Ask a current Bristol student

Oh OK thanks for your advice! Have you had experience with applying for DSA? Is it difficult? And yes haha just saw that my mistake any accommodation you'd recommend that is close to the chemistry department? Is it worth putting firm and insurance if both unis require AAB?

I'm not disabled, so I've no personal experience of DSA, but there's a disabled students' forum here http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=277

Do be aware that DSA is changing from September (for instance, you'll no longer automatically get a free laptop). Unfortunately, everything is a bit up in the air because the government has been dragging their feet and not producing the necessary guidance. However, you can still apply now and then you'll just hear back once everything's settled.

I didn't study at Bristol - I'm actually a local who's moved away since, so I'm not really the best person to talk to about Bristol halls but there is a thread here http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=81178

With regards to your firm and insurance choices, there's some guidance here http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3142295 It can be worth putting down two AAB offers if you wouldn't want to go elsewhere - you may get lucky and find that if you miss your firm your insurance will let you in - but it's also a risky game as you could end up in Clearing.

I did like badock but I'm a vegetarian and pretty fussy and apparently the good is crap. I also have a long course and think id miss meal times sometimes so I'm not sure catered is for me. However if I wouldn't be happy in HB self catered and people aren't social I would be happy to go to badock. I looked round a flat in hiatt baker and the kitchen was massive and there were 10 rooms so I thought it would most likely be more sociable. The lady also said she matches you with like minded people did you find this?

The vegetarian food in Badock is often the nicest and people often asked for it if they were meat-eaters. You do only get one option but it's often absolutely fine. It's the meat stuff that can get dodgy.

Latest lectures are until 6pm and food runs from 6-7.30 pm, everyone gets to eat fine and you don't miss meals unless you have one-off commitments. You'd probably be perfectly happy in self catered HB though, by all means apply. However one thing I'd point out is that if you did have a long day every day then do you really want to go home and cook? Sure in 2nd and 3rd year onwards you'd have to cook for yourself, but I was grateful for an extra year of not having to fuss - even if the food wasn't gourmet.

Self catered in the new HB might be very sociable - I just don't know because it wasn't open when I was in Stoke Bishop. I was just commenting because I DO know about Badock

They kind of do, yes. But they are just looking at people on paper and don't really know who would get along with who.
Generally speaking, the SB halls tend to be a lot better at matching people than the city and Clifton halls, where students often are very unhappy with their flats.

It's also important to recognise that most people within flats don't make best buds within their flats. Some people have one or two close friends in their flats, but it's generally rare the whole flat will get on well and be best friends. That's not a problem, though, I'm just saying. Whether you're in a more open layout hall or flat-type hall, make sure you branch out.

Oh OK thanks for your advice! Have you had experience with applying for DSA? Is it difficult? And yes haha just saw that my mistake any accommodation you'd recommend that is close to the chemistry department? Is it worth putting firm and insurance if both unis require AAB?

Thanks so much for all the advice, think I'll definitely choose badock because it seems more sociable and there's more places to hang out and more people to get along with. I like the idea of cooking stuff myself but I'll have plenty of time to do that in other years anyway. Do you know if there's anything I can put down which would make me more likely to get it?

I think I just stressed that I'd be more suited to the features of Badock. So like I stressed I was this big personality, who would love to be in a sociable atmosphere and a big hall. That's not exactly false, I just really exaggerated haha. It's no lie that everyone, even the accommodation office, knows the reputations all the halls have. So I quite literally put in the about me sections that I like to go clubbing etc. and am really excited about the a hall with a good bar and the variety nights and pub quizzes they hold. My friends later laughed when I told them but hey, it got me in.

What's the Union like? I've heard from varying sources that it's mediocre and I've seen the building myself, it's not the prettiest.

I don't often go in there and I'm not in Bristol this year so I'm not the best person to say anything about the refurbishment but the university recently published this video about it: https://www.facebook.com/bristoluniversity/posts/947152951961821

The university is constantly opening new study rooms around the precinct. The Richmond Building is slightly out of the precinct which means it's not as much of a social area as it might be in other universities. I believe the expectation is that (in a time long into the future) the precinct will extend to reach it and engulf it. This starts with the Beacon House project on Queens Road.

To be honest, I don't think people tend to use the Union a lot and, as such, they rate it poorly. The building itself is massive and includes the Anson Rooms on the first floor and an indoor swimming pool. I think now that it's reopening completely, societies will be able to make more use of it which will probably bring people in.

The Bristol Accommodation site says that the Colston Street accomodation is for "mature students". Does this mean mainly postgrad students apply there?

Also, any Bristol lawyers out there? How are you finding the course?

thanks

Has anyone gotten an offer for Biochemistry?

Hi, I'm a Psychology student at Bristol (going into 2nd year). If anyone has any questions relating to the course feel free to ask me. I also lived in Richmond Terrace (Clifton) for my 1st year so i can answer questions on that too