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What's Bristol really like?

Hiya, got my offer to study english at Bristol a couple of weeks ago now and after going to the open day it was probably my favourite university. I was wondering if anybody had any insight as to what it's really like to live and study in Bristol? Any info on the course as well would be great :smile: also, I am waiting to hear from warwick and kings so any views in those in comparison would be really helpful!! Thanks a lot :smile:
(edited 10 years ago)

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Reply 1
Bristol is like a a smaller (and more friendly) version of London. People say its diverse, tbh I didn't really find that. Yeah, it has some diversity and culture to it, but nowhere near the extent as London. Its friendly and fairly safe bar one or two areas. Personally I was glad I chose Bristol as a city rather than a few others I won't mention.

Advice:
No amount of text will ever really give you an idea of what a city is like. You should visit it yourself and judge whether you would like it.
Inside University of Bristol
University of Bristol
Bristol
bristol is sweet.
As a city, it's a pretty cool place to live - there's a tendency towards lefty green movements, the locals are pretty good at grassroots initiatives, lots of independent shops, there's a new independent mayor who always wears red trousers, the nightlife's good, and the local area safe.

As for the diversity issue - Bristol is diverse, it's just that the university is in a very white middle class area that isn't diverse! So, people of our sort of age often come away with the impression that it's not diverse. If you go to areas like St Pauls then I promise that you'll find it's diverse! That said, from an ethnic point of view, London is the most diverse city in the country, but there's more to diversity than ethnicity :wink:
Hills. So many hills.
Ugh, so boring.
The University area is quite posh and middle class, that part of the city is not so diverse but the other parts of Bristol are.
People are really nice, but it's just very boring in my opinion.

Also, I second the hills and the buses are so expensive although the price recently went down.
Reply 6
Original post by djpailo
Bristol is like a a smaller (and more friendly) version of London. People say its diverse, tbh I didn't really find that. Yeah, it has some diversity and culture to it, but nowhere near the extent as London. Its friendly and fairly safe bar one or two areas. Personally I was glad I chose Bristol as a city rather than a few others I won't mention.

Advice:
No amount of text will ever really give you an idea of what a city is like. You should visit it yourself and judge whether you would like it.



Did you go to the Uni? :smile: what was your course and accomodation like?
Reply 7
Original post by justmyself
Ugh, so boring.
The University area is quite posh and middle class, that part of the city is not so diverse but the other parts of Bristol are.
People are really nice, but it's just very boring in my opinion.

Also, I second the hills and the buses are so expensive although the price recently went down.

Boring as in nightlife or just in general?
Reply 8
Original post by SpringNicht
Hills. So many hills.

I guess I'll be working my leg muscles then!
Original post by Book_club
Boring as in nightlife or just in general?


In general. I think it's more suited to older people, there is not much to do for young people I think.
Reply 10
Original post by justmyself
In general. I think it's more suited to older people, there is not much to do for young people I think.


I totally disagree. Bristol is known for having brilliant nightlife, an amazing music and arts scene etc.
Original post by samleigh
I totally disagree. Bristol is known for having brilliant nightlife, an amazing music and arts scene etc.


That is why I said in general, the person asked me whether I mean the nightlife or in general, I answered in general.
Reply 12
Born in London. Did A-levels in Bristol. I prefer Bristol - you dont have to spend £25 a week on a travel card and can walk everywhere. The shopping is great and after about a week you will feel really confident in the city; I could walk confidently anywhere I want right now. The music scene is absolutely amazing and there are loads of places to just go for a £10 lunch or whatever. I have applied here to be a student, I seriously can't imagine a better student city.

One thing though... night clubs are pretty **** and seedy.
Original post by Book_club
Hiya, got my offer to study english at Bristol a couple of weeks ago now and after going to the open day it was probably my favourite university. I was wondering if anybody had any insight as to what it's really like to live and study in Bristol? Any info on the course as well would be great :smile: also, I am waiting to hear from warwick and kings so any views in those in comparison would be really helpful!! Thanks a lot :smile:


I'm a fresher doing English at Brizzle.

