University of Aberdeen Blog

Hey everyone! So that is one month of 2012 gone, what did you think? Easy, hard stressful, relaxing, warm or cold? I am always told by my family to start the year the way you hope to finish it. So hopefully that will mean that I keep starting for my football team, I will have fewer exams then my friends and have a longer time off than them.

I should probably introduce myself I am Duncan Vickers, I have been studying the Bachelors of Divinity at Aberdeen for the last three years ( I did not choose it because of my last name) and have recently started working at the Town House in Old Aberdeen. This week has been pretty busy with all the applications coming into the University and us trying to respond to all of them. But it is all worth it and I cannot wait to see all the new faces on campus at the applicant days which are happening over the next couple of months.  Science and Engineering are kicking off our applicant days this year on the 29^th February (http://www.abdn.ac.uk/applicantday/) . Then the Arts and Social Sciences follow up closely behind on the 7^th March (http://www.abdn.ac.uk/arts-socsci-applicant-day/) . This is an excellent way to see the University and meet lecturers in your degree choices and listen to talks on your own degree discipline by the lecturers themselves. Not to mention the nice and friendly student ambassadors that will be there all day to help you find your way around campus and give you a tour of the campus going all the way from the Aberdeen Sports Village to the brand new Library.

Anyway that’s me finished work and I am now off to start my reading for this year’s classes. Should be good. Hope you have a good week and hopefully see you at the applicant day.

Duncan

Hi everyone! How are you all getting on? Probably waiting with excitement to hear back from all universities that you have applied for? Well… if you have made a decision to study in Aberdeen you should keep on reading!

In February we will be holding an Applicant Day for Sciences and Engineering (www.abdn.ac.uk/applicantday/) and in March for and Arts and Social Sciences (www.abdn.ac.uk/arts-socsci-applicant-day/). It’s a great opportunity to meet academic staff, talk to current students, have a tour of the campus, and see all the great facilities we have, including the Sports Village and our amazing new library. If you have received an offer from us, go and register your place online, you’ll have great time! I promise J

There is also something on offer for your parents! We are holding Parents’ Information Evenings in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburgh, Belfast, Newcastle and London. During each event parents can ask any questions they may have, meet members of Aberdeen staff and generally learn more about Higher Education. For more information about the event and bookings please visit your website: www.abdn.ac.uk/sras/for-parents/parents-evening/

I hope to see many of you in February and March! Right…. I’m going back to writing my dissertation!

Kristina

Happy New Year! It’s a New Year and a new start for me, as I have just joined the Team as a Town House Student Ambassador so I guess I better introduce myself. I’m Jenny, and I’m in my 3^rd year studying History and International Relations. My first week here has consisted of clearing out the backlog from Christmas and New Year, mainly by posting five hundred thousand prospectuses and replying to about a million emails. So sorry if we kept you waiting, but I promise they are all now on their way!

Anyway, the holidays are well are truly over for us students, with exams commencing on the 16^th January. I’m actually looking forward to them, I like the sense of satisfaction after you put down your pen, after a whole semester of information has departed my brain and landed on my exam page, I feel great. So the sooner they come, the happier I am.

It’s no rest for the wicked though as we then have Re-Freshers Week and start new classes immediately after exams finish. Though, this is one of the best times of year, it is really exciting to meet all the new students and embark on my new courses. I’m sure though, that I’ll manage to fit in plenty of celebrations for the end of exams!

Off to study…. Jenny

I guess it is always difficult to start these things off! Anyway, I’m Shaun, and I’ve just started helping out at the Old Town House. I came to Aberdeen two years ago to pursue my degree in Ecology. I’m going into my third year this September.

I moved to Aberdeen in the summer. As I was living with my partner, I opted not to stay in student accommodation and I figured I’d get settled before term started. I first joined the university through the Associate Student Scheme, run by Ali Clark (the one you see running around and looking stressed at the Open Day!). This let me get a feel for the university, its computer systems and library (as well as taking advantage of my student discount!) a little earlier. It wasn’t a head start really, but it was great to have slightly less of the stress and running around that I might have found during Fresher’s week. If you are going to be around Aberdeen before term starts (around Juneish), I strongly recommend the Associate Student Scheme – if only for the Top Man discount – so you should send Ali an email next year(a.clark@abdn.ac.uk). Oh, and say Shaun sent you!

