I have lived with McComb for two years now and will be staying with them for a third in my last year at university. So, I thought for my last blog of the year (sad) I will share my experience of living with McComb, the pros and the cons.
The Houses
Beta House
In my first year of university, I decided to stay in Beta House, one of the new buildings within Olympia Mews and opted for a gold plus studio room. Having my own kitchen was a godsend, no cleaning up other people’s messes, I just loved the overall convenience. However, it can feel isolating and get slightly too much doing everything in one room, also covid happened, everyone went home, and I was left in the house on my own for 6 months and it got very lonely. This was the motivator for my decision to move to Alpha House as I knew I would be living with a lovely group of girls and be able to socialize more.
Beta house has nine bedrooms, a big living area and a mixture of room types so there is a room suitable for a wide range of wants and needs and budgets. In my personal opinion this house isn’t the best if you want to make a lot of friends and socialize as it gives of more ‘flat’ vibe due to a lot of the rooms being studios, however it is perfect for someone who enjoys their own privacy and living on their own which is why I will be returning to Beta for my third year knowing all my friends at Alpha are just next door.
Alpha House
Alpha house is also located in Olympia Mews and is a little smaller with 7 bedrooms, only one being a studio. This makes it feel more like a house as there are a lot more sharing the kitchen and socializing feels a lot easier. Alpha house has a lovely balcony area and McComb kindly provided a table and chairs for us, so summer this year is going to be amazing as we can enjoy the sun on our doorstep, another bonus is that our contracts do not end until the end of August so we can stay in Ormskirk to enjoy our summer break from uni! As stated earlier, alpha feels more homely compared to Beta so is perfect for someone who likes that kind of vibe and wants to make a lot of friends!
As a whole the rooms that McComb have on offer are of amazing standard, the best I have seen out of all student houses available, and every room no matter your package is en-suite, no shared bathrooms here! All together McComb have 11 houses all with great locations in or around Ormskirk town centre, walking distance to the university. Beta and Alpha are just the two I have stayed in so cannot have an opinion on the other houses however I have heard great things about all of them and if you speak to McComb they will be able to recommend the best house for you.
The only Con I would say about the rooms is people can find them expensive, however I believe you pay for what you get and at McComb the price is definitely reflected in the standard of rooms.
Other Pros and Cons:
Pros
- McComb are very interactive landlords, there is always something going on whether that be an Instagram competition, a fantasy football league, or a Monday night quiz to win free dominos, I am sure once restrictions are lifted there will be loads more going on!
- McComb are very supportive landlords, if you ever have a problem or just need a chat then McComb are only an email or phone call away and are always more than happy to help. It is clear their main priority is the welfare of their students which is so important when you are staying away from home and have the stress of university aswell.
- All bills are included, so no sneaky hidden fees!
Cons
- Parking is not available; however, the council do offer monthly permits for a fee or there is free parking in and around Ormskirk a short walk away.
- McComb may seem more expensive and out of budget, however it should be noted that you can there a wide range of rooms suitable for different budgets and also other student houses may not have bills included so then the monthly price of living elsewhere could actually end up being dearer.
- Olympia Mews do not have in house laundry facilities, there is a launderette on Moor Street however it is considerably more expensive than the washing machines on campus. The Elms however do have their own small laundry room.
This blog is considerably longer than other blogs I have done, so thanks if you have read till the end ha-ha! However, I did not want to miss any details out and hope that this helps if you are debating living with McComb or not. Everything I have wrote is the honest truth about my experience living with McComb and I could not imagine living anywhere else, they have made living away from home less daunting and I wish I could live with them even after I leave University!
Thank you to all the McComb staff for another great year, I hope everyone has a great summer, stay safe! ?
