[Alpha-Omega]

The city was amazing; it was evening when we were going home and the city lights just made the place look much spectacular - add to that the Downs Park and the view of the Clifton suspension bridge. I live in London and I actually liked Bristol much more: not only does it have an excellent city for shopping, clubbing, etc. but at the same time, if you want to relax, you could just go to Stokes Bishop and chill/go jogging while enjoying the scenery.

A part of the visit day too was a sample lecture (which was near the end of the visit day). I was impressed on how easy was it to understand everything about the lecture (one was about materials and the other was on mechatronics). I found it very interesting and engaging. I guess it is safe to assume that the teaching quality at Bristol is excellent.

Also, I have heard a lot of positive reviews about and recommendations for Bristol Uni here in TSR. So, that's also a plus. It has a high rank at QS world league table so I guess getting a job in UK or abroad (if I wanted to) won't be that difficult.

The negative side is the visit day was sloppy, as if it was rushed and unprepared for. The coach tour was good, and so was the meals; but, some of the presentation was just too informal and the department tour guide we had wasn't the best person for it.

On the 1st presentation, the person took a lot of time setting up the audio-visual and the other equipments. He was making lots of mistakes, didn't know what to do at some points, and was very unprofessional. For one, they should have set up the audio-visual system before we entered the room and at least rehearsed once so everything goes smoothly.

Then, the tour guide we had for the department was not good. The way he did things was: "This is X room, have a look at it... silence.... we just stared at it. ok, now we go... now this is Y room, have a look at it... silence and stare at place... " it went on this way most of the time, add up the two or three jokes he made where only one or two people laughed. We only went to one lab (Hydraulics Lab - it was unattractive), one lecture hall (was quite cool), Engineering common room (which looked dull), and peeped at some of the rooms. We didn’t even go to the library nor looked at the recreational facilities like gym, sports, etc… It was the worst department tour I had - very very boring.

My parents also had a tour, but with a different person, and they mentioned thing like a helicopter being built, gym, library, etc. being shown to them. I also heard about the other labs. Why were those not shown to us? Shouldn't these tours be focused on showing how great the university is and how comfortable/fun our life would be there? Or were they thinking that the name of the university is enough to attract excelllent students?

All in all, most of the talks seemed to be mostly academic-oriented (didn't hear any mention about league tables/destination of graduates/etc...), which was okay (except for the 1st presentation); and, pretty much, did nothing to show us the fun side of Bristol University. I guess it had been intentional and was a way to filter out those who were just there to have fun and slack from those who were genuinely serious to study. Still, I believe that to succeed in academics and/or professional career, there should be balance between work, fun, and relaxing.

I’d like to not base my decision whether to pick Bristol as firm on the open day. I like the area and its prestige, but I am unsure if I’d still be able to have fun if I studied there (and not turn into a robot). The city is great and there seems to be a lot of societies according to their website so it should be, but I just didn’t see/experience the fun side of being at Bristol Uni.

It’s gone too long so I’ll end it here. I’d love to hear your comments on this (especially on the fun side of Bristol Uni)!

[Kangaroo_rampage]

Hey,
Bristol is great university for mechanical engineering it is ranked 2nd in the uk for your course.
I'm currently waiting for my change in course to be approved. I'm hoping to change to aerospace engineering. I hope to see u in Bristol next year.

Posted from TSR Mobile

[hazel.red.leaf]

As far as I have heard, you shouldn't worry about nightlife. There are plenty of clubs, bars and discos, and there are numerous societies. I've also read that there are some festivals. No, I don't think you will be bored at all!

[Alpha-Omega]

(Original post by hazel.red.leaf)
As far as I have heard, you shouldn't worry about nightlife. There are plenty of clubs, bars and discos, and there are numerous societies. I've also read that there are some festivals. No, I don't think you will be bored at all!

I'm in Bristol now and it's amazing. It's just what you said about the clubs and societies. There are also very good restaurants, museums, and good places to visit. The only tough thing is balancing your time on having fun and studying.