The course so far has been good. The library is lumped in with other arts and social sciences which I was concerned about at first, thinking it would be overcrowded, but it's fine and you can easily avoid crowds if you go in the evenings. It's well-stocked. Lectures have been of varying quality but frankly with English lectures are far less important than other subjects. The seminars and tutorials have been less good. Many of them have had only 2/3 students present which may sound good but discussion can run very dry, especially when you're being taught by fresh-faced PhD grads, as I have. I don't think this situation will be any markedly different from KCL or Warwick, though, and really you can either do English or you can't. English degrees are a bit of a con in that sense since you're basically paying for the right to sit exams and eventually get a degree. Nothing is taught in the way that A-Level was. The seminars and tutorials are supposed to help you write essays, for which you will be given a set of questions and asked to answer one (this term I have had 4 essays, 2 for each unit). If you didn't depend on spoon-feeding at A-Level and you're good enough to get into Bristol, you'll be fine. You aren't going to be doing medicine or physics: English is very much an independent person's degree and in my opinion 6 contact hours a week of fairly good teaching is actually much more than we need.

The course itself is a classic English course: the 1st year eases you into writing essays, critical issues, a bit of poetry and a bit of Shakespeare. The second and third work you up period by period. It is assessed in a mixture of exams and coursework. So far I have only done two units, poetry and critical issues, and both have set interesting essay questions which I have enjoyed tackling, and the resources you are given to help write them by your tutors are more than enough. Lots of critics to look up, complete lists of what books you need, what questions you should be asking yourself as you go etc. (these are really the important parts for English, I think)

Bristol's student support is absolutely fantastic. I've had experience both on the financial and pastoral support sides quite extensively and I doubt many other uni's can compare.

In terms of Bristol itself, you'll be based in Clifton mostly (entirely unless you live in Stoke Bishop) which is very pretty. There's very little tacky architecture around here; it ranges from palatial Georgian townhouses to beach-style multi-coloured terraces. Loads of restaurants, shops, pubs etc. Clifton suspension bridge is about 5 minutes away too which is a nice way of breaking the ice in freshers week. If you're the cycling/walking type you can go into North Somerset via the bridge and before you know it you're in the countryside. Cabot circus is about 10 minutes away from Clifton and has a lot of more mainstream shops/cinemas/restaurants etc. If you're the clubbing type Bristol is very well regarded for its night-life and music scene. Imagine London without the noise and unfriendliness, (Bristol is very friendly and even middle-class Clifton is diverse and tolerant of all kinds of characters), or a quiet provincial town without the lack of amenities. Many of us are seriously thinking about living here when we graduate it has left such a good impression.

It says a lot about the place that my biggest complaint is that it has lots of steep hills, as others have noted. Still, they're good fun to go down on a bike, especially at night :wink:

Original post by justmyself
Ugh, so boring.
The University area is quite posh and middle class, that part of the city is not so diverse but the other parts of Bristol are.
People are really nice, but it's just very boring in my opinion.


Ignore this (17-year old) person. The University does attract many privileged folk, but I have yet to encounter any supercilious characters that think they're too good for anyone else (perhaps the person I'm quoting is the first), and there are people from all kinds of backgrounds here with all kinds of interests. If they find Bristol boring, they either have unreasonably high expectations of their local attractions or they don't go out enough.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by justmyself
That is why I said in general, the person asked me whether I mean the nightlife or in general, I answered in general.


'In general', Bristol is one of the best cities in the UK. It was recently crowned the best place to live in the UK as well as the best city in Europe, for goodness sake. What specifically, 'in general', is your complaint?
Original post by Birkenhead
'In general', Bristol is one of the best cities in the UK. It was recently crowned the best place to live in the UK as well as the best city in Europe, for goodness sake. What specifically, 'in general', is your complaint?


