Hello, I hope you are well. My name is Erin and I am from Northern Ireland. This obviously makes my university experience in Bath slightly different to that of my friends who come from England so can drive to and from home. However, I love studying in Bath and couldn’t recommend it more! My aim for this blog post is to give you an insight into what it is like to be Northern Irish / from a different country, yet live and study at the University of Bath.
Bath is easily accessible by all forms of transport, especially by plane, road and train. There is a bus that runs regularly and frequently between Bath city centre and Bristol airport. This makes travel very simplistic as all you need to do is board the bus and it will take you directly to the airport in under an hour. In fact, I think my journey back to northern Ireland is quicker and simpler that several of my friends who drive to and from home in other parts of England.
You settle in really quickly. Yes, you may be from a different country but everyone is in the same position, in that they know few to no other people at the university either so are also trying to make friends. Being from Northern Ireland means that you already speak the same language as the majority of other students meaning you can have a conversation and get to know others. You could even teach them the meaning of the word “baltic”!
The city of Bath is very easy to get to know as it is not too big, in fact I reckon you can easily walk from one side to the other in around 90 minutes. Despite it not being huge the city of Bath is by no means boring or empty. Within the city there are countless cafes, restaurants, shops, museums and churches. Of course there are also must see sights, such as the Roman Baths, Bath Abbey, Pulteney Bridge, The Royal Crescent and The Circus. Your family certainly wont be bored if they come to visit!!
If you are concerned abut moving away from home, Bath is an ideal location due to it’s easy access of travel, meaning you can go home easily should you need or want to. Bath has also been voted the second safest city in the world, and Bath university has been ranked one of the safest universities in the UK in 2020 by the Complete University Guide. So there really is nothing to fear. You will love it once you get settled in, I am sure!
Bath also provides you with the hybrid of city, forest and river depending on where you would like to be. The university campus is located in the middle of the forest, yet the city centre is a two minute bus ride away! The River Avon flows through the city and there are various parks and green spaces that you can walk, picnic or work in. So, you really are spoilt for choice when it comes to location.
If you couldn’t tell by reading this post I couldn’t be more pleased with my decision to study in Bath. I have loved every minute of it and couldn’t recommend it more. So why not choose Bath and get to experience it for yourself?!
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