Application for Hostel Accommodation @ PSR

In this blog post, I'll share my recent experience with an unsuccessful hostel accommodation application at PSR, and the subsequent decisions I made regarding housing for my university years.

PSR, short for Prinsep Street Residences, is one of the two hostels at SMU that caught my eye on their official page. It boasts typical university hostel amenities like a dining hall, basketball court, laundromat, BBQ pits, and a rooftop terrace.

There are three types of rooms available: small single, large single, and twin, each with different pricing. The most economical option is the twin bedroom, where you share with a roommate. The total fee for the full academic year of 11 months came close to $8,000. While not as budget-friendly as NUS or NTU hostels, it's reasonable given SMU's central location.

One significant concern is PSR's limited capacity of only 178 students, despite SMU having a student body of 13,000. This stands in stark contrast to NUS, which can accommodate up to 11,000 students out of their total of 40,000. This disparity means that securing accommodation at PSR could be more challenging compared to applying for NUS hostels.

Anxious about securing a spot in PSR, I made sure to note down the application start date: 10 am on June 3, 2024. Determined to be one of the first applicants, I took heed of the advice stating, "Applications for places at PSR are assessed by the PSR team from the College of Integrative Studies on an ongoing basis during the application window. We recommend that you apply as soon as possible."

On June 3rd, I woke up early and completed my matriculation. As I logged into the housing application page and began filling out my details, I encountered an unexpected issue. The 'PSR Assessment' section had missing parts, displaying only 'Attribute 2' and several blank fields for me to complete.

I reached out to the official PSR Housing email regarding the apparent missing questions. Shortly after, I received the following reply:

After filling in the answers, I encountered an issue where pressing the 'next' button didn't save my inputs—they disappeared in an instant. Frustrated by this recurring problem, I attempted multiple times without success. In a last-ditch effort, I sent the housing team a screen-recorded video demonstrating the issue and requested assistance. Before receiving any reply, the page suddenly loaded again, allowing me to successfully complete the form. However, by then, it was already noon.

Every day, I would check the housing portal for updates on my application. On the morning of June 25th, my heart sank when I saw the outcome:

I did not secure a spot in the hostel, which meant I would need to find accommodation off-campus. Since I wasn't physically in Singapore, I had to rely on my mom to search for housing, which doubled my anxiety. The thought of finding a suitable room with compatible roommates was daunting and nerve-wracking.

I did email the housing team to ask for alternative options, but it was even more expensive and further away from the campus, and I figured it wouldn't be worth the price anymore.

My mom quickly presented me with some options she found on the RentInSingapore portal. I wasn't thrilled about the 20 to 30-minute commute to campus compared to the convenient 12-minute walk from the hostel, but options were limited.

After compiling a list of potential rooms, we scheduled appointments for my mom to visit them over the weekend. We passed on several options either because they were too small or uncomfortably hot, which my mom felt wouldn't meet my needs as a student. Finally, we found an owner offering a single room at a relatively affordable price.

The entire application process turned out to be more hectic than I had anticipated. The recurring technical issues made me question the reliability and stability of SMU's IT system. 🤔

On the positive side of not securing a hostel spot, I've rented a room that costs significantly less than staying on campus, albeit without the convenience of proximity and onsite facilities. My hope now is for a peaceful relationship with the homeowner and fellow tenants, as I prefer not to move again during my four years at university.

Stay tuned for more updates on my university journey

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