Bristol university accommodation

[inappropriatelyemployed]

We are off to Bristol tomorrow to look at accommodation locations.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

DS is doing history and is very sporty (football).

@inappropriatelyemployed I think the Stoke Bishop halls are slightly nearer the football pitches at Coombe Dingle where the uni football club is based .

DD was in Wills with plenty of sporty types around.She had friends in Churchill and Hiatt Baker. They have to get the buses in and out to the uni but they are frequent. No hall there is a bad choice but city centre halls are further away from the sports facilities but nearer the bars! Halls such as Goldney are sought after but he also needs to think about catered or self catered and whether being close to his faculty matters. DD quite enjoyed going “home” on the bus. It’s also just for one year so it’s not a massive deal to be in Clifton or SB. She was in Clifton for subsequent years.

One of my sons is at Hiatt Baker. It’s quite a busy hall and he likes it, but the room is small and as it’s catered there is little shared space (no real kitchen/eating area). He has a friend at “Manor” close by and my DS says the rooms there are much better and cheaper too!

Hiatt Baker was refurbished a while ago. It used to have a very uncomplimentary nick name based “Hiatt”. Add an “S”. I think most students actually like where they end up.

Mine was in town at Orchard. V social, walk to Uni and pubs/clubs. Liked being self catered. V sporty and got the bus to sports centre. Or an electric scooter.

Don't think you'll go wrong wherever they end up.

The 'new' part of Hiatt Baker, which was the part that I saw with DD at an open day back in 2018, is (at least was then) very swish - the rooms seemed a reasonable size and as those flats are self-catered, so was the kitchen. DD didn't apply to Bristol in the end, because she decided the course wasn't quite what she wanted, and tbh, although she liked the HB flat, I think that she would have preferred accommodation closer to the centre if she had gone there.

I don't know if it's still the same, but at that time, the university's list of 'what not to bring to one's accommodation' included alcohol, 'because being able to drink alone in your room isn't good for you', or words to that effect. It did come as a bit of a surprise to a friend's then first year DD, though, to whom I commented about it, bumping into them stocking up on gin in our favourite local supermarket of German origin, so I assumed that it was a rule not much enforced.

They have to get the buses in and out to the uni

I mean they don't have to unless Stoke Bishop, or indeed the uni, have moved further apart in the last 40 (!) years 😁or today's 18yos are much less active.

I was in Churchill a loooong time ago and everyone I knew either walked or cycled (my choice). I never once wasted my precious grant on the bus.

Op SB was fine in terms of location tho yes, a lot of people really wanted to be in the Clifton halls like Goldney and Manor if it's still there. SB is a long way out but has its own vibe. And tbh if you wanted a campus uni with everything on site I doubt Bristol would be on your list.

If your ds is sporty then would he want to cycle? Or do no students do that now and I am just an old dinosaur ,(likely tbh)?

The bus pass is free.

This is all really helpful! Thanks so much

The bus passes are included in the fees and have been since 2010. SB isn’t that far and you could be way further out in a London hell of residence in terms of distance from uni. There are no clubs and bars in SB so it’s socialising with friends. City centre, as opposed to Clifton, has a vast array of nightlife options on the doorstep and I’ve known students actively choose that.

I don’t think any responsible uni advocates drinking alone but of course no one polices it! How would they do this? Search every bag? All unis run bars: so who polices drunk students at the SU or freshers’ week? Students are given sound advice but unis are not a police state.

The buses into the centre from HB seem reasonably frequent, but my son sometimes cycles to his sports clubs I believe Clary and there seemed to be quite a few other bikes when we dropped him at the start of the Academic year.

Ah didn't know bus pass was included! That makes it more attractive to catch the bus then for sure. Yes when I said SB has a vibe, I meant internally - when I was there there were lots of events in the halls. Mind you things may be different now.

From a quick look at the current info, the alcohol rule doesn't seem to be there now. It was during a period of particular scrutiny of the concern (or lack of it) for the welll-being of students at the University, though so perhaps that had prompted the inclusion.

As I said, bringing in anlcohol is virtually impossible to police. I guess they could mention welfare in tells to new students. I don’t remember DD saying any of her friends had bikes at Bristol and we saw only a handful, but I remember a Dutch girl bringing one to DDs hall in London where the route to uni was the A40. Not the safest route for biking.

The SB halls were always keen to stress that women shouldn’t walk alone late at night and recommended getting the bus or a taxi as a group.

Like many unis, there’s a wide range of prices. So visit what you can afford. New and all mod cons costs more so do some research on price and location. All the halls are sociable but if DC wants quiet, I’d do research that too. Often catered halls have no kitchens. Just snack prep areas. DD liked waiting a year before cooking and was prepared to accept average food in hall in return for communal dining. She decided she’d be cooking for the rest of her life so waiting a year to start was ok with her. Others are more particular about food so went self catering from day 1. Therefore decide what type of person you are and shortlist accordingly.

