Aberystwyth

[Piggywaspushed]

Has anyone got recent experience of Aberystwyth Uni? DS has a conditional place there for International Politics. I do know that Aber has a very good reputation in this area.
DS is a funny old fish and utterly demotivated ... but he does like the sound of the modules. He has a lowered (contextual ) offer of BBC already. he sits a scholarship exam next week and if he does OK, that could drop to CCD.

So far, so good. However, we live 200 miles away , and it isn't the easiest place to get to. DGPs live in Wales , but in the Valleys , so not all that near. DH thinks it is too far away and is steering DS towards Lincoln, Hull or NTU.

Because of distance, we haven't even visited most unis : most we have visited DS hasn't then applied to!

I have never lived near home. My DF is 400 miles away, my DM thousands! I live 500 miles from where I grew up and went to uni 200 miles away from where I lived. But DS is so unlike me, I wonder if he was swapped at birth!

I have all the info about league tables and so on, so don't need that kind of info. My concerns about Aberystwyth are more about the place, and how out of place someone from a boring town a hundred miles from the sea, somewhere in the east of England, might feel there!

Two and a half hours to Cardiff. Probably a lot longer on a bus.

By the way, I don't want it to sound as if I am knocking my former alumni

But I do think it's important to know as a potential student just how isolated the place is. Go to Hull and you have easy access to Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby, Leicester. Even Cambridge is not far. Go to Manchester and you're close by Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, even Birmingham isn't that far.

Go to Aberystwyth and that isn't happening. If you have friends from school/sixth form, they won't visit. It's too far and there's not much to do with them if they do manage the trip.

Now that can kind of be its upside. Let's say you meet a great bunch of people, then barbecues on the beach, bumping into everyone and anyone round the student union, the library and so on. But if you're finding shit a bit difficult you can't just go home for a weekend to chill, or stay with your best friend from home in York or see your girlfriend/boyfriend in Leeds. Do you see what I mean? You're trapped in Aberystwyth and some people love being trapped there, I just didn't, even though I met some nice people.

There were barely any BEM students when I was there. That may have changed. And as I say there was just a bit of hostility towards the English - only a tiny bit but it isn't pleasant.

It was also a pain in the arse in my final year there attending interviews and sorting that out. Having to travel to Birmingham and changing trains, not even a bloody Next to buy a suit! In those days the only clothes shops were a tiny New Look and Dorothy perkins, meaning that if you did buy any new clothes everyone ha the same

There’s a big Next there now.

I've just dropped my daughter off at the coach station to go back to aber uni today she loves it she has literally never left home before (she did ncs) always been z homebody then she saw aber uni and fell in love with it we are in the Midlands so not close to her but she has fantastic support and friends there

I do get your point though formeraberstudent. DNeice catches the coach home (and we only live in Swansea) and it takes bloody hours.

I totally understand where you are coming from , former but I can assure you we are near Cambridge and it is three trains to get to Hull or Lincoln...

Anyway we will have to see how he does in these exams!

I did grow up in town on the West coast of Scotland. Some kids took two ferries and a train to get to school! Now that was isolated!

With regards to getting out of aber bus travel is free within Wales at weekend

Yes, and the Trans-Wales bus goes from Cardiff right up the centre of Wales through the Brecon Beacons National Park to North Wales. One of the best bus rides in the whole of the UK.

I understand your point former and agree that I’d probably have struggled more if I didn’t drive/have a car, I think it also helped that to me aber is a big town as id lived very rurally before then. It is totally a personal thing and all of my friends managed fine with trains and buses.

piggywaspushed
You mention your Ds wants a language involved in his degree. I know nothing of Lincoln's MFL dept.
But Hull is my home "town" we live 6 miles east of the university. Please note it has closed all recruitment to MFL cousres this year, including English and Philosophy, its SU is up in arms.

Lincoln university is heavily backed by Lincoln city council and companies. Most students stay firmily in the city. It has a great student life and is very safe.
It has 112 societies and sports ranging from football to rowing.
Hth.
Ds plays rugby league, his friends play football, nerball, hockey etc.

Like I said political students are heavily involved in the parliaments research into youth involvement, including visits to parliament and the lords.

I think it's really unfair to talk about perceived racism towards the English - IMO there just wasn't. The only time I got any hint of aggro was in the Llew Du - and tbh I was very pissed and potentially very obnoxious and if memory serves me right it was simply because the barman couldn't hear me over the racket (agri student night).

