Bristol University > Reviews (12)

I loved my time at Bristol Uni, and wish I had another year to go. In my first yearI was

in halls in Stoke Bishop, which involved a 40 minute trek in to uni everyday. There are halls in Clifton, only 10 minutes away, which also allow you to experience the nightlife more easily, however, most students are based in Stoke Bishop. There is a student bus which operates in the evening taking 'jolly' loads of students into town if you get bored with your hall bar. Hall food was pretty bad for me (I was in Badock - fab hall otherwise), and often you end up making your own food, so you might as well be in self-catered accomodation. However, being catered allows you to meet far more people, and I'm sure the food was more bearable for the boys!! Badock also has tennis courts, which are great in the summer. Quite a few people had bikes in the first year (the hills take a bits of getting used to), and although there are locked bike sheds, I would definitely recommend your own padlock as several were stolen when I was there. All Halls put on a play of some sort during the year, and the standards are always high.

Most university buildings are based around Woodland Road (it is not a campus university), which is very close to Whiteladies Road (plenty of bars and pubs), and 5 minutes walk to the Triangle and Park Street with fab shops (especially BS8 and Fopp). It is only 15 minutes into the centre of town, and there are many bus links eg to Temple Meads Station and Bristol International (Easy Jet etc......). The university is also very close to an A&E, so feel free to drink your heart out.

If you are an animal lover, go to Bristol Zoo; a movie lover, there are cinemas a plenty - the Watershed plays lots of arty/foreign films; a music lover, there are venues playing everything and anything; a food lover, loads of great restaurants with a variety of prices.

I did psychology and zoology at Bristol, and the Biology department has been rated no. 1 in the country. As a joint honours student, I did find that we didn't really mix with the single honours that much in the first year, but at the end, I now have 15 v close friends, so it did have its advantages. The tutorial system is excellent in the Biology dept (providing you like your tutor - you can always change), and really encourages you to change your attitude to study from A level style. My tutors were really helpful, and you can arrange to see them on a single basis if you have particular problems, although it can be difficult arranging a time, as this is a research based department. Lectures were fairly boring in the first year as a lot is compulsory, but in the 2nd year, and especially the 3rd you get the chance to study what you are really interested in, and the lecturers are better as these are their specific research areas.

Student's Union: big pool, student union shop, bars, cafe, good theatre. I was quite disappointed with Union, as no-one really seems to use as in other universities such as UCL (it is also miles from the stoke bishop halls), but this doesn't really matter as going out to pubs/bars/clubs in Bristol is pretty cheap, and there are always plenty of students nights/offers on.

Recommended pub: Corrie tap, Clifton - proper cider; Club to experience (though not always an enjoyable one!) - Wedgies; Other great clubs: Bristol Academy (also lots of gigs here), Level, Creation, the Lizard Lounge for sticky carpets and pure cheese.

Sports/societies: everything imaginable available (if not, you can set up your own tiddlywinks society), and the new Sports centre/gym is very good. Lots of sports teams, and Bristol has a high standard (but teams are there for those who don't want to take it too seriously), but you may find that matches/practice is a 20 minute drive away.

IT facilities: every department has its own computer room (I think!), and there is a computer room in the Union and in the IT centre, which used to be open 24/7, but they have restricted access due to recent stealing. In halls, I would definitely recommend getting the internet in your room - it is very cheap and fast, and you can share 'files' with other students.

Accomodation in Bristol is failry expensive - on average about £65-70 a weeks, but you can find places for £55 a bit further out (or in St. Pauls - a bit dodge), and some places can be £85 (my friend at UCL would pay £110 a week for a cupboard, but another in Exeter paid £55).

If there is anything else you want to know, just ask.