Bristol or Bath Uni - really can't decide

So I've posted about this before but I'm finding it really hard to make a decision, if anyone could help I would really appreciate it. After visiting Bath on an offer holders' day a few weeks ago it became one of my top choices because I really liked the campusy atmosphere, the SU, quality of work placements, the course (which is better than Bristol) and the students I met seemed really friendly and it seemed like I could fit in there. The city is great, it's pretty safe, and it's somewhere I am relatively familiar with, especially compared to Bristol. However, I've visited Bristol uni many times and also really like it. Pretty much everyone I've spoken to says that the city is better due to having a lot more to do, lots of clubs and being a really arty/vibrant and student friendly place. Something that's really pushing me towards Bristol (however misguided it might be) is the fact that it is generally more prestigious and is a red brick/RG uni. To be honest, I'm a friendly person and want to go out and socialise a lot at uni, but I'm more on the reserved side; everyone always talks about the nightlife at Bristol first and foremost but tbh I don't know if clubbing would really be my thing. Unfortunately all the offer holders visit days were cancelled due to corona and I was going to go on one this month, after which I would have been confident enough to make my decision. After Southampton makes a decision which could be fairly imminent, I have to make my choice by May. Does anyone have any advice??

BTW, I'm doing Politics and French.
Bath: AAB (ABB with A in EPQ)
Bristol: AAB

Based on your descriptions I would take Bath, especially since the course is better for you. If you go to Bath you can easily get to Bristol by train if you want to go clubbing there. On your point about Bristol being more prestigious, I think it might be a more recognisable name but I expect employers regard Bath very highly because of its placements. These links might be helpful:
https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/university-of-bath-b16/courses/french-and-politics-ba-hons-2020-01c5e6a6d322
https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/university-of-bristol-b78/courses/politics-and-french-4-years-ba-hons-2020-66c502e9f0bc

this thread should be helpful for you! If it was helpful, feel free to tell me in the thread https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6424786

Reputation really means nothing. Both are excellent universities and whilst Bristol is a long established university Bath constantly outperforms it in National rankings. They key differences are
Bristol is a city university whereas Bath is an out of town campus university.
Bristol is a bigger city whereas Bath is a much smaller university.
Much of Bristol's accommodation is off campus some 2 miles away whilst most of the accommodation for first year's at Bath is on campus.
Bath has some of the best sporting facilities on campus.
Whilst Bristol has the better nightly Bath also has nightlife and it is only a 10 minute train ride between cities.

The bottom line is you need to decide which environment and case you prefer. Do you prefer to live in a bigger city or on campus. Only you can decide that as we are all different and what one person prefers another might dislike.

So I've posted about this before but I'm finding it really hard to make a decision, if anyone could help I would really appreciate it.

After visiting Bath on an offer holders' day a few weeks ago it became one of my top choices because I really liked the campusy atmosphere, the SU, quality of work placements, the course (which is better than Bristol) and the students I met seemed really friendly and it seemed like I could fit in there. The city is great, it's pretty safe, and it's somewhere I am relatively familiar with, especially compared to Bristol.

However, I've visited Bristol uni many times and also really like it. Pretty much everyone I've spoken to says that the city is better due to having a lot more to do, lots of clubs and being a really arty/vibrant and student friendly place. Something that's really pushing me towards Bristol (however misguided it might be) is the fact that it is generally more prestigious and is a red brick/RG uni. I’m torn between going to a city vs campus uni as I feel like it would be easier to make friends in a small community situation like at Bath and everything is easily accessible which is convenient, but would I get bored and regret going to a quieter uni when there is so much to do at Bristol??

To be honest, I'm a friendly person and want to go out and socialise a lot at uni, but I'm more on the reserved side; everyone always talks about the nightlife at Bristol first and foremost but tbh I don't know if a massive amount of clubbing would really be my thing. Unfortunately all the offer holders visit days were cancelled due to corona and I was going to go on one this month, after which I would have been confident enough to make my decision. I have all my decisions so need to make my choice by May. Does anyone have any advice??

