From your move-in day on Tuesday the 24th September, Freshers runs until early October. Day and night events put on by the Claudia Parsons Committee and the Union will be in and around course, society and sport inductions – it can be quite hectic, but it is all great fun!

Claudia Parsons and the Union have different Fresher timetables. At times, they cross. Provided you have paid your Hall subs, you are welcome to participate as much as you like throughout Freshers at the Hall events, and you can participate in Union events if you buy the optional freshers pass. This pass will allow you access CP nights at the union, as well as a few other venues in town organised by the Union. This is in addition to Claudia Parsons fresher subs. Both Claudia Parsons and the Union’s Freshers Week timetables include Day and Night plans.

This will all be revealed when the theme for our Hall (of which every hall has one) is unveiled! This will be followed by the release of a day-time and night-time program, which is supplemented by Union events as well.

Smart stuff – shirt and tie for lads, nice dresses for girls (although heels are not a necessity).

All 17 Halls in Loughborough have a Student Committee – we will be introducing ourselves to you on the chat and the freshers page, and then in person on the 25th September! We organise your Freshers week over summer, and subsequent hall events after Freshers! There are 20 people on the Claudia Parsons Committee, as well 19 Fresher Helpers. The Helpers, along with Committee, will help you move in, answer your questions and ensure you have a great time!

The 20 Committee members represent different sections of the Students’ Union, all of which allow you to get involved however you like in the Loughborough experience! You can see the section reps on the relevant pages, as well as the whole committee on the Committee section of the About Us part of the website!

Papa Si is the main provider of food on campus after a great night out. He is located next to the purple onion shop and serves an array of food from Pizza to Chicken strips!

Claudia was an English engineer, traveller and a Loughborough alumna. She attended the University between 1919 and 1922, graduating with a degree in Automobile Engineering and as one of just four women on a course of over 300 men. Following her degree, Claudia became a highly respected member of the Women’s Engineering Society, and went on to be the first woman to circumnavigate the globe by car. Find out more about Claudia here.

The Hall is in a great location on campus, being situated next door to both the Hockey Pitch and the Athletics Centre. It is number 35 on the online campus map. It is no more than a five-minute walk from the Students’ Union, the East Park lecture buildings (such as James France, Edward Herbert and Stewart Mason), and the Purple Onion. It is also around a 10-minute walk from the Library, West Park lecture buildings (such as West Park Teaching Hub and STEMLab) and Powerbase and Holywell Gyms.

This is sorted by the Student Accommodation Centre – this is not controlled by the Students’ Union or the Hall’s Committee and Warden Team. You will be contacted about this as move-in day approaches. Each of the eight blocks has at least three floors. Each floor has at between one and two flats, and each flat has anything between 5 and 8 en-suite rooms (and a communal kitchen). The room will be split into a format of BLOCK-FLAT-ROOM (eg D-31-04).

The Student Accommodation Centre (SAC) will allocate you a room a couple of weeks prior to your arrival at Claudia Parsons. Unfortunately, you don’t have any control over who else is in your flat, but you will make friends for life here. Just a tip; it helps to be clean – making an effort and washing something up that isn’t yours gets you in people’s good books and keeps the kitchen tidy.

You pay them here. The accommodation fee is different from Hall Subs – the accommodation fees go to the University, whereas the Hall subs go back into the Hall to be spent on events for you all!

A couple of weeks before the payment deadline, you will receive an invoice from Student Accommodation. This will tell you how much you need to pay, and by what date.

Of course! There are two large bike sheds within the Hall, which all residents can use. Bikes must not be chained to railings, which are part of our active environment! The bike and security of it is your responsibility, so please make sure you bring suitable locks with you. You are able to buy D-bar locks from the Security Gatehouse should you need one.

A lamp, chair and bin are provided as standard, as well as a lot of storage space. You can find out what is already in your room, and what you will need to bring yourself on our dedicted ‘What do I Bring’ page!

