University of Aberdeen Blog

You know, this time last year it was hard to imagine that I would have graduated with a degree but here I am post-exams, with a respectable degree and graduated! Exams were really difficult - but I managed through them with the prospect of going to Skye with my fellow classmates for a bit of chilling-out time afterwards. Before Graduation I was extremely busy continuing my work for the University, preparing for all you new lot coming in September! But I took a week off for the Glastonbury festival which was awesome by the way! Luckily the sun shone every day and I got a suntan! It looked pretty good against my little black dress for graduation.

Graduation this year was slightly different from every previous year since it was the first time to be held in Elphinstone Hall; but for me it was special to have it there since I walked past it every day when at Uni, plus my sister got married there so it holds good memories. I graduated last Monday and twas a pretty hectic day. I had to go be girly and get my hair done, pick up my boyfriend from the train station (he came up for my Graduation bless his little heart), meal with the family, collect robes, home and dress, photos, a briefing beforehand, the actual ceremony, then more photos and finally the after-party!!! It sounds like a lot of work for one day, but it was so amazing I would totally do another degree just to graduate again! The actual ceremony was a bit nerve-wracking as I completely thought that I would do something stupid like fall over on stage or miss my turn. However, apart from being slightly confused with the Latin, fortunately none of those embarrassing things happened! A few of my former French lecturers came to see us all graduate and they looked extremely grand in their fancy robes and hats.  Afterwards they posed with us for our photos to mark the end of an era.

Both my folks came along to watch, but secretly I think they enjoyed Pimms on the lawn best out of the whole day! My Dad bought a pitcher afterwards to share, but somehow I ended up drinking most of it! I felt really posh drinking Pimms in my robes on Elphinstone lawn - like a proper intellectual!

So now that the graduation and Uni is over it’s a little sad and I’m really going to miss not going to classes and seeing my fellow comrades every day with their stories and jokes. Really make the most out of your time at Uni - it totally is the best years of your life!!!

All the best with your studies and remember that Uni is also to enjoy!

Amye xx

Those of you following this blog should know by now that I like going to the gym and staying fit. At the moment the university’s gym is closed down which is rather annoying as I have had to get a temporary membership in a different (and more expensive) gym. But it will be worth it in the long run, trust me. On Monday I was lucky enough to be part of a tour of the new Sports Village which will open on the 24^th August 2009. To say that I was impressed is a blatant understatement. The new gym will probably be one of the best in Scotland and will make sure that students at Aberdeen can stay healthy and fit and participate in almost any sport imaginable. I was mostly interested in the fitness suite which has over 100 cardio-vascular and muscular machines, all of which have TV screens and can be programmed with exercises tailor-made for individual students! And the best thing is it will only cost £15/month or £11/month if you opt for the Off-Peak membership. And if you sign up for an entire year in advance you get a 10% discount (making it £162 or £118 for the whole year). Your membership will give you access to the swimming pool, the fitness suite, the performance gym, the squash and badminton courts, as well as over 60 fitness and health classes per week. While our swimming pool will originally stay in the King’s Pavilion (the Olympic swimming pool will not be ready till 2012), it is being refurbished (the main reason why our gym is currently closed down).  Those of you visiting the Open Day on the 1^st September 2009 will have the chance to go on a tour of the Sports Village. For more information in the meantime just redirect your browsers to http://www.aberdeensportsvillage.com/ and prepare to be dazzled.

I think I will head over to my interim gym tonight to make the most of my temporary membership and to get fit enough for our new gym. Until the next time, be well in all things.

David