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Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Higher education

Tell me about Bristol uni.

20 replies

blueskyinmarch · 05/07/2016 17:23

DD got her IB results today. She has narrowly missed out on her first choice uni (Durham) but has easily achieved her second choice (Bristol). Her course is Anthropology. She did an open day to Durham but has never been to Bristol. However we have a visit to Bristol planned for this weekend. Where should we go and look? What halls are good? Tell me what you know - good or bad.

Thanks.

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BoboChic · 05/07/2016 17:27

I'm not sure that insurance offer holders who take up a place at Bristol get much choice of accommodation. My DSS1, who took up a firm offer place three years ago, didn't get the accommodation he wanted initially (he managed to get it in January).

Bristol is a lovely university town and DSS1, who has just graduated, absolutely adored it! I went there many years ago and have fond memories.

blueskyinmarch · 05/07/2016 17:54

That's useful to know. Do they find them somewhere even if it isn't one of their top choices?

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BoboChic · 05/07/2016 18:12

You would be wise to check. I'm not sure that Bristol guarantees hall accommodation to insurance offer holders who take up a place. Call the accommodation office now!

Mrscog · 05/07/2016 18:15

Has she definitely been turned down by Durham - if you haven't checked that's the first thing to check, with no caps on student numbers I suspect there will be a lot of people let through anyway.

If not then Bristol is a fab place to study - really lovely and great facilities.

esornep · 05/07/2016 18:41

There were no caps on student numbers last year either. Durham still didn't take those who missed offers - they don't have plans to expand student numbers significantly (unlike some other universities).

hellsbells99 · 05/07/2016 18:41

My friends DD has just finished at Bristol and had a great time!

ErrolTheDragon · 05/07/2016 18:45

We were at the Bristol open day a couple of weekends ago so I've got a few specifics still in my head. My first tip is wear comfy shoes... Bristol is hilly! DD fell in love with some of the halls - the older ones in town (Manor, Clifton Hill and Goldney) and Wills on the main site over the Downs at Stoke Bishop are characterful though rather lacking in mod cons(some don't even have a sink in the room). The others at stoke bishop all seemed pretty good. They are allowed to put 3 choices and 80-85% get choice 1 or 2(not sure if this applies if bristol is your 2nd choice uni though) . The nicest ones are only allowed as 1st choices, and the only halls allowed as 3rd choice are some of the city centre blocks, which my DD didn't like the look of, but OTOH they're newer and more en-suite.

You can get some idea here. We chatted to a couple of the accommodation office people and they were really nice - and as A levels aren't out for a while I'd imagine this is a relatively quiet time for them so def you should contact.

Bristol is a great city - lots of interesting neighbourhoods with real shops (eg the GloucesterRoad) - and a good uni so congratulations to your DD, she's done well to have this as her insurance!

bojorojo · 11/07/2016 22:25

I have a feeling Bristol had a late closing date for accommodation so your DD may be better off than the A level insurance offers who do not have results for another month. My DD was insurance at Bristol and they slotted her into a shared room at Wills. Stoke Bishop is excellent and boarding school students are ok with Wills and are hardy enough to put up with shared bathrooms and no basins in the rooms! Shared room meant another girl accessed her room through my DDs room. Diagonally. However it was a good year bearing in mind we were looking at a shared house in the private sector before Wills was offered. Goldney is very popular but she probably won't get a choice. Take any hall over a private house. What did you discover on your visit?

Needmoresleep · 12/07/2016 06:57

My DD was ill last summer so did not do any University Open days. She saw Bristol at interview, and it was love at first sight. I went with her and thought Clifton, the residential area next to the University where there are a small number of halls, was beautiful. DD grew up in London so both wanted to leave the capital but remain in a city. Bristol seems perfect. The campus was also compact but central.

