Advice on Bristol Accommodation Please!

[whoreandpeace]

Hello, I think my DD is going to firm on Bristol and she is trying to work out whether to go for the Stoke Bishop site (2 miles from campus) or for the city centre residences for her accommodation choices. Any advice from anyone who knows would be gratefully received!
Thanks

I don't know about the medical students, but my dd lives with a Chemistry student who has long lab hours. This girl chose to self cater as she didn't want to miss meals.

I don't think DD ever went to a snack bar in Stoke Bishop. As Wills is catered they did their own snacks in the hall. Wills is pretty basic in the quad rooms. It is also not too expensive. DD noticed they had the same catering supply company as her school, but the output was noticeably of lesser quality! If the student is a fussy eater then maybe catered will bit suit! Many students eat at the university at lunchtime or go to the many cafés in that area that cater well for students. Plenty of students in the catered halls eat out on a Saturday night because the halls do not provide that meal. Don't underestimate the time and effort it takes to settle into university life. In the first year it was a lot easier not to have to worry about shopping and cooking as well as everything else but it depends on your personality and interest in cooking too.

Stoke bishops clifton hill house, wills, goldney all fab. The latter three are lovely country house style, Stoke bishop is not.
Avoid avoid avoid the unite accommodation.

Thanks Heels. I read somewhere about how Unite make it almost impossible to get your deposit back so will encourage DD to refrain!

Hi! Dd hopes to go to bristol- she was looking at Durdham- any one any inside thoughts? She is not a clubber- any pros and cons? Thanks!

Durdham is Stoke Bishop and pretty modern. It is a quad type building but a lot more modern than the Wills quad rooms. DD was in Wills but there is little to choose between any Stoke Bishop halls to be honest. Just catered or self catered. DD had a medic in her group of 6 in a Wills and she didn't miss meals. 1st year has reasonable hours I am told. They don't get lunch anyway.

Thanks!

Goldney (self-catering, near Clifton village) is by far the most over-subscribed hall. It is lovely.

Durdham would be ideal. Quiet, large rooms, self catering. 2 minute walk to free bus.

The VFM of Unite accommodation versus University of Bristol owned accommodation is very poor.

Thank you all!

Bonsoir - what is VFM?

Value For Money

My DC went to Wills and loved it. It suits all types - not just the ex-eton! DD found it easy to make friends (she isn't the most outgoing but it made her far more confident) and loved the catering. It was one less thing to worry about in first year and meant you weren't constrained to who was in your block for friendships. Equally, they arrange who is in each block carefully looking at personalities and seem to match them up very well. DD found it very social, often went to the hall bar and loved the formal meals followed by disco in the bar each Friday. I think there were different themes - harry potter, halloween masked formal, valentines, burns night etc so lots of value for money in terms of entertainment.
DD could order a late meal or packed breakfast so no issues with missing meals. Sat brunch and Sun roast was popular!
Would really recommend it, DD loved the experience. Uni can be very tough at first and we found bristol as a whole very supportive (lots of pastoral wardens in halls etc) - she really did have the time of her life there!

PS avoid the student houses - lots who went there found there was very limited people to make friends with and they really miss out on the hall experience which Bristol does well. Lots of houses have pretty much all the students move out before the years up as places in halls come up. Very lonely and most suitable for older or very independent lone-soldier types.

I was at one of the SB halls initially (catered) doing medicine and hated it. Some of the rooms are big, but unless it's changed since in was there, many of the rooms are miniscule. I moved to Goldney and adored it there - ended up spending 2 years there.

Hmm. Very few spend two years in halls. You move out with your friends after one year. Wills old quad rooms are pretty basic as are the kitchen areas and bathrooms - very dated. Tends to suit boarding school types who are prepared to put up with it. The newer accommodation has a more mixed clientele! DD also had a wonderful time in Wills. Someone had to go through her room to get to the furthest room. Room size and this anomaly was not a problem for DD.

What's your point MMM? I spent two years in halls because I was on the JCR committee along with many of my friends who also stayed in halls. Approx 1/4 of students when I was at goldney were second years or above. Perhaps it's different now.

Very much so. Bristol is very short of fresher accommodation so hardly anyone gets a chance of 2nd year in halls. Yes a few JCR but a really small number and it cannot be an option for most. When DD went there was a real danger of students not getting 1st year university accommodation at all, so 2nd years cannot stay on, even if it is the best place in the world. When my DD went she was booked into a 'find yourself a house in the private sector' day before she started, run by the university accommodation office. Luckily she got a shared room in Wills at the last minute. I imagine Bristol is keen to avoid freshers going into private rented from day 1. I am sure you can sympathise with that, reallybadidea.