30,823 discussions, 145 guides
University of the West of England, Bristol
30,823 discussions, 145 guides
University of the West of England, Bristol
University of the West of England
Frenchay Campus
Coldharbour Lane
Bristol
BS16 1QY
Tel: (0117) 965 6261
1969
Westworld
This is the main Student Union publication. Published monthly, it is a magazine format with student related articles and several good features on what is coming up in national student politics. Westworld reflects the 'independent political' nature of the Students Union, which is actively involved in national student issues. It also won two national student media awards from the Guardian and the Independent.
Western Eye
Out every two weeks it is delivered to halls. Some campuses also have their own newsletters - run by students.
Ian Cognito - Comedian
David Hempleman-Adams - Explorer
Dawn Primarolo - MP (Labour)
Jack Russell - Cricketer
The Students Union run bars on all but one of the university sites. However, as most students live in Bristol city centre, and commute to the university daily, the social emphasis tends to be on daytime bars. The largest one is Escape at the Frenchay, which also has a small outdoor area for those long, hot, summer days!!
Unfortunately, UWE (u-eee) is spread around Bristol on 4 sites, the main one, Frenchay, being five miles from the city centre. To add to this, most students (aside from a small number in halls) live in the city. As a result the Union does not have the best social facilties, or organised functions. There is no Union nightclub, for example.
Functions take place at a variety of venues, about 3 to 5 times a week. The busiest night is Crunchie on Friday at Frenchay campus. However, most students start at the Union (perhaps after lectures) and move onto the city centre.
The first big social occasion of the year is Freshers Week, including Freshers Fayre, which is claimed to be the largest in the country dealing with 15,000 students in 6 hours!! At Christmas the Students Union hosts the Snow Ball, and 1800 students help spread the Christmas flu with the help of a little mistletoe! Clubs and societies also organise formal functions throughout the year, especially at Christmas.
There is a strong clubs and societies alter-life at UWE. Sports teams tend to socialise more than they play sports, and there are academic, religious and other groups for virtually all interests. Political societies are well attended.
Westworld, the UWE students union official magazine, won two national student media awards from the Guardian and the Independent. Bowerhouse a student magazine, won the Guardian Media Award for Best Design.
Volleyball league champions (captain Matt Parris, England International); Men's Rugby 2nd league champions; American Football South West champions.
70
Only 70% of first years can be accommodated, in a mixture of halls, University owned houses and flats around the town. All those who confirm by 1st July are given accommodation. Glenside and St. Matthias campuses both have halls, as does the so-called student village at Frenchay. Frenchay is usually preferred, as the others can have an "island" feel about them, being so far away from the main campus.
The standard of the halls of residence is quite good, but the service from the university is described as non-existent! There is also some tension between the Students' Union and the University regarding the price of halls. Fees have risen an average of £510 per annum for the last four years, a lot more than student loans have risen.
For the majority of non-first year students the city is the popular choice, and also where most of the social life is. However, it isn't so good for getting to your 9am lectures. The best places to look for accommodation are in Clifton or Redlands, where there are large Georgian houses. Corn Street near the city centre also has a fair few students. St. Paul's is a dump, and best avoided.
Bristol has a lot to offer socially, and as a result it attracts a lot of the Students' Unions potential custom. Since UWE students tend to live near the centre of town, they like to socialise there as well. The Strip on Whiteladies Road is a popular place to start when looking for a drinking establishment. The Roo Bar is an Australian theme bar, near the station (watch out for the numerous bras hanging from the ceiling above the bar!!), and Henry J Beans is very popular. For the cool, stylish set there is Browns.
For clubs, unofficial-guides.com would recommend Po-na-na-s. However, some may not like its Sloane appeal. Otherwise there are small clubs all over town. For cinema and theatre goers, there are plenty of places to keep you busy, including the Old Vic, the country's oldest working theatre!
As for Bristols placement relative to the rest of the country, Wales is only a few miles away. London is 111 miles east down the M4, and the M5 is good for getting to the north.
The relationship with the locals is improving, and the notorious tension between UWE and University of Bristol students is fairly limited. Bear in mind though that Bristol Uni has a very high proportion of public school students and an above average level of wealth. There is an exclusive student 'A' list in many bars and clubs on certain nights. It's good to know that the sort of people who organise this are going to be running the country in a few years time isn't it?
The parking situation at the university is pretty dire. There are 2000 spaces available for 15,000 students! However, the university recently tried to rectify the problem by building a car park on the netball courts something that they have even less of! They have also e-mailed us to say that the parking is ONLY bad at Frenchay - student opinion on this is split.
Driving in Bristol can be quite slow, especially getting in or out of town, but generally parking is OK. However, many students living in Clifton and Redland complain that there isnt enough parking.
There is a branch of NatWest near the Students' Union at Frenchay, but it is worth remembering that the campus is quite remote (when on foot), so other banks are not easy to come by.
UWE tends to cater more for dyslexic students. Wheelchair mobility at the university is bad because of all the hills, the spread out campus, and the fact that there is no disabled accommodation. It is improving slowly.
There is a branch of Blackwells on the Frenchay campus, which also sells second hand books. There are bookshops all over town.
The sports facilities at UWE are limited, especially in comparison with the University of Bristol. They do have, however, a floodlit artificial pitch, 4 squash courts, a gym, two soccer pitches, and a cricket pitch.
Neither the University nor the Union run an internal transport system, though the SU would like to set one up. For now, most students get the bus (there is a bus station at Frenchay) into Bristol.
UWE own 40 acres of land near a business park, across the street from Frenchays. There may be plans to develop it into student Halls.
The library facilities are excellent. There is a library on each site, with books on the subjects studied there. The Bolland Library is apparently one of the best in the UK for Law.
The University has extensive computing facilities, dotted all around the main campuses, with over 1,600 PCs. Most are Pentium IIs. There is also 24 hour access, and free Internet and e-mail access.
The University's Centre for Student Affairs deals with emotional problems etc., while the Student Union's Advice Centre provides advice...as you could probably guess by the name. They also give out free condoms!!