We did not see any accommodation but I did some desk research. Stoke Bishop, which seems to be a bus ride away is near the sports pitches, has a large cluster of halls and would have been DDs choice. Though as suggested in Borojo's post above, Wills has a reputation for attracting the boarding school types, and has Oxbridge style formal dinners. Reading The Student Room, the newer, often private, cluster of halls in the City centre seem to appeal to those who enjoy clubbing (no climbing up the hill to Stoke Bishop on your way home) and, being newer, are more likely to offer en suites. So a neat seperation of students with different interests. Bristol also told us that from this year they planned to identify some accommodation as quiet accommodation, though this was not on the website when I was looking.

Because of her earlier illness DD has decided to take a year out to catch breath, so hopefully she will get a chance to look round properly. I am happy for my impressions to be corrected, and indeed would welcome your DDs feedback before the next accommodation deadline.

And again, Bristol is stunning. DD was delighted first to find somewhere she wanted to move to, and even more delighted to be offered a place.

blueskyinmarch · 12/07/2016 07:17

Thanks for these responses. We went to visit Bristol at the weekend and the people at the accommodation office were very helpful. They went through all the options with DD and gave her their personal low down on each hall.

We had a look at Goldney and initially she was keen on that but it is very popular and she wasn’t sure she would get in. Having come home and spent tim really looking at all the info she has decided that she will probably apply for two Stoke Bishop halls - Churchill as her first choice and Badock as her second. Both catered halls. She went to a private school and was used to a central dining scenario so this would probably suit her. She is also slightly lazy and the idea of a bus pass into the campus appealed rather than slogging up a hill to Clifton with bags of shopping! She will have to put a city hall as her third choice but she is not keen. She is a fairly quiet girl who isn’t in to late nights out or clubbing.

We are just waiting for Durham to release her then she can accept her place at Bristol. She is very excited and is pleased about the way things have turned out.

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ErrolTheDragon · 12/07/2016 08:39

Great - those sound like good choices, good luck to your DD.

Coffeewith1sugar · 12/07/2016 15:03

She will love Bristol life. The city is so different from other cities, in that it's not as generic. Don't know about you but sometimes I go to certain places it feels it could be any large city whereas Bristol has lots of character and quirky places old and modern. DD just finished 1st year. Will be living near the Hippodrome theatre in sept catching the bus up the hill. Too steep to walk up everyday but doesn't mind walking down to stop off for a nandos take out . My DD ended up in Bristol from insurance, she is so glad she never got into her 1st choice which was campus based. Good luck to your DD she will have a wonderful time there

blueskyinmarch · 12/07/2016 16:41

I haven't heard anyone say anything at all negative about Bristol. Everyone appears to love it. DD can't wait to go. She is so ready to spread her wings.

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ErrolTheDragon · 12/07/2016 16:50

Well, we weren't overly impressed by the head of depts talk in the subject DD wants to do, and the lab tour wasn't great either, but that's entirely irrelevant to this thread - just so you know we're not in the pay of the uni! .

GinandJag · 12/07/2016 16:53

I took DD to their Open Day three weeks ago. Neither of us liked it.

blueskyinmarch · 12/07/2016 16:53

Well all we managed to do was sneak into the department she will be in and have a quick peek so I have actually got no idea about how good the course or the department is. DD seems to think it looks good!

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ErrolTheDragon · 12/07/2016 17:07

Presumably your DD researched it when she did her UCAS application and put it 2nd ?

blueskyinmarch · 12/07/2016 17:13

Absolutely. She is very thorough about these things. She doesn't like to be hovered over and is very independent so I have left the actual course choices etc up to her.

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ErrolTheDragon · 12/07/2016 17:15

Excellent!

bojorojo · 12/07/2016 19:36

If you are doing Anthrapology, Bristol is plenty good enough! DDs friend did it - well Arch and Anth - and was very happy. Most employers won't be that picky about course content. Bristol will be sufficiently academic and that is what matters. Churchill and Badock are great and catered halls can give students less to think about in the first year. Bristol are very keen on student safety so they strongly advise not walking alone at night. Unless they have changed, the hall fee includes a bus pass.

Clifton has Waitrose by the way. No need to slog up any hill with shopping. Students get Tesco, Ocado et al to deliver. It's what the savvy student house does now!

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