A lot of people seem to claim that they "walked into a shop and suddenly everyone started speaking Welsh" which is utter poppycock and not how people speak. If you're a welsh/french/german/polish speaker, you don't chat away to your friends in English and then suddenly switch to your mother-tongue when an "English" person arrives. That's simply illogical. There are a lot of English words have been adopted into the Welsh language - and I'm sure the Welsh speakers amongst us could give us some giggles should they choose to do so.

Piggy I too have done the ferry to school bit - so for me Aber was fine. By the time I applied to uni I was actually living in London, but my heart yearned for the country - so all 5 of my UCCA choices were for rural places.

My experience of friends visiting is - 1) one dropped out of his then current uni and a fortnight later started his course at Aber! 2) one was still doing A-levels and immediately made Aber their first choice.

Tbh your son will be fucking delighted you live far, far away. My parents ended up moving FROM London to fairly locally to Aber - so imagine my horror in Porky's one night (you'll have to be old to remember Porky's) to see my dad and his pals.

I am just wondering, Piggy, if the search could be a bit wider than the 3 you mention. If he’s not expecting or wanting a milk round type grad job, does it have to be Aberystwyth? What employer would worry about the specific university specialism if they are not employing for that specific subject? Politics grads do very many jobs and many of them are not political! Therefore what about somewhere like the University of Surrey (BBB)? There are quite a few universities that are similar to each other that are in not so big places but are easier to get to.

Employers, in general, won’t rate Surrey lower than Aberystwyth. Of course the other attributes a student brings to the job market are important and this is why I would keep the Spanish going and add a year abroad. This can give an edge and shows a wider range of talent. Employers don’t look at every module a student takes. They, as you say, look at the degree and the class of degree. So he has a wider choice than you might think a bit nearer to home that won’t disadvantage him.

Several lower ranking universities have reduced MFL degrees because of lack of applicants. The A level grades requires tend to be lower at very good universities too. Not many ask for AAA. Universities are, in general, very pleased to see MFL applicants and joint honours can elicit offers.

Aber has...

Clothing: Next, M&S, Matalan, Peacocks, Tesco, New Look, M&Co, Dorothy Perkins, White Stuff, Steilo, Charlies, Morrisons, Mountain Warehouse, plus lots of independents and a few others.

Household: Argos, Tesco, Morrisons, M&S, Charlies, Craft, B&M, Home Bargains, Poundland, M&Co, Curry's, AGEA, plus others

Groceries: Tesco, Tesco Express, Morrisons, Lidl, M&S, CK's, several corner shops and about a million Spars

Takeaways: Several Chinese, Indian and pizza; Caribbean; Fusion; Thai; Greek; Medina; Dominos; Subway. Deliveroo and JustEat operate in the area

Phones: Carphone Warehouse, EE, Vodaphone, Tesco Mobile, Argos

Misc: Halfords, Kwik Fit, Pets at Home, Pandora, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, several independent garages, three cinemas (one is in Borth but easily accessible by bus)

There is also the town leisure centre, plus the sports centre on the Uni campus and a leisure centre on a local holiday park which is open to the public.

...doing a mental walk around town and can't think what I've missed, although I know I have!

Oh - Iceland, and we're likely to be getting an Aldi soon.

Tonnes of hotels, restaurants, coffees shops. There's a Greggs as well as local bakeries. A couple of clubs and dance nights.

The Uni has a maHOOsive number of societies and sports clubs (as standard as football and drama clubs, and as niche as anime, Warhammer and lacrosse) which makes it very easy to find your people.

Tbh , Aber sounds a good deal more excting that the yawnsome town we live in where every shop is boarded up!

bubbles , I had looked into all those and it may be useful in a couple of years for DS2. DS1 has applied and has ofers so his die is cast. Also, he is genuinely interested in terrorism and the Middle east and Aber and Hull both (claim to) specialise in strategic studies (in fact, he could have done degrees in those but we chose to be more general)

I do get the impression that Hull is in a spot of bother!

Poor Lincoln, never recovered from the inbetweeners joke . It’s actually a gold teaching standard university and has moved significantly up the league tables.

It’s benefitted from huge investment, and as others pointed out is now well connected to modern politics. The uni has doubled in size in the last ten years with the addition of medical, forensic and architect schools.

Lots of shops and nightlife. It’s high street is bucking the national trend with brands moving in rather than out.

Well lots of universities have had massive investment. Often gold teaching is because a university takes students with lower grades and they need more teaching as opposed to them researching for themselves after a lecture and guidance. They fulfil a different role. Whether any of that benefits the students when they get into the jobs market is a moot point.

