Coming to university, one of my biggest fears was the worry of finding friends, being able to fit in and generally just feeling comfortable with my surroundings.
Although Bournemouth University is a relatively small university compared to others, I believe this makes for a tighter knit community. When walking around a university twice the size, bumping into your next door neighbour or friends from other courses can be a rare moment, however at Bournemouth, I find myself constantly stopping and quickly catching up with friends before and after lectures.
Your lecturers aren’t shy to stop and have a chat either. They are often more than happy to quickly advise you on that assignment you’re struggling with if you’re passing them by, or even stop just for a quick catch up. One thing I’ve really noticed at BU, is that many lecturers make themselves approachable, so you can connect with them and feel comfortable with just having a catch up.
The construction of the Student Centre in 2015 has allowed students working in groups and friends to be able to come together and work in a bright, open plan and spacious environment. Their comfy chairs and views of the whole university make for an enjoyable working environment and there is a general positive vibe encircling the building which can make a change from the sometimes stressed and hectic periods of the library. During exam times, free hot drinks, pot noodles and colouring has also been offered, which I personally have used to my advantage within the past few months.
I’ve lost count of the number of clubs and societies Bournemouth has to offer. When you first join university, you want to throw yourself into anything that interests you or may have always wanted to try out. I attended the first cheerleading try outs and discovered cheerleading definitely wasn’t for me. However, I still got involved on the day and made friends instantly as I bonded with those who were equally as bad at dancing as me.
Clubs and societies include pretty much any sport you can think of including hockey, football and rugby and these all contribute to the community life at BU. Each normally has a designated night out in the week where they celebrate or commiserate wins and losses or just let their hair down after training hard in the week. Hint: You can normally spot them in Cameo in some hilarious fancy dress on a Wednesday night. The societies are also ridiculously varied, from the wine society for those who are rather partial to and appreciative of a glass of wine or the Disney society who I’m guessing come together to watch and appreciate every Disney film out there. There are so many to choose from, you are sure to find friends you have at least one thing in common with!
From personal experience and talking to friends at Bournemouth University, there is an agreement that there is a lively buzz throughout the uni and that students and staff bring a positive atmosphere, making those more stressful or more down days just that little bit more bearable.
By Bethany Bristow
