Having been to several other universities (both on open days and to visit friends) and sampled numerous different examples of university accommodation, I can with some degree of certainty see that the Vale is the nicest setting for student flats in the country. The main blocks of accommodation are all adjacent to, or indeed, actually part of, the Vale, an expansive stretch of park in the middle of the leafy area of Edgbaston (although even here it stands out as an exceptionally beautiful setting). Various trails wind in and out of various wooded areas, and the whole effect is set off by a huge lake, home of many birds, and, if you're lucky, you may get to see swans nesting and eventually having signets at the start of third term. It's a wonderful location, and really shows students apprehensive about Birmingham, possibly due to its reputation in parts as being something of a concrete jungle, that there's most definitely another side to it. The one downside to living on the Vale is that it when it's sunny, it's very hard to resist the temptation to stop working and go outside! read more