Are you studying now in Bristol Uni?

[hazel.red.leaf]

No, I'm longing for an offer And I've been for around three years now, so I'm sort of familiar with Bristol Uni.


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[Alpha-Omega]

(Original post by hazel.red.leaf)
No, I'm longing for an offer And I've been for around three years now, so I'm sort of familiar with Bristol Uni.


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Goodluck. How come you were here in Bristol for 3 years?

[hazel.red.leaf]

Thank you, good luck with decisions to you! But you didn't understand me (yeah, I know I can't explain ). I haven't been in Bristol for real, but three years ago, when I was wondering which universities to choose, I came to Bristol Uni. I'd been attracted to the city and when I learnt that it's actually a top uni, I decided that I want to study there. I've read a lot about the place itself, about facilities and atmosphere. My boyfriend is there at the moment and he's going out at least once a week, he also goes to societies and he doesn't seem to be bored at all! You should read about Motion or O2 or Thekla - all seem to be great clubs. I know there are also loads of bars or pubs, and some classy restaurants, too. As far as I know, there are around 100 societies - sports, arts, fandoms, anything you may think about, and the university itself send you information about them. If you have any particular question, you may ask and I'll try to answer you.

[a10]

(Original post by Alpha-Omega)
Goodluck. How come you were here in Bristol for 3 years?

did u end up firming bristol?

[Alpha-Omega]

(Original post by a10)
did u end up firming bristol?

Yeah. Workload is tough, but not very difficult. You just have to put a lot of time on self-studying and time management (which hasn't been the case for me on the previous months).

The university is good, the facilities are awesome, the buildings are good, most of the lecturers are very good, and the support that they give the students is excellent. There are also tons of societies, bars/restaurants/clubs, and you have many opportunities to get involved in many things (e.g., you can take part in rocket building (also satellites) even if you're only a first year, tons of events both for fun and employability, and so on...)

The only down side is the vibe of the area. The vibe in Southampton Uni was humble and when I first came there, I felt very welcome and it felt home, but here in Bristol Uni, I don't feel as if I'm part of the community. I have made lots of friends and hang out with them often, but it feels different. It's difficult to explain.

[a10]

(Original post by Alpha-Omega)
Yeah. Workload is tough, but not very difficult. You just have to put a lot of time on self-studying and time management (which hasn't been the case for me on the previous months).

The university is good, the facilities are awesome, the buildings are good, most of the lecturers are very good, and the support that they give the students is excellent. There are also tons of societies, bars/restaurants/clubs, and you have many opportunities to get involved in many things (e.g., you can take part in rocket building (also satellites) even if you're only a first year, tons of events both for fun and employability, and so on...)

The only down side is the vibe of the area. The vibe in Southampton Uni was humble and when I first came there, I felt very welcome and it felt home, but here in Bristol Uni, I don't feel as if I'm part of the community. I have made lots of friends and hang out with them often, but it feels different. It's difficult to explain.

i see iv heard southampton uni atomsphere is very dull and boring haha, are you doing MEng or BEng? and which year are u in now? xD

Yeahh i agree on the feel thing...its better to go to a place you really like as opposed to basing it on silly league tables which change every year. Also a place you feel you "fit" in!

[Alpha-Omega]

(Original post by a10)
i see iv heard southampton uni atomsphere is very dull and boring haha, are you doing MEng or BEng? and which year are u in now? xD

Yeahh i agree on the feel thing...its better to go to a place you really like as opposed to basing it on silly league tables which change every year. Also a place you feel you "fit" in!

That's the word. Yes, I don't feel I fit in there, but still it's fun and it's an amazing uni overall.

I'm on the MEng route, still on 1st year.

In which uni are you at right now? Or are you still applying at Bristol too?

[a10]

(Original post by Alpha-Omega)
That's the word. Yes, I don't feel I fit in there, but still it's fun and it's an amazing uni overall.

I'm on the MEng route, still on 1st year.

In which uni are you at right now? Or are you still applying at Bristol too?

i see how would you say your first year was in general (workload and coursework) would you say its intense?

