Bristol University Accommodation

[Doublethecuddles]

DD has accepted a place at Bristol, we are in Scotland and won’t have a chance to have a look around. Looking for recommendations for accommodation. On the website they all look good but would like some personal experiences.
I am slightly surprised how big some of the flats are.
Thank you

DD off on holiday next week with 5 girls she was in halls with in her first year. Only one did the same course as her. It’s a v sociable Uni !

DD was lucky and got her first choice of Wills. She said she was glad to be in Stoke Bishop (north village) as although it was further out, it was really sociable. The free buses meant it was easy to get about and you’re surrounded by green areas.

Thank you for all you advice, I will pass it on.
The cost of halls is similar to Edinburgh where DS will this year. The joys of 2 lost of accommodation to pay for 😟

We’re Edinburgh and Dd1 is in 3rd year Bristol, dissertation submitted so enjoying all the end social events and hanging out with friends. She’s had a brilliant time.

She loved Culver House, Park St. it was newly refurbished when she started 3 years ago, and the common areas are spacious and very nice. The rent was reasonable- at the time about £650pm, shared a bathroom and separate toilet with 4 other people in her flat.
Ended up sharing second/third year private accommodation with 2 of her Culver flatmates.

https://www.capitolstudents.com/locations/bristol/bristol-culver-house/gallery/?section=common-spaces

Just a warning - my dn spent ages choosing her accom choices - all self catered - and was given room in a catered hall she hadn’t shortlisted. She said most of her friends were given seemingly random allocations. So maybe manage expectations a bit.

Not sure if I’ve invented this but is it Bristol where they’re now using a new priority system?
Others may be better in the know.

Yes it's a new system this year, you select 3 options and your budget plus other info. My ds hasn't completed it yet as I can't work out what budget to put to ensure his preferences but not mean he is disregarded for other options he would like.

@poppybuttons My DD had this system when she was going to university in Switzerland. We looked at the accommodation she liked and put the budget at the mid point. You would go round in circles otherwise.

If your first choice is Wills catered the price point cuts out Hiatt Baker etc so you need to put the cost of Hiatt Baker as your budget etc.

It’s not very important, as students everywhere all move into shared flats in year 2 anyway, and even choose them at the end of year 1, term 1.

Although for some of my Bristol children they made friends for life in year 1 at Bristol halls and/or found their partner.

@Doublethecuddles , how did your dc get on? My ds got an offer from Bristol and we got the accommodation y'day - Churchill - so the new system seems to have worked for him as he wanted catered north village. It's very expensive - £10k for single room with basin catered.

@poppybuttons Yes but lots of non catered are nearly that! He won’t need to shop or buy much food (well snacks!) and the odd meal so there are other savings. My DD was in Wills - no basin and shared room. Very much enjoyed the catered hall for making friends.

@Doublethecuddles where abouts in Scotland are you okay?

I've read to get extra income for yourself to find your own DC you might rent out DC's spare rooms in term time? Like to students studying in Scotland.

Back when I was in Badock (25 years ago 🤯) the uni shuttle bus was only in the evenings and shit, so we’d walk to Woodland Road 95% of the time for lectures. It took about 40 minutes and kept us fit! Taxi back from nights out. Badock was very social when I was there. Lots of events on in the bar. Meal times could feel a touch restrictive but we also had kitchenettes on each floor, so if you missed dinner you could always heat up pasta or whatever.

Not always. That was my now DH’s first flat in Bristol and he was a Habs boy. Wills always had the reputation of being for the “rahs” and Hiatt Baker for the state school kids (there was an unsubstantiated rumour about the order in which the Stoke Bishop catered halls got their food, with Wills being first, HB being last!!). But once you dug a bit deeper, which school you went to etc was completely unimportant and I had uni friends from a wide range of places, from Eton and various international schools to state comps like mine.

The bus is every 6 mins now during the day and free if you are in 1 of the halls.

@curliegirlie You didn’t see the food in Wills then? DD said it was the same catering company as supplied her school but the cooks at Wills somehow overcooked everything. I totally agree about making friends regardless of background. It doesn’t matter at all where people went to school.

Nope, I had a friend or two in Wills but didn’t wangle an invite to any of their formals. I very much assume the catering in all the halls was probably very similar to each other (I.e nothing to write home about but definitely edible!), but why let facts get in the way of silly gossip and in jokes about “food pipes”?!

@curliegirlieYes. None of it awful. DD just enjoyed settling into university life and year 1 with no food shopping or cooking. She eats anything though and likes eating with others, so catered worked well. She had friends in. Churchill and they seemed happy too.

@poppybuttons by DD has got Wills catered halls, which is what she wanted. We are just waiting to see what day and time we drop her off.
My DS is going to self catered in Edinburgh and they are only slightly cheaper!

@GdanskOil we live just outside St Andrews, but wouldn’t let out rooms as it’s too difficult for students to get into town.

Fair enough. Regardless I hope your DCs have a fabulous time at university.

@Doublethecuddles , once my ds accepted the place he got an email with an induction link and once completed you can book the slot for Churchill.
There is a Facebook group for parents of students at Bristol uni that is quite helpful too.
Best of luck for your dd for the coming weeks.

Manor is close to the academic departments, cheaper than most and has happy students. City Centre is hugely expensive.

The older corridor halls such as Wills, Manor, Badock, the old blocks at Hiatt Baker, CHH, Churchill seem to have happier students because they are not shut in with a small number of people with whom they might have little in common. These places also have big public rooms, libraries, dining halls and gardens where social things can happen, where bands can practice, indoor sports happen and so on. There is then less need to go out and squander all of your loan.

@CalciteI feel catered makes quite a bit of difference. My DD isn’t a tidy cook! With catered there’s no kitchen angst. No worries about dc not washing up etc. It’s a much easier intro to university and great for meeting others. DD didn’t have a corridor in Wills. A staircase with rooms off it.