Excuse me for not liking Bristol.
I find the city centre really small, it's horrible for shopping and you see people that you know everywhere or at least people that you're really familiar with.
Yes, it is relatively safe, but I find it boring. What's so wrong about that?
Also, people who are saying that it's diverse, it depends a lot on the area. Yes, if you go to St. Pauls, Easton and Barton hill, it is going to be diverse but if you go into areas like Ashton, Clifton and Redland, it is mostly white, middle class people. It isn't an issue for me as I have never lived anywhere diverse in the first place.

I have the right to not like Bristol, I'm more of a London type of person.

Ignore me if you want, but I'm just stating my opinion of Bristol.

People need to be more accepting of other people's opinion, it irritates me the whole "Oh, I love it, it has this and that, oh my God, it's won best city in Europe!". That does not necessarily mean I have to love it too.
Original post by justmyself
Excuse me for not liking Bristol.
I find the city centre really small, it's horrible for shopping and you see people that you know everywhere or at least people that you're really familiar with.
Yes, it is relatively safe, but I find it boring. What's so wrong about that?
Also, people who are saying that it's diverse, it depends a lot on the area. Yes, if you go to St. Pauls, Easton and Barton hill, it is going to be diverse but if you go into areas like Ashton, Clifton and Redland, it is mostly white, middle class people. It isn't an issue for me as I have never lived anywhere diverse in the first place.

I have the right to not like Bristol, I'm more of a London type of person.

Ignore me if you want, but I'm just stating my opinion of Bristol.

People need to be more accepting of other people's opinion, it irritates me the whole "Oh, I love it, it has this and that, oh my God, it's won best city in Europe!". That does not necessarily mean I have to love it too.


You absolutely have the right to your opinion. But your opinion is wrong, let's face it. You dislike Bristol because you see people you know around and there aren't enough blacks and Pakistanis? What is this ****? Does it matter what colour skin people have? As for not being good enough for shopping, have you been to Cabot circus? How many shops could you possibly need? I just don't think it's particularly helpful to the OP to say you find it boring because there aren't enough shops (when there definitely are for any average person) or as many ethnic minorities as you might like. If the OP is more of a London type person, by all means they should go to London. But frankly London is ****ing busy and expensive, especially for students, and Bristol is pretty much factually the best alternative within a 200 mile radius and the entirety of Southern England.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by Birkenhead
You absolutely have the right to your opinion. But your opinion is wrong, let's face it. You dislike Bristol because you see people you know around and there aren't enough blacks and Pakistanis? What is this ****? Does it matter what colour skin people have? As for not being good enough for shopping, have you been to Cabot circus? How many shops could you possibly need? I just don't think it's particularly helpful to the OP to say you find it boring because there aren't enough shops (when there definitely are for any average person) or as many ethnic minorities as you might like. If the OP is more of a London type person, by all means they should go to London. But frankly London is ****ing busy and expensive, especially for students, and Bristol is pretty much factually the best alternative within a 200 mile radius and the entirety of Southern England.



Did I say my issue was "there aren't enough blacks and Pakistanis"?
No.
Please read my post correctly.
My opinion is not wrong, liking a city is something subjective, you might love it, I don't. Get over yourself, not everyone is going to agree with you, you're being ridiculous.
Also, Bristol is not that cheap as well. Of course, it is cheaper than London, but getting around Bristol can be quite expensive.
I dislike it and nothing you're going to say it's going to change it.
Coming from a huge city, Bristol is like a small town to me.
I'm in no way saying it's a bad city, it is quite nice but dull.
Why are you so worked up about it?
It's a bloody city, good for you if you love it but for God's sake, forcing your opinion on others is not cool.
Reply 18
Original post by Hugby1
Born in London. Did A-levels in Bristol. I prefer Bristol - you dont have to spend £25 a week on a travel card and can walk everywhere. The shopping is great and after about a week you will feel really confident in the city; I could walk confidently anywhere I want right now. The music scene is absolutely amazing and there are loads of places to just go for a £10 lunch or whatever. I have applied here to be a student, I seriously can't imagine a better student city.

