The official A-Z for University of Birmingham students

With the new 2025 it was only appropriate to bring the official A-Z for the University of Birmingham. Not only are these cherished by all University of Birmingham students, some bring trauma. Not only am I talking about not making it to sports night due to a heavy pres, I’m talking 4:30pm shops at Aldi on a Sunday. This list is truly the only thing you need to read if you’re preparing to come to the University of Birmingham, or are entering the dreaded second year!

A – Aldi

The haven for food shopping on a budget, Selly Oak Aldi is the place to go for all your pesto pasta needs. Expect to see queues looping the store, everything you could ever want in the middle aisle, and everyone you really do not want to see hungover looking for a sweet treat.

B – Bristol Road

Selly’s official high street. Bristol Road is home to a plethora of pubs, thousands of take-aways, and one of the UK’s booming vape economies. Whatever you need, Bristol Road has you covered.

C – Circo

Are you really a Birmingham University student if you don’t spend your Mondays and Fridays queuing to get into Circo? You may be shivering in the mile-long queue but once you’re on that packed and sweaty dance-floor, you will be running down those stairs into the safety of the smoking area begging for a ciggy.

D – Dilshad’s

As Birmingham is home to the balti, it’s no surprise that Selly has its own sample of Indian cuisine. Catering for the student budget with their prices and with a bring your own booze initiative; it’s a win-win.

E – Early Nights

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F – Fab n Fresh

Missed out on Sports Night tickets again? No worries, Fab n Fresh has your back alongside helping to sort all of Selly’s safety, housing, and missing items. You’ll see various personalities on this group chat begging for housing, guild tickets or telling you of dodgy men lurking around Smelly Oak. Fab it, fresh it, sorted.

G – Guild

With iconic venues like Joe’s Bar and Underground, the Guild is an integral part of any Birmingham uni student’s life. Nevertheless, exploring the Guild in the day is like a maze. I would not be surprised if someone spent their entire degree still searching for a society room.

H – Heidi’s

Gone but never forgotten Heidi’s 🙁

Or should I say Barbara’s now? It’s safe to say the rebrand of Heidi’s came as a shock to all. The thought of all the freshers knowing it as Barbara’s is enough to bring a tear to my eye. Don’t worry guys I will be chaining myself to the smoking area as a silent protest to change it back.

I – Indie Lounge

Indie Lounge is not only the go-to venue for music societies to perform, it also offers karaoke for those of us brave enough, or drunk enough, to sing our hearts out.

J – Joe

The main man in all of our lives, Old Joe is an icon to all Birmingham University students and a recurring feature of our camera rolls. Whilst this clock is permanently under maintenance, it will always have my heart.

L – Library

During assignment season, the library resembles more of a game of musical chairs than a productive space. Those fortunate enough to find a seat are then forced to leave their entire apple eco-system behind whenever a well deserved iced coffee is needed to stop them falling asleep.

M – Muirhead Tower

While some take issue with the aesthetics of Muirhead Tower, I think the Starbucks and view win it back, mainly because the view doesn’t have Muirhead Tower in it. Nevertheless, I think Muirhead deserves better on a campus where the Biosciences Building exists.

N – Nine AMs

Attended by only the bravest soldiers. Whoever decided 9am was a reasonable time to schedule lectures and seminars, needs to attend one themselves. Shoutout to those who attend their Thursday 9ams after attending sports night, I applaud you.

O – Oakman’s

As soon as October hits, the Oakman’s car can be seen driving freshers round the back streets of Selly Oak. It’s the first sign that Christmas is coming and the Fab n Fresh posts of people demanding housemates begins.

P – Pubs

The alternative to clubs for second and third years, who have realised going clubbing every weekday is perhaps not feasible anymore. The Selly Oak pubs can be found crammed with students scanning their MiXR apps for cheaper pints.

Q – Quiz Nights

Despite never winning one in my life, I remain hopeful that one day will be my day. Still quiz nights remain a great excuse to meet up with friends, have some drinks, and get questions related to your degree completely wrong.

R – Rosie’s

VodBull celeb.

With three rooms of music, Rosie’s has music to cater to everyone, my favourite is the retro room. I may never forgive them for charging me £11.50 for a drink though.

S – Sports Night

The best justification for mid-week drinking: Sports Night. From running round Selly Oak dressed as an alien to doing a boat race as a princess, no two sports nights are the same. Why some people walk around with fish sauce all over them I have no idea.

T – Teaching and Learning Stairs

The bane of everyone’s existence and the subject of much debate about how to approach them, the Teaching and Learning stairs are enough to get olympians out of breath. Do I do a large lunge and look like an idiot, or look dainty by doing two little hops? The answer is take the lift.

U – University Superstore

An integral part of Bristol Road’s vape economy, University Superstore also is the go-to for those pesky Sports Night shopping lists.

V – Vale

RIP my tennis court room x

Housing the majority of freshers, everyone feels a sense of loyalty to their accommodation. I still cannot believe that there are new people living in my first year Tennis Court flat.

W – Wetherspoons

The iconic starting point of most societies’ bar crawls and where you can buy an English breakfast for cheaper than you can make it. Spoons is the place to go no matter the time of day.

X – X22

The iconic bus herding all the Vale freshers to town and back again deserves some praise for its service. Is it still £1 for all uni students who show their card, who knows as I just use Selly Oak train station. Not so fun when you’re stranded at the bus stop in the rain waiting for two to come at once.

Y – Yakinori

Another core feature of Bristol Road, Yakinori is a great alternative to those who like Yo! Sushi and Wagamama.

Z – Zoo

Did you know Selly has its own zoo? Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park houses meerkats, lemurs, pandas, and monkeys to name a few. If you’re ever hungover and need to reconnect with nature, this is the perfect cheap place to go to show there is a world outside of Broad Street.