Having lived here for nearly two years, I am probably Goodenough College's biggest fan. The college provides accommodation for around 600 international postgraduate students studying in London. A great deal of emphasis is placed on building a strong community within the college, and there are numerous events which showcase the various home territories of the residents, as well as sports and social clubs where you can meet other members. The admission process is continuous, so it is possible to apply at any point during the year, but the majority of changeover occurs in September and October, at the beginning of the academic year. Admission is decided using strict academic and social criteria, with the emphasis being on admitting the most community spirited individuals, who will hold up the traditions of the college. There are a limited number of places available to couples and families, who live in apartments, whereas the majority of students are allocated single rooms. Both apartments and rooms are usually spacious and comfortable with good study facilities easily available. I would recommend Goodenough College to anyone who is very social and studying for a postgraduate qualification, it is fantastic. read more

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For me this was an unpleasant, disorganised accommodation hall. I broke my lease, paid a penalty, and left because of the many problems. If you're looking for a quiet, calm place to live whilst you do your postgraduate studies in London, I would strongly urge you to think twice before committing to Goodenough College. Before arrival: Goodenough College administration lost/was unable to locate important forms I submitted (per their instructions). This resulted in lots of wasted, chaotic time once I arrived. After arrival: Noise noise noise. The noise in William Goodenough House was, for me, completely oppressive. To elaborate - 1) The insulation is extremely poor in the building so you CONSTANTLY hear the plumbing (taps running, etc) and/or your upstairs neighbours plodding about. 2) Members with small children were mind bogglingly disrespectful, letting their kids run up and down the corridors like it's recess outside or letting them ride Razor scooters inside at 7.30AM en route to school. 3) Adults regularly have loud, drunken conversations in corridors at all hours of the night (weeknights and weekends). 4) False fire alarms go off allllll the time, from 2 in the afternoon to 3 in the morning. Also, the WiFi is so, so, so slow. This dial-up level of internet speed was in 2016 after Goodenough's hugely-touted 'system upgrades'. To be clear, after their 'upgrades' I could not carry on a Skype call or download papers from JSTOR due to the slow internet. Cosmetically the building is okay (but there are cracked mirrors in the lifts, quite a bit of damp in the basements, etc). The location is fine (central enough, but numerous muggings near Coram's Fields so be aware). The rooms, and their mattresses, are a bit tired (old beds, scuffs and nicks galore all over your flat). Take caution unless you're ready for a dorm-like experience 24/7. read more

This is an elaborate prison for graduate students, with a bar. They will promise you that they have nice studio apartments with kitchens. They will shove you into a 110 sf (11sm) room with a bathroom, at best, with no kitchen, and forbid you to have even a microwave. The room will have no air conditioning, and will be heated by a manual valve-controlled radiator. You have a choice between freezing and steaming. Welcome to 1920. They tell you that there are shared kitchens available. Well-stocked "Buttery," is the word they use. I think they have invented it. These are not on every floor, not kept clean, and provide absolutely no implements to cook with. Some of them are basically a kitchen sink and a microwave. They will tell you that they provide cleaning once a week. In reality, they send a cleaner once a week who cannot keep to his/her schedule. You have to strip the SINGLE bed yourself, and they will (err, are supposed to) leave clean linens. They forget to do this at least 20% of the time. Instead they go about moving around the items in your room so that when you return you can't find the waste bin. This is a game that you play once a week. Every so often, for fun, they turn up out of schedule and strip your bed linens, sometimes leaving new ones and sometimes not. The front desk staff is a bizarre merger of Fawlty Towers and the typical British, "I couldn't be arsed." You tell them about a broken laundry machine and they say that they can't do anything, not even put up a sign, because they can't leave their post. This 'post' is essentially a doorman job, but they won't answer the door. If a fire alarm goes off, and you scramble out as you should, and happen to forget your wallet with your ID, they will argue with you that they don't know who you are and can't give you a temporary access to your room without your ID, even though you have just explained that your ID is in your room. Never mind that they have a computer system with your room number and a photo directly in front of them. The location is great. Close to school for me. It is fairly cheap, as it should be for such a terrible place. read more

This will be my second year at Goodenough! I joined College in my second year of PhD. Its location is great as it is very close to Holborn, Russell Square and King's Cross. My room is very spacious (type B) and I am super happy comparing to my previous accommodation (shared house in zone 3). I enjoy community life which includes all sorts of events, clubs and societies. Staff at Goodenough are also my fav people as they are super friendly, happy to help you with any issue or just chat about life :) read more

I still live in Goodenough college, and I think it's one of the great student accommodations for families around Bloomsbury. Great sense of community, variety of activities ... And loads of friends to make. read more

I am a former tenant at Goodenough College. The Goodenough college life wasn't for me. That's not to say that this place is rubbish. As the other reviewers have already stated the positives, I want to write about what I didn't like about the college. Everything the previous reviewers say is true, however, what I don't understand is why a strong community within the college is always an asset for the college. Doesn't the KKK/EDL/Nazis have a strong community (an extreme example)? If you want a loose, diverse and accommodating community where you can do what you want to do with your life, this is not the right place. I also found the college community to be very divisive. During my time there, there was not a day or time when I wasn't reminded of my "origin(s)." There were a lot of country/ethnic-orgin based events when I was there. In my personal view, these events don't bring people together, they create and affirm already divisive communities. I wanted to get on with my life. They wanted to know how they did things in the country of my origin. Having said that, I have to acknowledge that fellow members were nice people with good intentions and the administrative staff were nice as well. However, to the best of my knowledge, there was no sense of urgency among the fellow members about getting a job or starting a career. This came as a surprise considering most members were (and are) only at the college for a year to study a Master's degree. Overall, this place wasn't for me. Towards the end of my tenancy, I couldn't wait to get out of the college. Good luck if you decide to apply and I sincerely hope that you have a good time there. Don't take this review a wrong way. It's not an attack on the college. I am simply saying that the college and what it stands for aren't my taste. I am certain that if you share the view of the college, you will have a great time there. All the positives are identified in the other reviews. read more