Piggy: he has interesting choices regarding study and that narrows choices, which is a shame. Arabic maybe? Only joking!

Just a general point, Ds has I have said is at Lincoln.
But he applied to Hull, UCScarborough and looked at Derby, Salford and Bradford too.
The thing that impressed him about both Lincoln and UCScaborough was both are newish and both where actively wanted by the city/region they are in.
Both where set up to attract students to areas previously ghost areas to graduates.
Both have very active carrers depts, because they cant rely on the milk train.
Both want their graduates to stay local and develop their economies.
I an sure Aberystwyth will be similar.
Good luck to your Ds where ever he goes

Piggy
General point, I said in a previous thread my Ds sounds very similar to yours, educationally and personality wise. Though Ds has always played rugby. He was also under CAMHS in year 12/13.

But going to university has made him. He made new friends, is studying a course he adores, even the boring bits.
He is the only fresher in RL already a vice captain and highly popular. He and 4 flatmates have already got next years house sorted, did it in November. He used his contacts in years 2&3 to find which agents they could trust and who to avoid.
He has set his own budget and sticks to it, buys his own clothes and deals with weekly challenges. Sorted own bank account. When the rugby tour collasped sorted out emails to cancel his place and claim his deposit back, when that failed used his insurance and got 50% back from SU insurance, all on his own.
They all cooked Christmas dinner as a flat, he can make & cook steam puddings, stir fries, pasta, tuna bakes and fry ups.
He has arranged his own tutorials with his personal tutor, sorted own new doctor and made an appointment. Made contact with student support.
When an important weekly seminar started at 9 am after the big mid week student do and rugby celebrations, he and his fellow 24 students requested it by started later, it nows starts at 11.

He has so matured, he is unreckonable.
So no he may never work for the top banks or government, but by hell is he a better all round person, who in 30 months will add something much more to our country.

I just hope piggy's Ds too gets his chance, wether at Aberystwyth, Hull, Portsmouth, NTU or Lincoln. He sounds brilliant and deserves all the best he can find
University is so much more then the job, you get at the end of it.

The university of Aberystwyth was established as part of the University of Wales in 1872. Lincoln was established as a university in 1992. There hasn’t been any particular remit of Aberystwyth for grads to stay local and develop anything. One of the problems with doing this is that earnings may well be limited. Not in the public sector of course, but for many other careers, grad salaries will be limited by the local economy. It’s why many people actually leave these areas.

Thanks 2Boys, that's a heartening post :)

Bubbles I genuinely did try and steer him towards Arabic at one point!!

It does sound like Aber has absolutely the best and most highly regarded course of those on offer. Also the type of location might suit Piggy's ds if not the geographical distance. Next 'safest' and best lifestyle for a quieter sort would be Lincoln.

Hull is closing MFL depts and Lincoln doesn't have one but I think both offer some short courses. NTU has a good range of subsidiary courses including Arabic. I don't know anything about Portsmouth.

But another factor I never hear people discussing on here is post grad life if NOT doing the grad recruitment/milk round stuff nor doing an obvious vocation where you can work anywhere (nursing, teaching). For lots of students, they do end up loving their Uni city and staying and working there. This only really happens in bigger places, so this would give a rank of Nottingham, then Hull, then Portsmouth, then Lincoln, then Aber of Piggy's ds's choices.

Honestly, there's more to making a decision than just course/Uni rankings for most people.

"It’s high street is bucking the national trend with brands moving in rather than out."

OH and I had a short break in Lincoln in June last year, and loved it. I like that it has an old, historic quarter, and a modern shopping quarter. OH was really made up because he could find some jeans that actually fit him (he is tall and very skinny). The waterfront was a lovely place to spend the evening eating and drinking as well. It felt like we were abroad on holiday as the weather was so lovely and the atmosphere was buzzing. Also, it is compact and everywhere is walkable and near the station. I would happily live there.

It is interesting how many have posted on here to praise Aberystwyth, and Lincoln. Sometimes , one posts a query and there is tumbleweed! I think that does speak volumes for both places.

I did my degree in York, and my PGCE in Nottingham and couldn't get a job in either post graduation for love or money! (although I suspect this would not be the same now, given the dire recruitment situation , sadly)

Ha! You'd get a teaching job anywhere now, except secondary history and art. They ain't going anywhere!

I'm surprised about history. I thought it was a popular subject.