30,887 discussions, 145 guides
Bournemouth University
30,887 discussions, 145 guides
Bournemouth University
Bournemouth University
Talbot Campus
Fern Barrow
Poole
BH12 5BB
Tel: (01202) 524 111
1976
Nerve Radio
The University radio station used to run for two months per year on an FM licence, as is mostly the case with student radio stations. Searching for a more permanent option has been difficult but the station now piggybacks on the TV channel and broadcasts through that when programmes are not showing. It is also available in the union and over the internet. Given that all students union media is linked now the whole package is pretty attractive to sponsors and indeed students looking to bolster their CVs. Run by students, the station plays mostly modern and popular tunes and has attracted quite a following.
Nerve Magazine
This is a fortnightly magazine that has a mainly news rather than political agenda. It's full of what's going on in and around campus and includes listings for the campus TV station. On the whole it is not a great newspaper, but it's a good attempt.
Student Press
This newspaper is not part of Bournemouth Students' Union, but has a high student readership. Despite its very left wing approach to things, it does have some very interesting articles (most noteably the travel section), and reguarly features a student page three girl (though not topless!).
Nerve TV
The campus TV channel is an award-showered affair. It is used for much the same purpose as the other Nerve media outlets, a platform for involvement, experience and expression and and is open to advertising. Given that Bournemouth has one of the best media schools in the country, it might well be worth watching for future stars!
Stuart Miles - Presenter of Blue Peter
Other than this Bournemouth can't boast any major figures.
The Old Fire Station serves as the union's building for major social functions. It's not just a strange name, it actually used to be the town's main fire station, although now its residents only witness a disco inferno (Christ that was a terrible joke). It pumps out the usual student mix of cheese and dance but is lifted above monotony by its interesting layout and decor as well as some great guests. The well drilled Ents team are also able to boast Ministry of Sound DJs on most Fridays.
The Old Fire Station is located very near the train station, some way from the main campus. On the main site you will find the bars very relaxed and comfortable. Dylan's, is very popular for breakfasts and, during the daytime, for simple student fayre. D2 is a little more adventurous and serves pretty good Italian and Spanish dishes. The drinks are unusually inexpensive, which you can see as a blessing or a curse! One big advantage is that the bars don't seem to mind if you bring your own food in. Back in town there's also Bar Heat a wannabee stylish coffee bar, wannabee and actually is really.
There are function nights all week, Monday being the pick of the bunch with Happy Monday at The Fire Station. Themes change on a weekly basis but you can always count on a mix of cheese, house, garage and general chart music. The big advantage of Bournemouth though is the town itself. Check out the Local Area page for more information.
There are all the usual balls: Fresher's, Halloween, Christmas, Rag and Summer. The University goes all out for the summer ball and last year it was held some way out of town, at the airport (not a wise move methinks!) There were three huge tents with a capacity of 1000, each with their own DJs and music policy. There was also a funfair (free) and a range of other entertainments.
A large number of people go in fancy dress, which makes for some fun, as at 6am a fleet of buses take people down to the beach for the survivor's photo, passing through town on the way!
There are clubs and societies for virtually every interest. Sports clubs have a social presence but far less than at other unis.
The University is unlikely to win any major awards as it has a policy of scheduling lectures on Wednesday afternoons, the traditional slot for sports activities at other Universities.
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The University provides probably the most varied accommodation of any. There's the Student Village on the main Talbot Campus. These on campus houses are clean and comfortable, as they should be for their age. Lounge and bathroom facilities are shared between 3-7 people. Common complaints about the student village are that it is too far away and lacks social cohesion. Although this is purely subjective, one student suggested that those living at the student village seem to end up spending time with people they know from school who are at Bournemouth as well. Cranbourne House is a new block of flats with facilties shared between 6-8 and dominates the 'office block' skyline of what is the town's main business district. When built though, the University suffered the embarassment of having the roof blown off in a storm meaning that many students arrived at Bournemouth to find that they didn't have a place to live! It's definitely the most sociable hall but lacks a bar. Maybe some of the dead space could be turned into a social area and/or gym? Whatever the case, you are right in town and so minutes away from all of the town's bars and clubs and literally seconds away from The Old Fire Station. This hall was also the site of one of the best juvenile capers I have ever heard of. A group of Bournemouth students walked a few miles out of town and led a cow back into the centre down the by-pass unchallenged. They then left it in the lift with a bale of hay and pressed the alarm. In addition to these halls there is: Hurn House - Modernish corridor style hall, self-catered, 18 rooms per floor with a top location. Glenfern House - Privately owned and managed block of single rooms. Not 'near' a major nightclub as the uni says but 'on top of'. The location couldn't be better, right in the heart of the party district. But expect noise and a doorway cluttered with whatever happened last night. In our opinion it's a bit too loud for comfort. For all those not in halls, the university works in partnership with priavte landlords and many of the town's hotels and guest houses to find accommodation. This is called UNILET and your contract is secured with and managed by the university. It can be somewhat of a lottery as there are far-fetched tales of everything from students being allocated Hotel Crappo-Rat-Infesto to a suite at one of the town's best 4 star hotels. A pinch of salt definitely wouldn't go amiss here.
In the private sector there are plenty of reasonably priced houses around the Winton and Charminster areas of town. The town centre can be expensive but given the size of Bournemouth you are really never more than half an hour's walk from anything. Avoid anything around Wootton Gardens and Derby Road, despite the attractive prices! A copy of the local paper The Daily Echo will probably come in handy for finding accommodation. Other than that get involved in sports clubs. Many houses are passed down the years this way.
