It’s spooky season, here’s five terrifying experiences every Bristol student can relate to

Let’s be honest, we’ve all experienced some hell and horror as Bristol students. Whether it’s trying to find an empty sofa on the ground floor of Senate, going to your 15th house viewing only to be rejected, or a simple 9am after a heavy one the night before, Bristol Uni is not for the faint-hearted.

The Bristol Housing Massacre

Sacrifice. Rising tensions. A (metaphorical) bloodbath. Sounds like the best horror movie ever, yes? No. It’s just the Bristol student housing market. Not only does it feel like a massacre deciding who to live with so early in the year (particularly between first and second year – freshers, stay strong), but the process of actually finding a house requires strength of mind, soul and stomach. A few house-viewing horrors I’m sure we’ve all borne witness to include thick ceiling mould, hairy bathrooms and basement kitchens with zero ventilation.

The Haunting of Senate House

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a senate house advocate. I love the place, but it isn’t without its horrifying aspects. Crucially, trying to find a seat that isn’t occupied by a stressed third year is a nightmare in itself, without their glares following you around. The real horror, however, is the ghosts. Thinking about going to your favourite study building to grab yourself an iced coffee without seeing your former situationship or a dating app match that ghosted you faster than Casper? Think again; they haunt that place.

Dawn of the Dead(end)

Navigating Bristol can sometimes feel as if you’re stuck in one of those psychological horror mazes where every way you turn looks the same. I’ll be honest, I still use Google Maps to get to my lectures. Also even when, or if, you make it to the lecture building, that’s not the end of the torment. In fact, if you’ve made it to the Arts Complex, that’s where the torment begins. Not only is it a matter of scrounging around in the depths of your bag for your U Card, but once you’re in the building you have to make a choice. Either crack the code of the incomprehensible bird’s eye view the Arts Complex mockingly displays of itself upon entry, or trust your instilled sense of direction. Unless you are a superior human, no matter what year you’re in this never gets any easier (sorry first years).

The Shining

Now… this could be a slightly more niche experience. Let me set the scene: It’s Wednesday evening, and you said you’d go for a couple of drinks at The Berkeley. No harm in that, right? Wrong. Before you know it, you’ve been dragged to OMG, you’ve splashed out on four-for-1o jaegers, and it feels as if the night is still young. That is until a shining light fills your vision, a shocking silence meets your eardrums, and you realise with a sinking feeling that could only be an odd combination of shame and pride: You made it to OMG close. Now it’s four in the morning and that’s not where the horror ends; the Donervan will have packed up an hour ago. No cheesy chips for you tonight.

Nightmare on Park Street

Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of hungover students like standing at the bottom of Park Street, looking up at the climb ahead of them. The fact it is even called Park Street and not Park Hill is a twisted joke that quite frankly could be a legal case of false advertisement. The chill that takes over as you round the corner from College Green to see the trial that awaits you can make any student’s blood run cold, especially with the risk of seeing someone you know when you’re red-faced and breathless. The only saving grace is the lovely view of the Wills Memorial building you can admire along the way.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Hate The Triangle? Here are five venues for an alternative night out in Bristol
•  Eight alternative spaces to study that have more vibes than the ASS
• A tried and tested guide on how to thrive as the only single one in your uni house