Wardrobe (hanging): D 55cm, H 157cm, W 70cm Wardrobe (boxes): D 55cm, H 36cm, W 36cm Wardrobe (top shelf): D 55cm, W 106cm Wardrobe (bottom shelf): D 55cm, H 27cm, W 106cm Desk/headboard storage (square): D 23cm, H 43cm, W 43cm Desk/headboard storage (rectangle): D23cm, H 43cm, 113cm Desk width: 155cm (enough for a tv/games console, laptop, stationary and work space) Underbed storage (rectangle: D 60cm, H 40cm, W 85cm (x2)

The beds are 4ft – a small double. You should ensure you buy bedding to fit a double bed, including a duvet and pillows.

Yes (it’s not necessary to tell anyone) however they won’t be covered by any insurance if anything goes wrong, so always be mindful of what you’re doing and be respectful of other Claudia Parsons residents around you!

No – if you choose to bring your own TV, it is your prerogative to get a TV licence, which costs around £150. You can choose not to get a licence, but it is your own fault if you then get fined.

The Purple Onion is around a 5-minute walk away from Claudia Parsons. This is essentially a Tesco Express, and can be handy if you need something urgently. There is a similar shop at the Union. The nearest supermarket is Sainsbury’s in town, which is around a 20-minute walk away. Online shopping is very handy as it can be delivered to your door! There are two Tesco’s, a Morrisons, two Aldi’s, a Lidl, and a Sainsburys in Loughborough, and even a Waitrose in the village of Quorn, just down the road. Delightful.

Claudia Parsons, like every other hall, uses the main University Wi-Fi provider, Eduroam, which also covers campus. It can drop out from time to time, but this is rare. You will all have a small receiver in your room, so Wi-Fi in your room should be fine. You will also be given a free ethernet cable on arrival. Phone signal in the Hall depends on your provider, but there aren’t usually any problems. You can find out more about Loughborough's IT Services here.

No – first years are not allowed to bring cars to campus, purely due to the number of cars that this would bring to campus.

There is enough cupboard space for everyone in your kitchen. However, these can't be locked. You can find out what is already in your kitchen, and what you will need to bring yourself, on our ‘What to Bring’ page!

All hobs in Claudia Parsons are electric. Pans are not provided, so please make sure you bring the correct type of pan!

There is a designated launderette inside The Hub. The launderette uses the Washstation app.

Your committee can be found here: What is the role of your committee? Committee are their to make your Loughborough experience as good as it can be!

The committee includes a Hall Chair, Vice Chair, and Treasurer, as well as representatives for each section. These are: -Social -Media -Sport -Welfare & Diversity -Stash -Campus & Sustainability -Rag -Action -Societies -A-Block, Alumni, Internationals, and Returners (AAIR)

Your accommodation contract is set to 40wks allowing you to stay in halls over winter and spring breaks should you require but you must inform the hall manager. Your contract will terminate before the summer term. Should you require storage of personal items over any period of the year (for example if you are an international student) then please ask reception to give you details of local companies that can store your items.

Rooms have: 4 foot bed, bedding (nicer to bring your own), full size mirror, overhead lamps, bins, desk chair, toilet brush, radiator and heated towel rack, 8 (4x2) 3-pin plugs & USB ports (desk, bed, mirror), wifi router, shaving sockets. Kitchens have: 8 electric hobs, 2 ovens, microwave, kettle, toaster, sink, cleaning equipment (washing liquid and cloths need to be brought), ~2 cupboards (not locked)/1 fridge/1 freezer shelf per person.

You can find your lecture buildings on the online campus map. The closest lecture buildings are those of East Park, such as James France, Edward Herbert, Stewart Mason and Herbert Manzoni – these are around a five-minute walk away If you have lectures in buildings such as West Park, STEMLab, Sir John Beckwith and Martin Hall, these are around a 10-minute walk away.

Most inductions are in the day on both Thursday and Friday within the first week – it is wise to go to them, to get to know coursemates and how to get to and from your lecture building. Your department will email you about this separately.

If you have, or regularly use a bike - bring it! We have two large bike sheds in Claudia Parsons for you to store your bike, too. We do have the biggest single-site campus in the UK, after all! Besides cycling and walking, there is also a campus shuttle bus which is free, which will take you right around campus. The nearest stop is around a three-minute walk away. Download the MyLboro App when you arrive as there is a campus map provided.