We are quite busy just now – the Open Day is coming up in a few weeks and we need to get prepared. If you are looking to come to the university, nothing beats seeing it busy and bustling as you do on the Open Day, so you should come along! If you live far away, you can stay in our halls of residence the evening before. The Open Day is always busy, but good fun to work at. I’ll be there giving a student life talk, and no doubt showing some of you around the campus too. If you need to get any information on the open day you can find it here (www.abdn.ac.uk/openday).

I hope to see many of you there =]

Shaun

Doesn’t seem to be that long since I’ve joined the Town House team, but I’ve just realised I’m already an oldie here! It was of course sad to say goodbye to Claire and shortly to Ashley, but also very exciting about welcoming our new student ambassador J Hi Kayleigh! I hope you all are following Kayleigh’s fact of the day, I certainly will (embarrassed to say but I didn’t know the difference between a graduand and a graduate). I am looking forward to her next blog.

Well, I’m actually just about to start my final year, so very soon I will be a graduate myself; well I really hope I will! Summer has been quite busy, so I haven’t started my dissertation just yet. I am quite excited about my project, especially because I will be able to research and type up my brilliant ideas in our pretty amazing new library. If you haven’t heard about this iconic building you should check out our website: www.abdn.ac.uk/newlibrary so all of you who are joining us this year get excited J it will be open this September.

I will be taking a short break in August (I will only be gone for a week), but I will be back in time for our busiest day….Open Day!  EXCITED!!!

Ciao J

Over the past few months you will have noticed that both David and Claire have left the Townhouse for pastures new. Unfortunately it is also my time to leave the Townhouse, however I will not be going far (at least for a couple of months). I am moving to work with the Student Association in the lead up to Freshers’ Week 2011. I am helping with the set up of Freshers’ Week making sure there is plenty for the new students to do and getting together about 100 volunteer students to make sure the new students don’t get lost in the city. If you are coming to the University this September you will have a lot to look forward to, just keep an eye out for students in bright yellow t-shirts (Student Volunteers) and bright red t-shirts (Student Ambassadors) when you’re around campus. They have been here for years so know the campus and city very well. I’ve done both of these for 4 years now so if you get a chance join in second year I highly recommend getting involved. J UK students will also be receiving a Freshers’ Pack a few weeks before Freshers’ Week detailing everything that is going on and lots of information so you will be all ready for when you get here. International students can get them when you arrive but keep an eye on the AUSA website www.ausa.org.uk and the New Students Website http://www.abdn.ac.uk/newstudents/ for information on what is happening.

I will also be finishing my thesis within the next few weeks meaning that the will be my MSc completed and out of the way. I am struggling to realise that I have now been at the University for 5 years and have 2 degrees!  I am still not 100% sure what I am planning to do once I have completed Freshers’ Week (it’s only 9 weeks away! Eeeek!) The job hunt is on but I will be back at University in a few years to do another degree! J

My parting gift of wisdom is to make the most of your time at University and get involved in as much as you can! I know how much I have changed since I first stepped onto campus 5 years ago. I went from being very quiet and shy to being able to give talks and presentations to around 500 people at Open Days with no qualms! I am still helping with the Open Day this year so hope to see many of you there! Check out www.abdn.ac.uk/openday for more details.

All the best for the future!

Ashley

After a few quiet weeks and despite the inclement weather we have recently had, University campus is once again buzzing with excitement as proud parents are being shown around by this year’s batch of graduates.

This week is Graduation Week and the long black robes draped with all the different colours, set against Kings College Chapel could not look more like a scene from a Harry Potter film (well, maybe if we had wands and broomsticks..). All the happy faces reinstate to me the reason I’m here and have given me a new found inspiration in concentrating on my studies and making the most of my final 2 years here.

My name is Kayleigh and I’m the newest “addition” to the Townhouse family.

I’ve just finished my second year studying an MA in Mathematics and Economics, halfway through my degree and I’m sure the next 2 years will fly by and soon it will be me wearing the cap and gown moving on to pursue my future endeavours. When people ask me what I’m studying, the general reaction is “Why would you do that?” or a general look of disgust, so in order to try and keep you guys interested and break through the barrier of that “Mathlete geek”, I’ve decided I’m going to try and add a little spice to this blog with the very exciting and educational- Kayleigh’s fact of the day!

In keeping with the theme around campus, do you know what the difference is between a graduand and a graduate? No? Well, neither did I until a wise old man passed on his words of knowledge. A graduand is a student who has completed their studies but has not yet had the official graduation ceremony, whereas a graduate is what you become after the ceremony.

