Bristol starters 2026

[Braveheart35]

Anybody off to Bristol? DD set her heart on Bristol after the open day. Thankfully got her place on Economics today. Seems v real now! Accommodation allocation happening next week apparently.

@Chameleon65 that's what I would like to know !

I don’t think their choices are any different to the ones the firm offer people made - sounded like the same preference listing etc.

Any insurance or clearing offer holders been able to book accommodation yet? We haven’t and it’s really quite stressful not knowing - not helped by DC going long haul overseas next week and not back until the day before term starts 😩

@easterb my DD is also having terrible issues and it's not her insurance ,the links don't work and all sorts . I'm really worried she won't end up with anything

Are you all ready for next weekend? Things are getting real now!

Checking in! DC is being dropped off Friday

If halls are in a drinking area, they often don’t have a bar. Students go out. There’s more socialising at Stoke Bishop halls, especially as it’s more of a slog back into the city boozy areas. I don’t think Bristol really has bad areas for students though. My DD was there ages ago and got really good y2 accommodation within 4 converted houses. They had a handyman on site who was efficient. Everything worked and it was efficient. It’s just the 50 weeks rent that’s annoying and in those days they went back 2nd week of October! Terms were more like Oxbridge back then. Hard work!

How is everyone getting on ?
My DD has gone in !
Room ok a little dirty apparently stains and there is some mold in the en suite however it's not as bad as I thought it would be.

@FalteringFledgling What hall? Private or uni?

It's a unite run one the huge corporate faceless company .
It's ok though not as bad as we were expecting but our bar was very low.great locator

@FalteringFledgling Well they are big providers but not uni owned. Insurance accommodation is an issue quite often and at least dd has something which I assume is quite central. Bristol is a great place to be a student. Be discerning about y2 accommodation though. Thats the real challenge. Making enough friends to start looking is the first hurdle and house hunting starts early!

Yes keep your expectations low for year 2, we are paying £10k without bills for a room in a house with mould, stains, dirt etc etc but great location.

@448teatime Location means premium rents in Bristol. Going further out along White Ladies Road is usually cheaper but dc do like to get out of bed and be in lectures in 10 mins. They pay for that!

My dd is in a Unite-owned block too. It is sparkling clean and really nice, v central too. We were really relieved

@damemaggiescurledupperlipWhat did you think a hall of residence would be like? The bigger issue is 2nd year onwards when students take poor accommodation and their parents are horrified. I had discerning girls who didn’t want the worst - it’s a boy thing to not care from what I saw.

Remember when they come to look for 2nd year accommodation there re options further out for lower rent, just factor in buses, trains or a moped even. Rent is half where we live, we have quite a few postgraduate students around here and a few overseas ones

@bababamama I think that point has been made!

Everything was very efficient at Hiatt Baker. Room exactly what you would expect and clean. Kitchen slightly battered round the edges but it has to cope with 22 students so I'm not surprised!

My ds’s hall of residence was grubby, worn, and completely lacking in social space

@damemaggiescurledupperlip
Which one? At Bristol?

No, different uni. It was our only experience of a hall of residence until this week

She wasn't insurance student /first choice

Which one is she at ?

Campbell House

@FalteringFledgling So which building? Why choose unite when there’s uni owned halls?