One thing though... night clubs are pretty **** and seedy.


This is a funny post.

1) U18s students get free bus travel in London. Also, students get discounts too. But regardless, you'd have had free bus travel pre A-Levels so I dunno what you are complaining about. Buses in Bristol are ****load expensive now. Luckily the city is small.

2) £10 for lunch? Lmao. You moan about expensive travel and can afford to have a £10 lunch? Dear God.

3) I don't know about the music scene but I agree, I've seen lots of places sell tickets for cheap. If you are interested in that, then this would be considered a good City.



Original post by Book_club
Did you go to the Uni? :smile: what was your course and accomodation like?


Yes, 4 years, accommodation was ok. Course doesn't matter and have any influence on what you think of a city.

Original post by Birkenhead


Ignore this (17-year old) person. The University does attract many privileged folk, but I have yet to encounter any supercilious characters that think they're too good for anyone else (perhaps the person I'm quoting is the first), and there are people from all kinds of backgrounds here with all kinds of interests. If they find Bristol boring, they either have unreasonably high expectations of their local attractions or they don't go out enough.




Bristol is full of supercilious folk and thats the honest truth. Believe that. Luckily, there are plenty of students that outweigh it, but still. But there are many upper class snotty people and you can tell, from people on your course, from just hearing peoples conversations as you go about your daily business. Bristol is pretty boring. Bristol has a zoo, a musuem and a big field. One or two parks but nothing of note. Consider London how many parks are in london, free museums and tourist attractions and you can understand why someone who was from London might find Bristol boring in comparison. What is good about Bristol is that despite it being a fairly large City, it still feels friendly and warm and I think this helps with the social life aspect, but it can be quite boring. I don't know about the nightlife, but if your social life (not you, but anyone) revolves around just drinking than thats quite dull isn't it? The cinemas are ****. Odeon has stupidly small screens and showcase just has a privaledged feel to it, the popcorn is too small to eat but I guess its a nice experience (just the popcorn bothers me ahahaha :P)

Lastly, people from all different backgrounds. No. Just No. I wish people would stop being politically correct. Bristol is quite diverse, but again, its not THAT diverse at all. What the above poster mentions is correct that some localised areas are very diverse, but even Gloucester Road was hilarious because of all the hype about how diverse it is and it really isn't. That isn't a negative, thats just an opinion of what I think.

Original post by Birkenhead
'In general', Bristol is one of the best cities in the UK. It was recently crowned the best place to live in the UK as well as the best city in Europe, for goodness sake. What specifically, 'in general', is your complaint?


He gave an opinion. Why are you so aggressive towards him?

Original post by Birkenhead
You absolutely have the right to your opinion. But your opinion is wrong, let's face it. You dislike Bristol because you see people you know around and there aren't enough blacks and Pakistanis? What is this ****? Does it matter what colour skin people have? As for not being good enough for shopping, have you been to Cabot circus? How many shops could you possibly need? I just don't think it's particularly helpful to the OP to say you find it boring because there aren't enough shops (when there definitely are for any average person) or as many ethnic minorities as you might like. If the OP is more of a London type person, by all means they should go to London. But frankly London is ****ing busy and expensive, especially for students, and Bristol is pretty much factually the best alternative within a 200 mile radius and the entirety of Southern England.


Nowhere did he say ANYTHING like that???

I have been to Cabot Circus many times, I lived five minutes away. It is always pretty busy, I wouldn't say its any more busy than London (Westfields Bush, Kensington, Eailing, Harrow). Granted London is busier in Knightsbridge and Oxford Circus, but seriously, most students it won't make a difference because they'd shop during off-peak times anyway I assume.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 19
What is all this chat about diversity? Does the ethnic make-up of a city really affect the city itself? :lolwut:

Anyway, I'd say Bristol is just as diverse as most cities in the UK, obviously we're not talking London levels but it's not like bloomin' Norfolk or something.

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