So there you have it, my fact of the day! Now don’t tell me you don’t learn something new everyday!

Until next time readers,

Kayleigh

As mentioned in previous blog posts, its Exam time again! I had only one exam this time and I had it last Thursday, and as this is my final year, that was my last ever exam. Unless of course I decide to return to University life in a few years to get my postgraduate degree which is probably likely. But this does mean that I am leaving for now and that this will be my final blog post.

At the moment I am anxiously awaiting my exam and dissertation results. It seems like an age to wait for them especially my dissertation. But I suppose I would rather wait longer than have them rush and not mark it properly. Especially if I got a better grade out of it!! Once that is over, I then have the excitement of Graduation to look forward to. I will be graduating on the 5^th of July (hopefully!) and my parents will be making the trip up to see me as well as my grandparents! That does also mean getting taken out for a celebration dinner. And with the fabulous selection of restaurants in Aberdeen, I’m having a hard time choosing where! As well as the celebration dinner, they will be here for a few days and so we will be going exploring. One of my favourite places to visit, Stonehaven, will be at the top of the list. Its home to a beautiful ruined castle (Dunottar), has the most amazing ice-cream shop that sells fabulous flavours such as tablet and irn bru and above all, it is the birth place of the deep-fried mars-bar, which I recommend everyone try at least once!!

Not long after I graduate, I will be moving into a new flat (which I have not yet found) which will be paid for by my new job (which I have not yet got). But it is all change for me, but the one constant is that I plan to stay in Aberdeen. I think Aberdeen is a wonderful city in which to live and I really cannot imagine leaving at this point. Aberdeen has become my home which is just one of the reasons that I will be forever indebted to the University of Aberdeen.

Is it really the end of the year?! Well… I’m, as many other students at the University of Aberdeen, spending most of my time in the library, which can only mean that it’s exam time! As always, nice weather and sunny days making it all a little bit harder for us to stay inside and study. But I do have faith in me and my friends; it looks like we work much better under pressure, typical students J Ahhh exams, scary times! Lucky for us the Queen Mary Library has extended opening hours during May – June examination period. You can check opening hours on the library website: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/hours-exams.shtml 

So with help of many cups of coffee we can revise until 2am!

I’m glad I can get a little bit distracted during work at the Old Townhouse. In the past few months we have had many visitors. I have met many of you who have applied to study here and came to visit the university. Actually I’ve realised for many of you this summer is quite stressful too, waiting for your results. But it is also an exciting time! In September you’ll be joining us! YES!!! It is may be slightly early to get excited, but I cannot wait until Freshers week, busy city streets with new and very excited students J I’m sure you are all looking forward to September too! Good luck with the results!

I am saying goodbye for now, time to get back to my revision.

Kristina

After the past few days of rain the sun is finally back J the skies are blue and everyone is back in t-shirts rather than waterproof jackets. Here’s hoping the weather stays like this for the summer. However, the sun is causing some problems for those students with exams coming up over the next few weeks with the choice of sunbathing or studying in the library being a very difficult choice for some. Others are however making the most of the sunshine with tutorial classes being held out on grass in front of Elphinstone Hall. I am lucky enough to not have exams (the joy of an Environmental Science Masters) but I do have a lot of essays to write and I have to start on my summer thesis so I almost wish I did have exams (almost!).

In the Townhouse we are still really busy with lots of prospectus requests so it looks like the 5^th years are making a nice early start on decisions for what they want to study in September 2012. It seems like a long time away but it will come around quick enough. It only seems like a few months ago that I was going round different universities making my choices for where I wanted to study when it was actually over 5 years ago! For all those students looking at starting university and thinking where they want to go we have an Open Day on the 30^th August 2011 http://www.abdn.ac.uk/openday/ If you can make it along to the Open Day it is definitely worth while and its before the UCAS deadlines so is a big help when making decisions. At the Open Day you can get a tour of the campus to see the different buildings that you will classes in, see the places where you can chill out and see the new library which will be almost ready for opening. You can see a virtual tour of the new library at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/newlibrary/ (Aberdeen is not as flat as it looks in the video). There are also lots of presentations to go to on the day whether you’re interested in finding out about Student Life, Studying Abroad, speaking to lecturers to find out what interests you and speaking to current students to see what their experience of the University is.

Just remember to book before you come to the University of Aberdeen, that way we can send you information on what time different things are happening, you can do that here http://www.abdn.ac.uk/openday/booking-form/

Good Luck to all those away to sit exams in the next few months.

Ashley