FAq
https://www.anu.edu.au/study/accommodation/advice-procedures/accommodation-fees
Wright Hall currently costs $400 a week for on-campus, new accomodation (your own bedroom and shared bathroom facilities and common spaces) and 16 meals a week. Fees change annually, which is unfortunately out of our control. We'd love for Wright to be as affordable as possible. If you need a bursary the link is https://www.anu.edu.au/study/accommodation/advice-procedures/accommodation-bursaries
Both halls are wonderful, but the following are some of the key differences:
Bruce culture is older, and Wright culture is being built as we speak
Wright offers cheaper tariffs/rent because it has fewer meals (16) provided per week compared to Bruce (21)
The buildings are largely the same, but visit the Bruce Buttery and Dining Hall and Art Rooms, and the Wright "Pav", "Hive"/Dining Hall and Cafe for the key differences
Bruce has a post-graduate, self-catered wing, whereas Wright is a singular building
Ultimately, you'll probably be happy going to either, but these different aspects appeal to different prospective residents.
A lot of student life when living in college is contained within college, so most residents don't get out into broader Canberra too often. ANU, and Wright as a result, is situated right next to Civic, or Canberra's central hub. There are lots of excellent restaurants, bars, pubs, and recreational places like escape rooms. Canberra's also home to a beautiful lake that lots of residents cycle, walk and run along, lovely mountains that sometimes see snow, and lots of cultural institutions that students work at and visit, like the High Court of Australia.
It's not super flexible - it just means you get 16 meals a week from the dining hall that you can redeem at meal times or in "grab and go" or late meals. We only really have one kitchen space but are working on getting more options. A lot of residents work around only 16 meals by buying cereal and milk, or bread and spread, or fruit for breakfast. Some residents already wake up too late for breakfast anyway, or eat out/Ubereats enough to get away with not even needing the 16 meals.
Although college is certainly not for everyone, and we recognise how privileged we are for being able to afford it and the experience it provides, college has a lot of distinct benefits:
Academic: study groups with people who you live with and constant collaborative learning through discussions over meals, in common spaces and through our Residential Learning Advisors and their many events, including QandA screenings and discussions. Additionally, older students who've done the subject you're doing can be really helpful with general tips and tricks.
Social: living with a lot of people can be overwhelming but also incredibly fun. Knocking on a friend's door when you want to hang out, having meals together, walking to and from class together and just chilling can form incredibly close bonds through the proximity. You also learn a lot about people you might never have otherwise met. We have tea nights, social nights, interhall and intrahall events where you can also get to know people outside of your immediate group of friends. College is a super fun time, and you can always retreat to your room or off campus when you need a break from all the socialising.
Pastoral: We'll explain more in another FAQ, but sometimes things take a turn for the worse in your life and you need someone to talk to. If your family's not in Canberra or you're not close to them, or you need serious support from a professional, our Head of Hall, Community Coordinators and Senior Residents are all paid to provide pastoral care and support that you don't get living off campus.
Absolutely not because you need to pass your courses to stay, and it's hard to do that if you're drunk all the time. Wright residents are committed to lots of things and need to function well enough to carry out their lives.
A lot of people drink and they're welcome to, but equally a lot of people don't, or drink very rarely/very little. This is true across groups in college and in the leadership team too.
We have social nights where people drink a bit, and you can buy alcohol at dinner, but most nights the majority of people are sober, and on some big Thursday nights potentially half of the college is drinking, but certainly people who are going out are also not drinking. We also always have sober reps, a duty senior resident and other first aid trained people ready at events involving alcohol. Our first priority is harm minimisation.
It's an impossible question and every resident's day will look different! We might upload some youtube links for "A Day in the Life's" soon, but it probably involves meals, classes (tutorials and lectures), chilling with friends, studying with friends, maybe a sports training or an arts event, playing pingpong on Level 4, a shift at work, and going to bed. If it sounds packed, it's because it's easy to be overcommitted. You could very easily just go to class, study and go to bed if you wanted to!
Our Head of Hall is super experienced with university students and keeping them on track. When things go wrong, you can approach them or a Senior Resident (if they go really wrong, one of them will approach you instead), and you'll talk through some of the issues in as much or as little detail as you want. You'll be supported to make the best decisions possible for your welfare, and connected to services like counselling, or Academic Skills, and you will be guided through the processes you need to take to get back on track.