My daughter is feeling like firming Bristol to study aeronautical engineering but thought highly of Sheffield and Liverpool ~ any advice appreciated ~ thank you!

@MGC You would not go wrong with Bristol for AE. It’s got a terrific reputation and has had for decades. I’m a huge fan of Sheffield but possibly Bris just shades it in this case. Liverpool: not quite the same reputation but solid.

Both Sheffield and Bristol are wonderful cities for students. I don’t know Liverpool so well. Is there a difference in offers? She’s done very well. Exciting!

Dd is at Manor in Clifton, it’s the cheapest but is really amazing! No idea why it is so cheap - huge rooms with own sinks behind an internal door, gorgeous parquet flooring, fitted wardrobes and shelving, window seats by huge widows. Very active Jcr - always some subsidised event on. Wood panelled library and there is also lovely tv communal space,numerous pianos, a gigantic event hall with double height windows and another social jcr room. Gorgeous garden as well. Dd’s friends literally cannot believe it when they visit from other accommodation. Think people write it off as is the cheapest and has big communal kitchens but it really is an amazing place for them to start off.

@Tindrum Lits of the older Bristol accommodation is cheaper than the very new. I think the older accommodation is a better bet but people are prepared to pay £8000 plus for new self catering units. They won’t share showers and loos I guess! Wills has a big garden too. Lovely for relaxation.

Wills does tend to attract a lot of the ex private school students - has a bit of a reputation as an ex boarding school vibe.

It's not everyone but ex students of mine who've lived in Wills say it has an over population of the rich kids. My students quite enjoyed introducing their particular vernacular and music to the hall balls.
If you like balls and high table things then it's a good choice. It's very pretty.

Whatever halls they get they'll make friends and have fun. New ones being built all the time too. And I believe Unite has had a facelift and is no longer a hovel.

It’s funny how people shelling out nearly £9000 for self catering halls think others are rich. They probably aren’t but perception is everything. I’ve no doubt ex boarders spread themselves around just like everyone else. Maybe in the flash halls with ensuite bathrooms instead of shared ones! You never know.

Are you referring to me ? Apologies, but anyone who can afford to send their kids to private school and ensure they come out of Uni with no debt is stonkingly rich to me. My students are mostly FSM single parent kids who just happen to be quite clever, despite their family income.

I have never paid that much for halls. £6,625 was the most I've ever paid (covid year and was total hell leaving a child in the middle of a pandemic). Rent in Bristol - most was £7,250. Now down to £4,985 in deepest Somerset. And fortunately the Uni give v nice bursaries that help out less advantaged students. Thanks Bristol.

Whose DC came out of uni with no loan repayments? There are loads of people who pay huge amounts for Halls whilst pointing their fingers at others saying they are rich which tends to be divisive. I’m not a fan of it .

Orchard House is £9000 for self catering. Manor Hall £5500. Anyone affording Orchard is well off!

You are always finding fault in anything I say. No idea why 🤷‍♀️.

I have no idea how much Orchard is now as my DD was there in 2020, when we also got a 33% reduction in fees due to the hell that was covid lockdowns. Ended up being much cheaper than we'd expected. And I love the idea that I'm rich - us teachers are renowned for our exceptionally high salaries. My DDs have worked since they were 13 to save money for Uni - it's what people do.

Anyhoo, whichever halls you choose they'll have fun (even in a pandemic). Bristol do offer a lot of funding for things too - they do a brilliant travel bursary for doing some learning abroad. And if been on one of their WP programmes there is extra help available too.

@mumsneedwine Sorry - but you always finger point at other dc and say they are rich in a derogatory way. You indicated my DC didn’t have loans. They did. So maybe don’t say things that aren’t true and I won’t come back at you. Maybe accept people are different? The continual finger pointing and commenting on the money others may or may not have is tiresome. It doesn’t make them unworthy monsters. A well known poster on here sent her DD to Bristol with a car. Another one did pay all the fees for DCs at Bristol. Does it really matter? Anyway. Happy to
leave it at that.

Bickering aside, my dd was in Hiatt Baker in one of the newly refurbished blocks (B I think it was) and had a fantastic time, they had a huge sociable kitchen and there were 24 of them and 6 bathrooms (she wanted this as the en suites take up a lot of the room). The rooms were brilliantly kitted out and the bus was great.

She had friends in all sorts of other accommodation most of which was fine. It really comes down to personal preference on catered/self catered, ensuite or not and Stoke Bishop or not. I think SB was a great first year experience, like a mini campus with so much going on.