What is The University of Bristol like?

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good nightlife, but also good bars etc if you're not a clubbing fan (just don't buy drinks in the clubs as they're ££)

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lots of societies, good variation (lots of law-based societies too with networking events and dinners)

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lots of different cuisine options, and Asian supermarkets are within walking distance from east village (west village too if you don't mind going a little further)

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it is walkable, depending how central you are to campus (North village accom requires a bus unless you fancy a 2 mile walk to your 9am)

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lots to do that doesn't involve drinking (whether you're religious or not), with lots of stuff hosted by global lounge, students union and through societies (some of which you don't need to be member of to participate in like 'pub' quizzes etc)

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good green/rural areas - especially if you're in west village/Clifton accom

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good location to do day trips to take a break from studying, such as Bath, Cheddar Gorge, Wells, Frome etc.

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train station and bus/coach stations both in reach

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expensive on most fronts:

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cheapest first year accom is around 130/135 a week (it went up by around 5 since last year) and isn't guaranteed, with some students having to reside in Newport.

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Sainsbury's is the most accessible supermarket, there is a lidl but choice isn't great a lot of the time (esp if you're like me and have dietary reqs), if you're in east village there's an Asda but it's a fair walk away

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not a clubber myself but many of my friends say that they don't go out as often anymore due to ticket prices going up, they'll probs go around once a fortnight or a couple times a month

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student loan is never enough to cover accom, many people I know have a job on the side or rely on parents (mine pay around 3/4 of my rent as I'm still trying to find a part-time job here..)

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lots of clubs/societies (esp sports clubs) require a fee - which is expected in some cases ofc, but it's not always easy to balance that as well as other costs too

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2nd/3rd year accom is a nightmare. Get is before Christmas. If you've taken a gap year and are closer to 21 in second year, you may find it a little easier to get accepted, especially if you're only hoping to share with 1-2 others. Some landlords openly prefer self-catered first years to catered ones, and some all-male applications get instantly dismissed. One dismissed our group because my friend had a different surname to her guarantor (which was her step-mum since childhood). The uni does have a guarantor system to help but I don't know how this works and what the rules are. It is also incredibly pricey, with places under 180 a week almost impossible to find after January, and it's rare to get 1st year accom again or have bills included for under 200.

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some other students may come at me for this, but it is slightly cliquey, as are a lot of other unis, but there is a small vibe here that does seem slightly unwelcoming if you're not from the right background iykwim. for example, I've had people have pure shock on their faces when they find out I don't ski or sail. I had one girl ask me why I go to bed so early (I have early morning commitments so I choose to sleep at around 10) and she said that I clearly can't have a social life because I wouldn't have time to drink. One got a bit uneasy when I said I didn't take a gap year. little things like that..

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drug use is quite high here, especially ket. I think I read one stat saying around 85-90% have at least tried it here. so if you don't use it, then you'll be highly unlikely to ever completely avoid its presence (especially if you share a kitchen). there is support for drug use and testing kits available for free (they also had spiking tests for drinks in my first year accom), but again not everyone takes them and all of my friends who do are respectful of not taking them in front of me and others who are more sensitive/triggered by them.

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on the law front, a lot of my friends who take law really do struggle with the workload and don't find much time to balance academics with social life. obviously you should be aware of that when considering law, but Bristol is up there with UK law school rankings and I get the impression that there is a little added pressure on that front.

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going off from that, there isn't a huge amount of choice with modules beyond the law school, unless you take a language and get a year abroad. there isn't much option regarding study abroad, and you get less choice that those who study a different subject with the same language at joint hons.