Bournemouth is a modern, cosmopolitan and vibrant town. The university site is around 25mins walk or 5 mins bus ride from the compact town centre. Here you will find two major cinemas, the Pavillion Theatre and many of the town's excellent bars and clubs. (The town prides itself on having more pubs and clubs than London's West End) On the whole the atmosphere is friendly and the town heaves with tourists in the summer. Although most places are generally just fun, a pretentious attitude creeps in occasionally which can spoil things a bit. Also the town is a huge draw for hen and stag nights. It's an easy lay but doesn't boost the class factor that much. Maybe I'm just getting old but I find myself agreeing with people in the library that the town has gone downhill a bit. Tends to be just a bit too much chavery going on. Nowhere near as bad as other places but worth bearing in mind.
Popular drinking haunts are the local Weatherspoon, called The Moon in the Square, Casa, Bliss and Toko. The latter three of these are urban style bars with hardwood floors and dressy clientele. Bliss and Toko open until 1am on the weekends and the queue to get in starts at about 8pm in the summer and gets ridiculous. All for the sake of drinking with the beautiful people... Slightly more earthy is O'Neills, another one open until 1am. There are stacks and stacks of other good bars and pubs with regular licences within striking distance of the town centre so take the time to check them all out.
The town square itself has been recently redeveloped with an attractive Mediteranean feel. (lots of light coloured stone and palm trees) The only down side is that the council in their wisdom put tacky merry-go-rounds and ye olde funfayre style crap in this space which seems pretty out of place. The square is the focal point of the town and is the axis of Bournemouth's two halves. The Eastern end of the town is busier, with a huge range of shops, bars and cafés. The Students' Union and the town centre's biggest club can be found here. Elements provides reasonable if a little samey entertainment. Next door and all part of the same complex is Disco Fever, a formulaic club with 70's music straight off a CD you could buy in petrol station. Drinks are reasonable in both. The problem is that if you want to stay in the town centre and aren't that adventurous club-wise this is where you will end up every week. Berlins is another nightspot in town. It used to be a complete dive but has come up in the quality stakes lately. In terms of smaller clubs there are plenty but all are a bit hit and miss. Going a little further afield to Boscombe, where loads of students live, you will find The Ballrooms. This is a massive dance club and replaced The Opera House which was one of the biggest and best clubs in England.
The West end of town is quieter and has some popular chain stores such as JJB Sports and Dixons, and the town's main gay area. There's also a great real ale pub called The Goat and Trycicle if you're a physics postgrad. After all that fun you'll be pleased to know that Bournemouth has a fine array of kebab shops and late night eateries. The main road through town, Old Christchurch Rd is the best hunting ground when nothing but a large lamb doner will do. Stay off the yoghurt sauce though, I used to live there and my mate Olly flicked over £3 in coppers into the bowl in one place.
There is some parking at the University campus and some limited spaces around halls. This is all permit-based and, given the high levels of car ownership, not really adequate. You should have no trouble finding parking in the town centre, but it is costly and really not worth it given that Bournemouth is a small town and has an excellent bus service. (The only one left in state ownership in England) The uni being difficult to get to in a car was cited as a big advantage by a many of the students we talked to. Parking around Cranborne House is tough as you are in direct competition with office workers.
A branch of Barclays Bank can be found on the main campus and there are all of the major banks close by.
Top marks to Bournemouth here. Both the University and the the town provide very well for disabled students. A dedicated disablility co-ordinator highlights the University's commitment to an equal footing for all. Specially adapted accommodation is available on the main campus and the town bus company, Yellow Buses, have a fleet of kneeling buses on most routes making access much easier for wheelchair users. Basicallyunofficial-guides.com has yet to find a university or town so well adapted. Well done!
The main campus has a branch of STA travel, a bookshop and a mini-supermarket. They have good opening hours. The student village, within spitting distance, has another larger shop and there is a Sainsbury's not far away in Wallisdown.
A branch of Waterstones serves the main campus and there are a couple of sizeable and well-stocked bookshops in the town.
A sports user card costing £10 gives you access to an excellent range of facilities including a gym, climbing wall, squash courts, badminton, an all weather pitch and floodlit astro. There is also a Sports hall and ICCAS sports centre. There is nothing for the students based in town though. Sports teams do OK but not spectacularly, this is not a sportspersons uni. Events occur but they aren't well promoted. On the whole it seems that organisation is lacking.
A bus service runs between the town centre and the university but is a real source of anger. It's supposed to come every half an hour but is frequently late and often too full. Although it's a simple walk to uni it is quite a way and it means that students in halls in town can't really on it. This creates an attitude of 'well if they can't be bothered to lay on decent transport I can't be bothered to go.' This is rather obviously bad. Without resorting to a car a bike or rollerblades are a good option.
The University is set in a large area of green space at Talbot Heath. There are numerous parks and gardens that run all the way through the town along the river and are very well looked after. One of these was recently renamed due to the fact that the council thought 'The Lower Pleasure Gardens' was an unacceptable name. Given the rampant debauchery of Bournemouth students I can't think why! Aside from this there is the beach within walking distance.
Bournemouth has two libraries which together contain 185,000 books, to be reasonably precise. This really isn't a great deal given the size of the University. The main municipal library in town gets considerable use by students. There are 1,200 study places on the main campus.
1,000 computers are available but taking into account the opinions of students we met, this is not enough and competition is high. Free Internet access and a college e-mail account are provided though.
A medical centre on the main campus deals with all your gripes and complaints. A team of doctors and nurses is always on hand. In a move that highlights how commercially-minded Bournemouth is, all counselling services are contracted out to the local authority. One student we talked to who was having problems settling in at Bournemouth said that the counselling service was open and very helpful and offered him all options such as transfers to unis closer to home and didn't just try to persuade him to stay at Bournemouth. This was great from his point of view.
