Living in Tuke House

This article was written by Journalism & Creative Writing BA(Hons) student Amal.

Choosing where to live during your first year at uni is one of the toughest decisions, but I’m here to make it easier by sharing why I think Tuke House is a fantastic option for your Halls of Residence in Falmouth!

The first time I stepped into Tuke, steadily dragging my boxes and luggage to get to the top floor of the infamous pastel pink block, I was astounded by all of it. Firstly, it’s in the best location! Propped right next to the town center, it’s only a 5-minute walk to Tesco (super convenient for a quick grocery shop) and just a few minutes' walk into the high street, where you can find an array of boutiques, cafes and restaurants. As for the distance between campuses, it’s a swift 10-minute walk to Falmouth Campus and there’s a bus stop only a 2-minute walk away from Tuke, where you can catch any of the buses starting with ‘U’ to Penryn Campus. So, wherever your campus is located, you’re sure to get to classes on time. Another great thing about Tuke’s location is how close it is to the beach, being just under 20 minutes away! No need for a car or bus, as it’s an easy stroll. 

Moving onto the flat itself, it’s a small but spacious area with a communal kitchen filled with everything you need like a toaster, oven, microwave and a locked cupboard for each resident, as well as some other shared cupboard spaces – and yes, these can fit just about anything, from pots to spices to 1kg bags of rice (perfect if you’re the student that stocks up pretty heavily on food). Next to the kitchen area, you’ll find a leather sofa and dining table, perfect for holding those flat dinners! Depending on which part of Tuke your flat is in, you may bear witness to some stunning sunset views outside the kitchen windows, which make for lovely photos. 

Tuke House has just one room option, a single en-suite bedroom, meaning you won’t need to share a bathroom with anyone else. Each room contains one single bed (I’d recommend bringing a mattress topper, as beds can be a little springy), a desk, chair, electric heater (fab for the winter) and wardrobe. There’s a ton of space to fit your clothes in and that’s coming from someone who brought her whole wardrobe from home to her first-year flat, so I promise you don’t need to worry too much about how many clothes to bring. The desks are quite big, so there’s space for everything and if you’re a bookworm like me, there’s a shelf above the desk to keep all your favourite books from home, as well as any other little trinkets like figurines, photo frames and folders. Some bedrooms at Tuke come with a full window seat (yes, actually), so you can vibe on the windowsill and people-watch if that’s your thing.