final decisions by wednesday ! bath vs bristol Biochemistry 🥲

The placement year at Bath may be useful. Although you possibly could ask about adding a placement year at Bristol after joining. For me, the main difference (apart from the degrees) is that Bristol is immersed at the heart of the city, whereas Bath is of course a separate campus a short bus ride away.
This is a personal choice of course. It also depends what you are planning on doing with your degree. For some the BSc may be more useful, and for others the Bath alternative as in your message. Overall prestige there is little difference.

This is a tough one. In the end, it’s a personal choice. Think about what you’ll do after your degree and the opportunities available

Thanks for your help I agree that I just have to pick between both worlds but it’s so frustrating to do😣 I was wondering if you knew anything about the placement support at Bristol (assuming you’re involved there in some way)? I want to get my biochemistry degree for a job in that field and at bristol I think i can just turn it into a Masters degree once there, so the placement is the only thing separating the course right now 🥲

Sorry, I don't know for sure re adding a placement year. If you don't have one, then go for summer internship(s).
Good luck. They are both good unis.

my situation:
someone please help me 😣 I have until wednesday (currently monday) to change my firm offer of Durham (Bsc in biological sciences ABB) to Bristol (Bsc biochemistry ABB) or Bath (Masters in biochem with placement year BBB) which I can’t choose between. I want to change this because I would just prefer to be around civilisation and I only chose it because of the prestige in the first place.
about me:
Hi i’m Yasmin. I climbing and love running and playing volleyball in a team. I am quite alternative in nature (rock, indie etc) and the only thing I do where i live (nottingham) when i go to town in the day is visit these types of shops or go out for something to eat. When i go out I mainly go to pubs or bars or occasionally clubbing. I’m from a working class background if thats important.
why bath:
mainly the sports training village and the emphasis on sports. also, the fact that there are beach volleyball courts. i would get a higher bursary (around £2500) but could apply to get into the gold bursary for £5000. id prefer to live in malborough court. I also think it would give me better job prospects as it has a strong emphasis on placements. the campus uni is nice to have. I am just worried about not fitting in or having much to do that appeals to me.
why bristol:
the biochemistry course is regarded also. the city is just amazing and i can see myself living and enjoying there and feeling as if i fit in. i feel as if i’d have more options for going out and wouldn’t end up being bored. they also have volleyball and actually have climbing too. i’m a bit unsure about their level of help with the placements in industry and this is the main selling point of bath to me as i want a career straight after uni / masters. i also don’t know if there’s as many lovely green spaces as bath and they give me a lower bursary (£1500). id be hoping to stay in either the university hall, goldney hall or durham hall.
I have also posted on the bristol forum. I really hope someone can put some sense into me. i have visited both of these and they both appeal to different parts of me. bath is slightly better for biochemistry i believe and so if it is better for my career then i’d go there (as what i thought with durham) and i just want to know which one to pick from an outsider, non spiralling point of view. thankyou so much

hiya, i go to bath uni a lot due to the sports clubs on offer. the facilities are really amazing and so is the campus, however a lot of my friends who go to uni there often mention going out and such as routine and it does not sound as fun! i don't think you should be worried about fitting in however, as the people there are incredibly friendly and from an outside perspective it looks very sociable, and everyone is incredibly supportive in terms of academics! i can't say very much about bristol other than the city is amazing as there is so much to do, but you could oppose that with bath being absolutely beautiful with regards to outdoor areas sorry if that wasn't much help!

this eases my worries a little bit thank you 🙏 i think i can come to accept that if i went to bath uni i wouldn’t have as much fun in terms of going out but ultimately it’s the choice of friends I make that will determine my overall happiness and it’s reassuring to know about the friendly atmosphere . now it’s just deciding what i value more 😣 nature or going out hahaha

Hi Yasoba,
You've already had some great advice and I agree that it is a tough decision - ultimately you need to prioritise your own needs and interests in terms of your course, the setting and the social life - you are the best judge of what is best for you.
Top tip: Bath does have plenty of nice pubs, and a few nightclubs/cocktail bars, independent coffee houses etc, but something a lot of Bath students do is actually go to Bristol on the bus for a day/night out as its only a half an hour bus ride away - the bus station is right in the centre of Bath and a return to Bristol currently costs just under a fiver if you tap on and tap off with your card or buy them on the FirstBus app. Its something to think about if you were worried about missing out on nightlife. Equally if you decided on Bristol but wanted to visit somewhere a bit more chilled out with more green spaces and pretty architecture to see then you could do the same and come to Bath for the afternoon!
I hope this helps and best of luck with your decision 🙂
University of Bath

Hiya, that makes complete sense and eases my worries! I’ve just evaluated all of the different courses and lifestyles and i’ve decided that Bath is the best option for my interests and also I can get the best of both worlds (nature and night life with a visit to bristol) if i go there I’d love to go to Bath and I think i’ve made my decision. Thankyou !