BTW, I'm doing Politics and French.
Bath: AAB (ABB with A in EPQ)
Bristol: AAB

Hi there,

Firstly, congratulations on receiving offers from Bath and Bristol! I'm a Bath student but I'm doing my placement at the Uni of Bristol, so hopefully I can be of some help!
Campus vs City
In terms of liking the campus atmosphere at Bath, I completely understand as it's nice to have everything in one place. However, despite being a city uni, Bristol also has this. The majority of the Bristol uni buildings are all in one area at the top of what's essentially a little hill by the city centre, and the SU is really nearby. Having experienced both the fully campus atmosphere of Bath, and the slightly less campus-y vibe of Bristol, I personally prefer how it is in Bristol. After a while, it can feel a bit too much like a secluded bubble being on campus all the time. At Bristol, you can easily pop into a cafe or the shops in the middle of the day, or go to College Green and relax, whilst still getting the campus-vibe as the university is pretty self-contained (it just has easier access to the city than Bath). Bristol city centre is all pretty centralised, so it's just as accessible as Bath is.

I would say that both are great for meeting friends. Bath is a lot smaller, so you'll meet mostly students and see a lot of the same people as it's a very insular city. Bristol is a lot bigger, both as a uni and as a city, so you'll meet a far better variety of people both students and non-students. I personally prefer this, as I hated that I felt really stuck in a little student bubble at Bath. It's really all a matter of personal preference, but you'll easily make friends at either uni

I think the main distinction here is how much you like to explore and do new things, like go to concerts or museums and art galleries. I like having lots to do, so I found Bath a bit too small and insular and got a bit bored, but for some people Bath is perfect as they want somewhere quiet. That being said, Bath is only 15 mins by train from Bristol, so you still have the benefit of a big city nearby if you chose Bath.
General Student Life
Elaborating on the above, I'll go into some more general stuff about Bath vs Bristol.

Bath is a lot more expensive than Bristol, so it's important to take this into account. My rent is ~£90 less a month in Bristol than it was in Bath, and I also am able to live a lot closer to the uni so don't need to pay £300 a year for a bus pass. In Bristol, it's a lot easier to walk or cycle to the uni as accommodation is more central. In Bath, however, the uni is at the top of a hill so a bus pass is somewhat of an essential. A lot of people do cycle, but it's worth keeping in mind if you don't.

Bath is a lot more sporty than Bristol, and has far better sports facilities. As sports are such an integral part of Bath's uni culture, they make it easy for anyone to take part, whether you're a complete beginner or have played at a high level. The downside to this is that if you aren't interested in sports at all, it's easy to feel a bit left out at Bath since it is such a big part of uni life there. As Bristol is a more artsy, chilled uni, this isn't the case as sports aren't as heavily focused on. Again, this will depend on your personal preference, but Bath is great is you want to get involved in sports (one you already play or something completely new).

In terms of socialising and clubbing, I'd say Bristol wins here. The nightlife in Bath is good, but it gets a bit boring and repetitive at times, and most people just end up getting a train to Bristol is they want a good night out. Even if you aren't into clubbing, there's a far better variety in Bristol. There's more chilled bars such as Full Moon, or more lively places for proper raves like Motion and Lakota. There's always something new going on in Bristol, be that art exhibitions, museums, the aquarium, music gigs and more.

