Tell me about Aberystwyth University

[AberCurious]

DS wants to read Geography at uni next year. On paper, Aberystwyth University looks good (the course content and the fact that it scores very highly for student satisfaction, and the actual geography department scores well against other geography departments across the country) - but I know literally nothing about it there apart from that it's a small seaside town a very long way from anywhere else! That said, we're in the W.Midlands so it is about the right distance from home for us.

What's the social life like there? Having grown up with Brum on his doorstep he is used to an urban environment and obvs Aberystwyth is not thatI He's sporty (rugby mainly, hence the appeal of Wales!) and likes socialising / drinking.

Standard offer is BBB (his school are predicting ABB), but I am wondering if he should try and stretch himself for a Russell Group Uni (even if the Geog department itself is not as strong as it is at Aberystwyth) or somewhere better known / more prestigious?

Trying to work out whether it's worth a visit to the open day this month and would be grateful for input from Mumsnetters who might know it or have DC there.

[Girasole02]

Hi. Also based in Midlands. My son wants to do Geography and went to Aberystwyth with college. Discounted it due to distance, the fact that the site was very hilly and lots of walking required to get from A to B (Welsh winters???) and he preferred other unis that are more varied in terms of fieldwork (lots done locally as it's on the coast)and just felt more comfortable at other unis we visited.
Best thing to do is visit and get a feel for it.

[ButchBitch]

A friend of mine studied at Aber.

She, like your son, grew up in a big city. She absolutely hated Aber after a few weeks because it's very small and feels very distant from anywhere with anything going on. Cardiff is about 80 miles away so it's not like you can just have a night or day out in a big city.

She'd done all the bars/clubs in the first couple of weeks and realised it was the same thing week-in-week-out in terms of what's on at night. So she stopped going out and was pretty bored.

I went to visit her a few times and I really didn't like it. It felt a bit like Royston Vesey to be honest. But it was beautiful.

I would always advise going for the RG unless students are doing a really specific course and looking for jobs in a very particular area. Doing geography and looking for normal (i.e. not hugely specialist) jobs, RG will be looked on far more favourably.

[AberCurious]

butchbitch thank you for that honest assessment.

Yet it scores so highly for student satisfaction? (The Times had it top for the last two years, and in second place this year) - the people who love it there must REALLY love it!

Thank you girasole02 too.

Anyone got a more favourable assessment?

[BubblesBuddy]

Student satisfaction can be a tiny number of grads responding. That’s also usually a teaching score too, not a social life score.

Ask yourself: would you really want to live there? If you don’t want much by way of entertainment and like the countryside, then it could be great. Otherwise think very hard: my DDs who love theatre, music and arts venues would have died of boredom.

Many of the geographers I know have gone on to be planners but with hugely varying careers. One of DDs friends is a food expert, (sourcing a specific item), one is working for a drilling company, and several are becoming Chartered surveyors. So all have done post grad qualifications. Therefore why not aim for higher tariff courses? Aberystwyth isn’t special. The people with excellent career prospects (and they are both well under 30) went to Nottingham. Others went to UCL, Manchester and other RGs.

I think ambition also makes a difference. What do you want to do with your degree? Doing a masters in a specific area also helps after a generalist degree.

[BubblesBuddy]

The Complete University Guide has Aberystwyth at 17. So plenty ranked above that she could aim for. It’s only at 71 in overall rankings so I would be concerned about that. It’s pretty low.

[Girasole02]

Coventry and Keele very impressive in terms of the staff we met and engaging course content.

[Hoghgyni]

Has he looked at Swansea? The Welsh universities are great for geography because of the wealth of opportunity for field trips. Swansea is a bit buzzier than Aber.

[BestIsWest]

DD and her DP both went to Aber although neither did geography and my niece is currently there in her final year. All have loved it although TBF none (maybe my neice) are party animals.

I would also maybe look at Swansea for geography too.

