Bristol Uni accommodation

[pointyshoes]

Anyone have any thoughts/opinions on the first year accommodation options at Bristol? I know its a very individual thing, but some seem to be so oversubscribed, others are nobody's first choice at all. Was hoping for some insights/info from current students/parents. Any info gratefully received!

My son was in Hiatt Baker - the one that nobody chooses - about 4 yrs ago. They've done significantly more building there recently and I thought it was awful - about as awful as my own hall about 25 years ago! But he LOVED it. He met so many great people and the corridor life suited him perfectly.

I've realised that we can overthink the whole accommodation issue - we spent ages choosing the best option fro my DD at York - then she got put in the accommodation no one else had chosen. Again, LOVED it.

It's all about the people. And there will be great people, just like him, ready to make lifelong friendships.

Beckandcall so was my DD! I believe though since they were there it has had a refit and it needed it, didn't it.
Tips for accomm. at Bristol:

• no halls are particularly sporty/social etc it just depends on the year and the intake.
• don't be put off by the distance from the Stoke Bishop halls to the centre. There is a bus and the bus pass is included in the hall fees.
• the sports centre is at Coombe Dingle near Stoke Bishop so if you are training on the astro, tennis courts or rugby pitches it is useful to be near at least for the first year.
• my DD didn't choose HB either but had a great time and made some very good friends.

Hiatt Baker was known as Sh...te Baker for obvious reasons. Just been refurbished so ok now I believe. The traditional hall is Wills, especially the rooms around the quad. Shared bathrooms, old fashioned but sought after. Lots who don't get Wills, get Churchill. Wills has a ball and, along with Churchill, is hall of choice for boarding school students. Stoke Bishop preferred by many over halls nearer the centre as there is more of a campus feel. Catered Halls can be the best option so new student has less to think about. University hot on student safety late at night after buses stop running. Do not be afraid of going for an over subscribed hall but now Hiatt Baker has been improved, there is not much to choose between them, apart from price.

To get a flavour of Bristol Uni, have a good read of Bristol Uni Problems on twitter.

I was in Badock for my first year, was fine. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. DH was in the Shite Bunker (Hiatt Baker) and despite the name, had a cracking good time. I worked in the kitchens at Wills Hall, very upper class, formal meals with robes etc - seemed a bit pretentious to me, although it would suit some!

My ds is at Goldney, in Clifton, and absolutely loves it. The halls there are set out like little flats, with eight or so rooms, a couple of bathrooms and a big kitchen in each 'apartment'.

I had suggested catered halls, being rather sceptical that he would want to shop and cook, as well as study, but ds insisted on non-catered, (and they were cheaper), and as it turns out it was a good decision. I think the kitchen becomes the social hub of the flat, and it was very easy to get to know his 'flatmates' whilst cooking and eating there. They have bonded to such an extent that six of them are moving into the same house next year!

Goldney is pretty sought after but in the catered accommodation you probably meet more people as you don't have the kitchen hub in your own flat and there are formal dinners in Wills. I think nearly all the students go on to live in a house/flat with friends from first year halls and not necessarily friends from their course. I think if you enjoy the traditional side to university halls then go for Wills, if not, all the other ones at Stoke Bishop will suit.

Yes, that's a fair point, Milly, but ds has said there is a lot of interaction between the 'flats' in Goldney with parties, getting to know friends of friends, etc. I don't get the impression that it's been limiting or claustrophobic, as far as meeting people goes.

Maybe the 'cosy' feel of the flat just suits ds, and I think he got lucky with the mix of people.

Thanks all. I know we're over-thinking and it will actually come down to the other people. My DS ended up going through clearing to another RG uni and was put in the "last resort" accommodation miles away from uni. Turned out to be fabulous, and because it was a bit away from everyone else, there was a great "community" feel about it. So I know it will alll turn out OK, but I was just interested in any general views.

My daughter was at Badock three years ago and loved it. Her corridor all went to breakfast and dinner together. Seven of them shared in the second year and she is now in her third year and still sharing with two of the girls. She found living in a catered hall very sociable (her main priority)and she would recommend the Stoke Bishop halls generally.
Your child will have a great time at Bristol. It's a fab uni.

I went to Bristol university and was in Churchill Hall in Stoke Bishop and would also recommend the catering halls for a first year student. Perhaps a self catering hall as second choice.
I still live in Bristol and wouldn't really recommend the Unite Halls - one is just down the road from all the homeless hostels for example!
Some of the city centre halls are predominately used by overseas students who often tend to socialise together - these may be the ones that are most undersubscribed.
Where to live may depend on interests: the closest cinema to Stoke Bishop is in Henleaze (small old-fashioned cinema rather than multiplex) and does good deals for students. Stoke Bishop doesn't have any pubs (land was owned by the Quakers) which is why the hall bars are so popular. You are also some distance away from shops (if that's important to your child).

HTH

I was in Manor two years ago, I really liked it. If you ignore the ugly 60s annexe, it's a beautiful building. The main building has a big staircase, pannelled walls, library full of old books, and Great Hall. I was in a flat of 5 girls in one of the annexe bits, the main building has corridors of 12-ish (we used to spend most of our evenings hanging out in the kitchen on one of the boys' corridors, their kitchen was bigger than ours !). The main building was closed last year for a big refurb, so the accommodation should be nice and new and shiny ! There are several garden spaces (good for outdoor studying in the summer), and it's about 10 minutes walk from Brandon Hill Park - great for a picnic on a sunny summer evening. Living in Clifton was good, since uni was only a 20 minute walk rather than a 30 min bus ride / 1 hour walk like from Stoke Bishop. Also only a 10 minute walk from the little sainsburys, and a 25 min walk from the big one. Manor also has great formals (1 per term, + a summer garden party). And the porters, warden, admin lady and cleaning ladies are all lovely :0)

WoodBurnerBabe , I don't know when you were at Bristol, but now nobody wears gowns anywhere except graduation, not even at Wills !

polly I afraid they still do in Wills. This is from their current Hall handbook:
"Wills has a tradition of regular formal meals on Fridays until just after Easter. The dress code for formal meals requires all students to wear academic gowns and formal evening wear - for women, dresses, skirts or smart trousers; for men, black tie, or lounge suit with shirts (with collars) and ties. Gowns will be available for purchase on arrival at hall."

Sorry for misinforming people. I have a couple of friends who were in Wills in first year; and I'm sure they never 'did' formal hall. Maybe they just skipped dinner every Friday

We served a meal for those not doing the formal meal as well, so they wouldn't have missed a meal.

Tis true I is a bit of an old gimmer though...

DD was at wills - it attracts some of the pretentious but also some lovely more down-to-earth ones (from state schools and private) who like the idea of the formal meals, which are very drunken and good fun from the sounds of it. PollyannaWhittier they do wear gowns but it is seen as part of the fun and tradition of the hall. DD was worried at first whether she would fit in but loved it and had a really special start to uni there. She has a close group of very normal friends who aren't the lot who go off shooting every weekend!

Having said that, you get 'formals' at churchill, HB and baddock too, just less often. I would definitely recommend catered though.

I agree on the don't over think halls. The main ones all seem to be great and full of people eager to make friends. I would say avoid durdham, any non-clifton or stoke bishop ones (the Unite ones in the centre are meant to be a bit of a hit and miss as to whether people enjoy it).
Good luck deciding!

Thanks everyone for your input. All useful info. I think the decision's been made and I've put a stop to any more double checking or comparisons, we seem to have spent ages delving into this, going round in circles. I know its important but I think sometimes you just have make some decisions and leave it at that.