Bristol Uni first year: self catering or meal cards?

[flikflak]

My youngest DS is off to Bristol in September and we are having problems deciding which residence he should go for. Any recently acquired wisdom on the matter much appreciated. Specifically, how does the meal card option work in practice and is it worth the money? Using it would mean he could choose a self-catered hall and still have food supplied by people who can actually cook but is there a long schlep from, say Goldney to Clifton Hill House? (He likes the Clifton area.)
He'll be doing Medicine, with quite a full timetable, so I'm wondering if he'll even get back for meals. One of his brothers existed on Subway specials and bananas for his first year at Southampton because he never made it to the dining room on time: disorganisation in his case rather than over-work.
Know it's been covered before but additional insights on Bristol residences to help cut through all the crap about "rah" halls and the like also very welcome.

Experts were all on a thread a week or two ago here

I would check if there are set mealtimes at the catered halls so think very carefully if this would work. The halls are grouped by location and it’s not far between the catered and non catered because you would choose a hall in a similar location. You can always plot them on google map! Work out the distances. Obviously choose non catered in Clifton if he wants meals at Clifton. I think it might mean friendships are harder to forge with flatmates. You won’t see them at meal times. You only pop into the other hall for meals so he won’t bond with students there either.

Having said that, many medics end up living with medics subsequently but for first year I think I would choose one type of hall and stick with it. He will have to self cater in y 2 anyway. DDs friends who were medics lived in Stoke Bishop catered halls (Churchill and Wills). Moved to a house in Clifton for y2.