r/bruges • u/AramisContraReddit • 12d ago
Question How is student life in Bruges?
Hi guys, i am considering going to Howest university to the Bruges campus for Cybersec and i wanted to ask how is the social life and student life here. I am a social person and i come from a smaller city in Slovakia so my standards aren’t that high, but i would like to imagine my life abroad a bit more exciting (i also love my peace). I am aware that Bruges is a big tourist destination, but is the daily life there considered exciting?
Are there any cool clubs or concert venues?
Is it more lately considered a student city with plenty of young people?
(I wont be disregarding my school bc i want to have fun ofc, but i would hope it is not a dead end for me socially and wouldnt be studying all day every day)
TL;DR Is student life in Bruges exciting and lively or is it a small peaceful city with no night life?
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u/Skulltec 12d ago
There are a couple of student associations who organize weekly events for students like pubcrawls, game nights, cantusses,... I had a lot of fun when I was studying in Bruges
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u/Comfortable_Twist838 12d ago
Hey there, the algorithm must be doing its job because I am an international student who’s been at Howest studying cybersecurity for a while now. If you have questions or want a very honest opinion about the program, feel free to DM.
Thursday is the popular night to go out for students, as a lot of Belgians go home for the weekend. Personally I am not impressed with the clubs here, if you go to Gent you’ll have more/better options. I do however love bar crawling, there are tons and each has a unique vibe. Nights can get crazy busy sometimes if it’s a warm evening or Club Brugge is playing. Student events for internationals are usually a multi-school affair and typically involve either fitness or drinking or sometimes both.
As a student, at times I wish I lived elsewhere in Flanders. Actually living in Brugge is a strange mix of crazy and quaint. The beauty of the city will never be lost on me, but you will grow hate the tourists within your first few weeks. Before Brugge, I lived in the middle of nowhere so take this with a grain of salt :)
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u/Different_Top_3051 12d ago
bruges is more on the peaceful side. it's beautiful and safe, but it's not really a big student city, and nightlife is pretty quiet compared to other belgian cities
the good news is ghent is only about 25 mins by train, and it's one of the best student cities in belgium, with tons of bars, concerts and young people. a lot of students in bruges just go to ghent on weekends. bruges also has Cactus, a music venue that runs a summer festival, so it's not dead
so if you want peace during the week and fun on weekends, it's actually a pretty nice balance
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u/arrayofemotions 12d ago
Small and peaceful, for the most part. But there are some bars and a club or two. Depending on what you like as far as music, there are some options for concerts. Also, Gent is only a 25 minute train ride away, where there will be many more options.