Room for Everyone : Dorms in VŠE

Written by Sophia

Short information on dorms

Dorms are the place where the majority of students, especially 1-st years, go to live. It has everything you need : a surprisingly comfy bed, a desk to work at, a kitchen to cook your instant noodles in and a bathroom. There are also options for sports, either inside or outside, laundry facilities, study and socialising rooms and of course, vending machines, for those all-nighters.

The majority of the dorms are located within a walking distance to each other, so you don’t have to worry, if you and your friends live elsewhere. Plus, the dorms are closely located to tram stops of number 9, which will take you to uni in less than 15 minutes.

The prices amongst the dorms vary a bit, depending on which dorm you choose and how much privacy you want. But price-wise, it is definitely the best bargain a student can get in Prague. Another option would be to look for shared accommodation, but this is often harder to find and requires more patience. Also, with additional costs like electricity, Wi-Fi, water and heating, it can add up to a lot more than just rent. In the dorms, you pay a monthly fee for everything (additional small cost for laundry and special bookings).

Everything is managed either online, on the “Iskam” website, or in person, with your dorm manager, who is usually there on working days. In my experience, it is an amazing system, with little to no faults.

My experience

I have lived in the dorms for about half a year now, in two separate rooms. At first, I was in the Jarov II dormitory, in a shared cell with 8 girls (me included). We had rooms of twos and a shared bathroom and kitchen. I met my roommate and many other girls there, one of which I found myself talking to every day for hours, even if I had an exam to study for. I was very happy I met her, because she was one of my first friends in Prague, who didn’t go to my university. We used to make food for each other, clean our cell together and just chit-chat a lot.

As time passed by, I realised, that as much as I like my friend, I wanted a room, where I can have more “me-time”. I am the type of person who would rather stay in, than go out on most days, especially in the winter semester. So I decided to message my dorm manager about a possibility of moving to a single room, and within minutes she responded saying, that a room will be available in January. It was great, since I only had to move to a different floor within my dorm, therefore there wasn’t any “huge” moving necessary or getting used to a totally new place. Now, I live with 4 girls, in a single room.

I think everyone should experience living with a roommate in a dormitory. Some of my friends have made life-long friendships, because of their dorm friends. It can be a hit-or-miss situation, but if you need a change, it might just be a few floors below you.

Overall

Positives:

Friendship possibilities, especially for students new to Prague
Well connected & close to the university and old town
Has all the necessary facilities for students
Good price for what you get
Large windows for beautiful sunsets / sunrises
Gym membership for 300 CZK per month

Negatives:

Slow Wi-Fi at times (can be fixed with Ethernet cable)
For shared rooms, smaller space for storage of