Im applying for 2013 entry but not at bristol...

I applied at Sussex,Swansea,UWE Bristol, Brighton, Manchester.

I think Sussex will be the first choice the uni ill decide tho after going to the admisiion days.

[Alpha-Omega]

(Original post by a10)
i see how would you say your first year was in general (workload and coursework) would you say its intense?

Im applying for 2013 entry but not at bristol...

I applied at Sussex,Swansea,UWE Bristol, Brighton, Manchester.

I think Sussex will be the first choice the uni ill decide tho after going to the admisiion days.

Ah ok, hehe UWE Bristol, Bristol Uni's bestfriend.

It's not intense. You just need to put a lot of time studying and be efficient (no procrastination and don't waste time studying/reading unimportant parts).

[a10]

(Original post by Alpha-Omega)
Ah ok, hehe UWE Bristol, Bristol Uni's bestfriend.

It's not intense. You just need to put a lot of time studying and be efficient (no procrastination and don't waste time studying/reading unimportant parts).

thanks for the headsup n hahaha tho uwe bristol does have pretty good links with rolls royce, airbus, agusta westland, HP and im also sure bristol uni has the exact same links. It will be hard choosing haha only reason i like sussex a lot is because of the student satisfaction been really high for the course and students saying they get really good feedback from lectures etc...the best way to find out is going there in person i suppose did u have any work experience prior to uni?

[Alpha-Omega]

(Original post by a10)
thanks for the headsup n hahaha tho uwe bristol does have pretty good links with rolls royce, airbus, agusta westland, HP and im also sure bristol uni has the exact same links. It will be hard choosing haha only reason i like sussex a lot is because of the student satisfaction been really high for the course and students saying they get really good feedback from lectures etc...the best way to find out is going there in person i suppose did u have any work experience prior to uni?

True, when you come on the open day ask the students there, most of the time, they will be honest anyways (although expect some who will hype up).

Work experience? Some.

I had a 2 week student work experience in BT provided by school (I mostly just watched TV and ate in the recreational room, but hyped up what I did there on my personal statement 8) ). I also volunteered in college, things like teaching old people how to use computer, making poster events, being e-Ambassador, etc...

I don't think a lot of people in my course had work experience previously. I wouldn't stress about it, the important thing is to have shown in your personal statement that you're genuinely interested in your course and have done some things that show that interest.

In the end, getting accepted is mainly about your grades, personal statement, and reference. Work experience-wise, it's a bonus, but not the be-all-end-all.

[a10]

(Original post by Alpha-Omega)
True, when you come on the open day ask the students there, most of the time, they will be honest anyways (although expect some who will hype up).

Work experience? Some.

I had a 2 week student work experience in BT provided by school (I mostly just watched TV and ate in the recreational room, but hyped up what I did there on my personal statement 8) ). I also volunteered in college, things like teaching old people how to use computer, making poster events, being e-Ambassador, etc...

I don't think a lot of people in my course had work experience previously. I wouldn't stress about it, the important thing is to have shown in your personal statement that you're genuinely interested in your course and have done some things that show that interest.

In the end, getting accepted is mainly about your grades, personal statement, and reference. Work experience-wise, it's a bonus, but not the be-all-end-all.

Yeah I got offers for all of them except Manchester which I got declined haha but wasnt too bothered as i didn't really like it. About work experience was just asking really I know not many people do it. I however managed to get some @ airbus UK for next year so should be fun xD yeahh just need to focus to get the grades I need that motivation for the final year of college

[Alpha-Omega]

(Original post by a10)
Yeah I got offers for all of them except Manchester which I got declined haha but wasnt too bothered as i didn't really like it. About work experience was just asking really I know not many people do it. I however managed to get some @ airbus UK for next year so should be fun xD yeahh just need to focus to get the grades I need that motivation for the final year of college

Yeah, get the work experience. They'll be very helpful too, much importantly on your summer internship applications. Competition will be tough and there will be few places, but if you have engineering experience, you'll be ahead of the league.