The Union has two clubs: The Treehouse (cheesy, chart and well-known pop songs), and The Basement (House and DJ). It’s easy to move between each one, so you can sample a bit of everything! The Union is open on Wednesday (Hey Ewe) and Friday (FND) nights every week, as well as some Thursdays and Saturdays for other nights with different music (Indie Club, Incognito, OUT!). These are the most popular nights out, and the Union is safe, cheap and convenient.

The Union is quite casual – t-shirts or casual shirts, crop tops, jeans, skirts, shorts and trainers are all perfectly acceptable. It can also get very hot and sometimes the floor can get dirty, so don’t wear anything that makes you overheat and only wear shoes that can either get dirty or be cleaned!

The Union is no more than a 5-minute walk from Claudia Parsons. It’s an easy walk and we will make sure you guys are familiar with the route and given the Hall’s postcode, so you can put it in phones on the walk home.

Yes! There is a Spar at the Union as well as the Purple Onion in the middle of campus for all your basic needs.

It’s around a 20-minute walk away. To walk is pretty simple - you just follow one road – and there is also the Sprint Bus (colloquially known as the Sprintyboi), which for £2.10 one way can take you as far as the Train Station on the other side of town.

There is a range of activities, such as cinemas, restaurants (including Nandos, Pizza Express and Fenways), a laser quest, an indoor trampoline park and a range of shops. This includes Boots, Topman/Topshop, B&M, GAME, WH Smiths and Superdrug. It is important to remember that Loughborough is a small town – for some shops, such as Apple, you may need to travel to Leicester or Nottingham.

The quickest way is by train. You can get to the station, which is on the other side of town from the University campus, by using the Sprint Bus which runs through campus regularly. Rough journey times to some popular destinations by train are below: Leicester >> 10 minutes Nottingham >> 20 minutes Derby >> 25 minutes Sheffield >> 50 minutes London (St. Pancras International) >> 60 to 90 minutes Birmingham >> 80 minutes Leeds >> 120 minutes There are also bus services to Leicester, Nottingham and East Midlands Airport.

The Union is open Tuesday (Stupid Tuesdays), Wednesday (Hey Ewe) and Friday (FND) nights. These are the most popular nights out, and is also safe, cheap and convenient. There are clubs open every night of the week in town – Thursday is Revs night (the only night with a dress code), Saturday is Echoes and Sunday and Monday is Firefly.

Pretty easy – the Union is often looking for student staff for their bars, shops and security, especially around Easter. If you don’t fancy working there, the town does have plenty of openings throughout the year.

IMS is Inter-Mural Sport – representing the Claudia Parsons against other halls. It’s competitive but is relaxed and friendly. IMS has taster sessions during Freshers Week – these will be advertised on the Claudia Parsons IMS group. IMS is played throughout at the week and if you want to play, just say! If you have any questions about IMS, speak to our Sport Secs. AU is Athletic Union – representing Loughborough against other Universities in the BUCS (British University and College Sports) League. This is a lot more serious. AU trials are also during Freshers, but must be signed up for at the Sports Bazaar, which is 11-4 on Saturday, 28th September (you will be told about this). AU teams communicate with you and train independently and play on a Wednesday afternoon, where all lectures finish at 1pm.

Campus has two gyms – Powerbase and Holywell. Both are around a 10-minute walk, and is for elite sportspeople or those who go to the gym frequently. Holywell is for more leisurely gym-goers. There is also PureGYM, as well as other commercial options in the town centre.

IMS trials and taster sessions for popular sports, such as football and netball, will be organised by our sport secs and communicated via our Freshers timetable, so just turn up to the sports you are interested in. Remember, to play sport for the Hall you must pay your Hall Subs! You can sign up for AU team trials at the Sports Bazaar, which takes place in the Sir David Wallace Sports Hall on the first Saturday of Freshers. The teams will then contact you with more details themselves.

Give our IMS page a follow on instagram @cplboro_ims