Andy Bates

I loved the idea of going to a campus university and the hall communities at Loughborough make it so easy to meet new people and make new friends. Don’t worry too much about which hall you choose, as you’ll have an amazing time wherever you go. I didn’t research my hall, I just picked the first self-catered one I saw!

In hall culture at Loughborough, you get out what you put in. Hall committees run a number of events to suit everyone throughout the year. Take every opportunity with two hands and jump into it, take advantage of every event and activity on offer. This is the perfect chance to try new things! 

I returned to halls as I joined the hall committee in my second year. But really, I would have chosen to return to Butler Court even if I wasn’t on committee! Living here is incredibly practical – it's on campus but close to town, the rooms are massive, it’s en-suite and I just love the sense of community here. 

To put it simply, living in halls is the perfect balance of academic and social life. It’s close enough to my lectures so I’d feel guilty if I didn’t go to them and it’s close to the Student’s Union as well as town, so it means I’m very close to any social events I may be attending!

On hall committee, I was initially the social rep and then hall chair. Thanks to the hall committee, I have made so many connections and friends across all halls. It has given me a space to gain skills that I can transfer anywhere and has help me learn about myself. I've been presented with so many unique opportunities on committee - like becoming a record holder for the leading student charity in Europe!

This year we’ve set a new all-time RAG charity fundraising record and had multiple hall sports podium finishes in IMS One Day Events. Most importantly, for any event we host, turnouts are amazing. I was blessed with an amazing hall committee of amazing people, and I’m proud of my involvement in that.

In my committee roles, I have made sure to always be someone that you feel comfortable talking to about anything. I know how daunting it can be coming to university, so I wanted to make it as fun and as comfortable as possible. Seeing people go from being nervous to slowly opening up is truly an amazing sight and seeing them enjoy themselves because of our work is so rewarding.

I like to think that I made our committee feel like a big family. Being on committee can be a lot of work and sometimes stressful, so I made it a priority to make my committee a fun thing to be involved in. During my time on committee, Butler Court has gone from a hall that would get low event turnout to one of the most engaged halls on campus with a social calendar to challenge all other halls

At the Hall Committee Awards, we four awards including most improved hall, best welcome week and best social representatives. The awards night is one of my favourite memories on campus. Giving my absolute everything to Butler Court over the past 3 years has been a lot of work. Butler Court winning 4 awards at the Awards night was so rewarding. Seeing our hall grow and being a massive part of that growth genuinely feels amazing.

They’ve supported me in a magnitude of ways, ways they didn’t have to and that’s why they deservedly won Warden Team of the Year. The same goes for the Hall management staff, the cleaners, everyone, they have all been amazing!

What I like most about Butler Court is the sense of community – from staff and students, the underdog mentality, the room size, and the en-suites. The best things are community, memories and friends. I’ve said it already but living in Butler Court is the best decision I have ever made. I wouldn’t change a thing!

I hate to admit it, but Loughborough was actually my second choice. I’m from the local area and had already spent the last 18 years of my life going to Loughborough every weekend. But after making my university choices, I fell out of love with my first choice and realised Loughborough was the only option for me. It’s a top 10 university, a campus university, I’m never too far from my parents, plus,  it would allow me to fall in love with my town in a whole new way. And most importantly... It meant I didn’t have to find a new barbers!

My main fear was not getting along with my flatmates, and we got on amazingly. Even if we didn’t get on, it would not have mattered as there are so many opportunities in hall to make friends. Before I came to university, we had a Butler Court WhatsApp. I’m not ashamed to admit I was probably the most talkative in the group! By the time we started, a lot of people already knew my face which made me more approachable.

My advice for new students is that you should pick Butler Court, of course! But seriously, no matter which hall you pick, there will be so many chances to make friends and have an amazing time. Remember that you get out what you put in - Make sure to enjoy every moment at university and get involved with the hall committee as much as possible – you won’t regret it!