Is Bristol Uni actually too posh

I've applied to Bristol to study Civil Engineering and I'll probably get an offer, I haven't applied to Cambridge and below that on league tables etc seems to be Bristol, I really liked the city and course when I went to visit but since then I've had loads of people telling me I shouldn't go because the people there are all basically posh idiots. I already know quite a few 'posh people' (public school, big house etc) but I don't want to spend my time at uni so surrounded by them that it's all I know, if that makes sense. But I also don't want to have to make a conscious effort to avoid these people, I still want to have a good and fun time so don't want to have to exclude myself from everyone. Can anyone who knows give me a hand?

Reply 1

cheesecakelove

20

Original post by hon444

I've applied to Bristol to study Civil Engineering and I'll probably get an offer, I haven't applied to Cambridge and below that on league tables etc seems to be Bristol, I really liked the city and course when I went to visit but since then I've had loads of people telling me I shouldn't go because the people there are all basically posh idiots. I already know quite a few 'posh people' (public school, big house etc) but I don't want to spend my time at uni so surrounded by them that it's all I know, if that makes sense. But I also don't want to have to make a conscious effort to avoid these people, I still want to have a good and fun time so don't want to have to exclude myself from everyone. Can anyone who knows give me a hand?

Bristol has a mix of students from different backgrounds, so don't let what you have heard put you off. Even if you do encounter "posh people", don't go out of your way to avoid them - you may find that you could become good friends with them! Go into university with an open mind in terms of meeting people.

Reply 2

Welshvisitor

20

Original post by hon444

I've applied to Bristol to study Civil Engineering and I'll probably get an offer, I haven't applied to Cambridge and below that on league tables etc seems to be Bristol, I really liked the city and course when I went to visit but since then I've had loads of people telling me I shouldn't go because the people there are all basically posh idiots. I already know quite a few 'posh people' (public school, big house etc) but I don't want to spend my time at uni so surrounded by them that it's all I know, if that makes sense. But I also don't want to have to make a conscious effort to avoid these people, I still want to have a good and fun time so don't want to have to exclude myself from everyone. Can anyone who knows give me a hand?

Choose the cheapest halls. The post don’t. Your course peers will be a fair amount of posh tw*ts and others who just aren’t.

Reply 3

Sinnoh

22

Hang on, what exactly are you expecting?

Reply 4

hon444

OP

6

Original post by Sinnoh

Hang on, what exactly are you expecting

I don't really know, I've just noticed that when I tell people I want to go to Bristol their first reaction is usually 'oh it's really posh there', and someone told me it can be really alienating, but I'd of course go in with an open mind and I know everyone has different experiences (I also know that someone's background doesn't define who they are, just sort of wanted to get away from it a bit).

Reply 5

Sinnoh

22

Original post by hon444

I don't really know, I've just noticed that when I tell people I want to go to Bristol their first reaction is usually 'oh it's really posh there', and someone told me it can be really alienating, but I'd of course go in with an open mind and I know everyone has different experiences (I also know that someone's background doesn't define who they are, just sort of wanted to get away from it a bit).

I think usually when people call a uni posh, they're using the proportion of private school students there as a proxy. With Bristol it's about two-thirds of undergrads coming from state schools. Yeah that's quite low compared to national averages but probably more than what people expect.

Reply 6

bones-mccoy

19

I studied at UWE rather than Bristol but still had a great time living there for 3 years, in fact Bristol is still my favourite city and I prefer it to my home city. I would really recommend going in with an open mind, it's pointless trying to judge a place before even living there.