So, Bath wins in terms of sports, but Bristol wins in terms of being a far more fun city to live in, and in terms of cost. If you do like the sound of a quieter city like Bath, then Bristol is only 15 mins away by train, so you wouldn't be losing out.
Safety
With regards to safety, I've actually found the 2 pretty similar. I was so worried when I moved to Bristol that it'd be unsafe, but I've actually experienced less harassment from strangers here than in Bath. Overall, both are safe places to live so long as you're responsible! Bristol uni also gives out free attack alarm keyring to students, which is nice too
Prestige
I wouldn't take prestige into account too much, as Bath is still a very highly esteemed university. Despite not being RG (as it isn't big enough and doesn't offer enough courses), it's still more highly ranking than many RG unis.
Work Placements
Bath is obviously very well known for their placements programme, and the support you get from the uni is impeccable. Since Bath's programme has been around for so long, their industry connections are amazing. Bath definitely wins on this front.


Overall, they're basically the same in terms of prestige and safety. Bath wins in terms of sports and placements, but Bristol is better financially and for general fun living. It's really just a matter of you weighing up the pros and cons of each, whilst taking into account which course appeals more to you. I'd also suggest looking at the Youtube channels for both unis, as there'll be some helpful videos that can act as alternatives to Open Days (this is what I did, as I couldn't attend Open Days either).

I hope this has helped, and please let me know if I can answer any other questions
Jessica, a third year NatSci student

So I've posted about this before but I'm finding it really hard to make a decision, if anyone could help I would really appreciate it.

After visiting Bath on an offer holders' day a few weeks ago it became one of my top choices because I really liked the campusy atmosphere, the SU, quality of work placements, the course (which is better than Bristol) and the students I met seemed really friendly and it seemed like I could fit in there. The city is great, it's pretty safe, and it's somewhere I am relatively familiar with, especially compared to Bristol.

However, I've visited Bristol uni many times and also really like it. Pretty much everyone I've spoken to says that the city is better due to having a lot more to do, lots of clubs and being a really arty/vibrant and student friendly place. Something that's really pushing me towards Bristol (however misguided it might be) is the fact that it is generally more prestigious and is a red brick/RG uni. I’m torn between going to a city vs campus uni as I feel like it would be easier to make friends in a small community situation like at Bath and everything is easily accessible which is convenient, but would I get bored and regret going to a quieter uni when there is so much to do at Bristol??

To be honest, I'm a friendly person and want to go out and socialise a lot at uni, but I'm more on the reserved side; everyone always talks about the nightlife at Bristol first and foremost but tbh I don't know if a massive amount of clubbing would really be my thing. Unfortunately all the offer holders visit days were cancelled due to corona and I was going to go on one this month, after which I would have been confident enough to make my decision. I have all my decisions so need to make my choice by May. Does anyone have any advice??

BTW, I'm doing Politics and French.
Bath: AAB (ABB with A in EPQ)
Bristol: AAB

Hi Jessica, thank you so much for this really detailed answer. I have a few other questions if you don’t mind answering.
-> what was your accommodation situation for both unis? was it catered/self catered, ensuite, shared etc? how does the accommodation compare?
-> were you used to city life before going to uni? did you find it difficult/easy to adjust?
-> how often did you go out in the city at Bath?
-> did you make most of your friends in societies/halls/lectures/other?
It’s a really hard decision because I feel like both unis are very different but they have equal pros/cons for me

Hiya,

I’m considering Bristol but also looked at bath in detail before deciding it wasn’t for me. The campus is lovely and courses are fab but for me it came down to the city itself. I’m a bit of an artsy person (not trying to sound like a ****** just trying to be straight forward) and wanted lots of creative things to do in the city. When I looked bath had significantly less clubs, pubs, and music vennues than most cities. The alt/Live music scene isn’t great, not really any galleries or quirky places to go. This is what put me off compared to somewhere like Bristol which has a more creative feel however yes there are some particularly rough parts of Bristol, where as bath is pretty safe seeming. Another reason that I was put off by bath was because it was a very sporty uni (and I am not lmao). The club on campus has a night just dedicated to sports and the sports basically run the uni. If this is your thing the. It’s probably a huge win! I think generally bath is a nice place but in my opinion a little boring with not as much going on compared to other cities, also not super diverse. It just depends on what your after! Hope this helped a little )