[Girasole02]

One thing that we have discovered is that in RG unis, first year undergraduates don't get near the tech eg drones as there's a pecking order to use them staff, phds, masters, final year etc. This is not the case elsewhere as less research is done. Lots of the course is conducted in lecture theatres in huge groups and is quite impersonal. We like the small group, out doing fieldwork approach and this is valued by employers in terms of transferable skills. In RG unis we have seen, personal tutors are less accessible as they travel overseas presenting research etc.
Even with an education background, we never considered any of this to be honest. Depends what is important to your child.

[happytoday73]

Keele is like Lancaster.. A campus out of town. Aber is very much part of the town. I preferred that.
It has a very strong long standing earth sciences/geography/env science Centre.
To be honest you need to go and look... It'll either grab them or they won't like it. Mountains near the sea really grabs many. Very few people go home at weekends unlike other campus options so great community.

[Swearwolf]

I didn't do geography and am a decade out, but I went to Aber. I think you need to visit! I knew I wanted to go there the second I saw it. The nightlife is friendly and gentle - no massive clubs but plenty going on, and I actually preferred it to the big city nightlife at my boyfriend's uni. It's like a little bubble - it's far from stuff so everyone stays for the whole term and it's a proper student community feel away from real life. Add in the fact that the town is right on the beach and everything is super cheap, it was perfect. I wouldn't change a thing!

[Northernsoullover]

My sister went to Aberystwyth and had a blast. She absolutely loved it and went from a big city so it can't be too awful. I would definitely recommend visiting.

[MaudBaileysGreenTurban]

Aber is a place you either love or hate. I went there for my first degree in the 90s and it was small, friendly and fun, and I absolutely adored it. I grew up in suburban south London, so being between the mountains and the sea, spending half my time at the beach, was wonderful.

But it can be claustrophobic, everyone knows everyone else, the shopping and the nightlife aren't exactly world-class (although we never had a problem spending money; there's no shortage of pubs and bars ). As a pp said, it's a bubble, because it's miles from anywhere and everyone hangs around at the weekends and even holidays.

If you like the idea of a proper 'student community' and are an outdoorsy, down-to-earth sort who's not bothered about cutting-edge nightlife or designer shopping, it's a lovely place to spend three years. Tbh, a rugby-playing geography student who likes a drink describes about 90% of the people I knew there - your ds might fit in extremely well

[Emjayne21]

Hello recent graduate of Aberystwyth University (July 2019) I studied Tourism Managment.

I can't reccomend enough going for an open day, the university will give you the money back for petrol/other means of travel costs.

I'm happy to chat and help, I know my mum was petrified of me moving out of home and into a different place but it's worked out so well!

In regards to nightlife; there are over 150 pubs in the town and 2 clubs (Yokos and Peir) Aberystwyth is a pretty student centred town and a lovely place to get started onto adult life, please don't hesitate to email me or chat to myself as I loved my time up there, it really is a good uni

🥰

[sakura06]

I didn't do my undergrad there, but I studied a post-grad qualification there and I loved it. Definitely visit and see what you think.

[AberCurious]

Right, you've convinced us it's worth a look! Have booked in for the next open day. 3 hours on the train from B'ham New St.
A rugby-playing geography student who likes a drink describes about 90% of the people I knew there was the comment that swung it!

[Angharad07]

I graduated from Aberystwyth last year! I absolutely love the town and I miss it dearly. It took me a good year to get used to its rural setting but I soon learnt to appreciate all of its quirks. The club night life is a bit rubbish but the pub culture is amazing (I think it has the most pubs per square mile in the U.K.?). Also, it has a brilliant rugby team who have good socials and fun rivalry with Bangor uni.

There are also a lot of small independent cafes, cocktail bars and restaurants. The weather and storms are something to behold. Everyone flocks to the beach for parties in summer (and winter adding in the bonfires). I had a beautiful sea view room for my entire 3 year stay. I so recommend the halls on the seafront as you can always walk home from a night out while the others are up on the monster of a hill. God I miss it!

