University Hall is owned by Cardiff University, a short walk from the Heath Park Campus. This residence has a weekday bus service operating during set times between University Halls, Cathays and Heath Park Campus which is paid for within the University Halls fee.

At the end of your fixed term residency period you will need to move in to private rented accommodation.

Private Rented Accommodation

As an alternative to University Residences, or following your fixed term residency, you may choose to move into Private Rented Accommodation.

Finding a Place to Rent

Looking for a place to rent can be very exciting but also daunting and signing an agreement is a big decision and a big commitment. Once you do sign, you are usually bound to pay the rent for the term specified, even if you find you do not like the house or fall out with your housemates. As home is so important, we strongly advise that you take the time to find the right house, with the right people, in the right place and at the right price.

Use our tips to help you find somewhere you'll be happy to call home.

As a March intake student your residency period will differ to the standard student residential year. This means you are more likely to have to look for accommodation with other March intake students and you may find that many houses are advertised for a period of July 1^st to June 30^th.

Don’t worry, many estate agents are aware of the different period required by March intake students and you should not have a problem finding somewhere to live. We always advise students to shop around and visit a number of letting agents and view as many properties as you can. This may help you to understand what options are available to you and where.

The majority of Cardiff’s student housing is located in Cathays, Roath, Maindy or Heath. Prices tend to increase the closer you get to the city centre and rooms and gardens also tend to be smaller. Moving further out means a longer commute but often cheaper rent, bigger houses and gardens. Ideally, you need to agree as a group what is more important to you; location, price or size.

Cathays

Cathays surrounds the Cathays Park campus and is very close to the city centre. It has a very high density of student accommodation, predominantly in shared houses, though flats are available. Cathays includes plenty of shops, pubs, takeaways and restaurants, all within walking distance. It offers a vibrant student community but can be noisy, especially closer to the Students’ Union and the city centre.

Roath

Roath is next to Cathays, moving away from the city centre. Depending on where you live in Roath, it is about a 15-minute walk to the Cathays Park campus and around a 25-minute walk to Heath Park. Although a bit further out, Roath is still considered an inner-city suburb, which offers a mixed community of students, professional single people and families. It is ethnically diverse and has plenty of shops, pubs, takeaways and restaurants, as well as green spaces. It offers a large range of rented accommodation and is a better place to look for flats.

Heath and Maindy

Heath wraps around the Heath Park Campus but most of Heath is further from the city centre and Cathays Park Campus. Maindy links Cathays to Heath. There are still plenty of shops, takeaways, restaurants and bars but Heath is big and in parts there are far less than Cathays and Roath. Whitchurch Road, for example, is almost entirely lined with places to eat and drink but moving closer to the hospital these become very sparse. There is generally less rented accommodation available and a much higher density of families.

Commuting to University

We are aware that a number of Healthcare students choose to commute from their family home to Heath Park Campus.

There are a limited number of car parking spaces on Heath Park Campus and students are not currently offered free parking or the opportunity to purchase parking permits. Therefore, if you decide to commute to University via car, this can be time consuming and expensive.

If you’re travelling from outside the city and this is a mode of commute that you have to consider, we would advise you to speak to your course mates and see if there are a number of you travelling from a similar direction, who can commute together. This may cut down on parking spaces, parking expenses and petrol costs.

Alternatively, Heath Park Hospital is on a number of bus routes that may suit you. This currently includes Cardiff Bus services’ 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 51, 53, 64, 65, 65A, 95, H59, 615. We would advise you to take a look at the Cardiff Bus routes to help you plan your journey.

Heath also has two train stations, Heath High Level and Heath Low Level which are both within a 20-minute walk of University Hospital Wales. If you are travelling from outside the city, you may find this to be more situationally appropriate for you. Take a look at the train times on your preferred website. Remember, if you are planning to commute by train you may be eligible for a 16-25 railcard (even if you’re a student aged 26 or over).

If you’re a bit more local, Cardiff City Council have imbursed the Next Bike Scheme that allows members of public to rent a pedal bike to get them from A to B. Next Bike Stations are littered across the city, including two stations on Heath Park Campus. Payments are made through an app which should be available on your smart phone. Find out more here.

Childcare Support

We understand, if you are a parent or carer of a young child, you may be concerned about managing your studies in addition to your childcare commitments. Taking on a degree in the Healthcare Sciences is likely to have an impact on your domestic lifestyle.

Cardiff University’s Day Care Centre welcomes the children of both staff and students, aged ten weeks to five years.

The Day Care centre is based on Park Place, close to Cathays train station and a 30-minute walk from Heath Park hospital, or a 15-minute bus journey subject to timetables. For more information about opening times, facilities, eligibility and fees, take a look at the Day Care Centre’s webpage.

Support on Heath Park Campus

Heath Park is one of two Cardiff University Campuses, which is the academic home to around 8000 Cardiff University students. Although the majority of Healthcare Sciences courses involve remote placements, we appreciate that Healthcare students will spend a lot of time on the Heath Park site.

As such, it is important that you know where to access the most local support services you may need.

• Your Students’ Union – we have a Students’ Union Hub based in the IV Lounge on Heath Park Campus where a Union representative is on hand to answer any enquiries and signpost you to the appropriate services.
• Advice and Money – Cardiff University’s Funding and Money advice service has an office based in Cardigan House for you to raise finance-specific enquiries. This could include funding, bursaries, fees, loans, debts, childcare, housing, academic matters and other welfare issues.
• Occupational Health – To provide support from Cardigan House for students who are managing health issues that have impacted on your studies.
• Health and Wellbeing – Information and support services based in Cardigan House to help you with your emotional, mental and physical health.
• Student Support – Other branches of Student Support are based on the Cathays Campus but are available to all students at Cardiff University. These include:
  • Counselling and Wellbeing
  • Careers and Employability
  • Disability and Dyslexia
  • International Student Support

Your Students’ Union

By accepting your place at Cardiff University you automatically become a member of the Students’ Union.

The Students’ Union is run by students for students, and is here to be the heart of your student experience.

The Students’ Union is here to support your academic interests, enhance your academic experience, provide advice, and support your wellbeing.

One of the ways we do this is campaigning for changed inspired by you. This has included making changes to academic programmes, installing Next Bike stations on Campus and lobbying for more support services on the Heath Park site. We appreciate that you are likely to be very busy throughout your degree, but we welcome the opportunity for you get involved or to give your opinion.

Vice President Heath Park

The Students’ Union is led by a team of Sabbatical Officers who are students who have taken time out of their studies, or have recently finished their studies, and have been elected to represent the student body.

The Vice President Heath Park is elected to represent the interests of the Heath Park student demographic and implement the changes that you want to see. If you want to get involved, raise an opinion, or express an interest in becoming the VP Heath Park, you can contact the current post holder at VPHeathPark@cardiff.ac.uk.

Contact Student Advice

Advice@cardiff.ac.uk
+44 (0)2920 781410