[Bumbleboo98]

As a current student it's definitely worth the trip to visit! Rugby societies are pretty big here and they are well known for their nights out 😂! Your DS will either love it or hate it it's definitely one of those places. I went to only one open day as I fell in love with Aber instantly

[Outtheforest]

I graduated from there 4 years ago and loved it, like pp said if hes after the cutting edge of nightlife it's not the place but if hes happy to play sport and drink in pubs and smaller clubs it's a wonderful place. Everyone was friendly, the town was very safe and the endless summer beach bonfires are brilliant.
Its definitely a love it or hate it place and alot of students actually end up staying a few week over summer as they love it so much.
One thing I would say is if he has a car to take it, having a car with me definitely helped with the claustrophobic feel and meant I could easily get home at short notice, explore the surrounding areas etc. Its by no means needed as the public transport is surprisingly good but I know I'd have struggled more with being trapped in a bubble if I had to plan things around train ticket prices

[VMcCartie]

Aberystwyth graduate here!
I absolutely love Aberystwyth (so much me and my SO are still living here!) and the time I spent at uni. It is quite a small town, so clubbing isn't really a thing, but there is an enormous amount of pubs - something like 43 I think! So if he enjoys a casual pint with the lads, aber is great. There is also no set student night like a lot of universities, but instead there are social nights on a Tuesday and a Thursday, sports socials on a Wednesday and obviously the weekend tends to be pretty busy too haha.

And from a mums perspective, although heavy on the drinking the Students Union is really good and Aberystwyth has been voted one of the safest/friendliest towns! And as a female from Bedfordshire I'd never have walked out at night alone, but have never felt unsafe here.

For general things to do there isn't a huge amount, but it is cheap to live, so three years is easily manageable especially if he's studying anyway (hopefully less distractions).

I'd also recommend the Fferm Penglais halls of residence, very new, big rooms, double beds, ensuites, close to the uni! A little more expensive but compared to other unis a bargain really!

Can't comment on the course I'm a zoology graduate, but overall facilities are fantastic as well as field trip opportunities. I have a few friends from geo and they do them all over the world depending on what you want to specialise in!

I would also highly recommend voluntary extra curricular activities, there's so many options and it is fantastic for CV building.

Conclusion... It's a stunning town, with friendly people, a big casual drinking culture, great uni and the safest town I've ever been to!

[MikeUniformMike]

It rains a lot there, the town is small, and it is not easy to get to and from. Have a look at the road and rail links.

[fussychica]

DS graduated in 2015 and went on to do his post grad at Oxford. It was his first choice despite offers from several RG universities. His course was very highly ranked though the uni was only around 40th when he went. He loved it from his first visit.
I loved how safe and friendly it was, I never really worried about him. I hated how far way it was and how awkward it was for us to get there, especially when we had a major medical emergency. If you are in the Midlands that shouldn't be as much of an issue.
Visit, your DS will either love it or hate it.

[BestIsWest]

Waves to fussychica - I remember our DC were there at the same time. Sounds like your DS is doing well.

It is awkward to get there. We live in Wales, only about 60 miles away but it never took us less than an hour and 45 minutes to get there through windy country lanes. Stunning scenery though.

[BubblesBuddy]

On another thread, a poster is worried about the drinking culture at university and most people on this thread are bigging up the drinking opportunities at Aberystwyth. People booze in small towns as other entertainment is limited. Depends whether this floats your boat I guess.

[Lozzie12]

My DS is in second year here. It's a very long way from home but he's loving it. Uni is set up really well, just up hill from town centre (easy walk). Student accommodation is all opposite uni and set up as a little village. Very sociable. They can stay in uni accommodation for their whole tine at Aber or there are lots of private rents which are at a reasonable price. Locals are all very friendly and say their income is from students and tourists. It feels quite safe here. I always check into a local hotel or B&B when I visit for a night and they are very cheap out of season. I'm actually here now and it's always a lovely little break. Lots of students seem to come here from Birmingham and I think that's a fairly simple journey. My DS and all his friends are loving it. There seems to be lots of support as well for students with additional needs / needing extra support and I've seen quite a few therapy dogs walking round. We were worried when he chose here as it was so far away but it's been a great choice. Hope this helps.