University of Aberdeen Blog

As I sit here staring out of my window ‘people watching’ it’s quite easy to make myself believe that I have not a care in the world. However, then I have to turn around and face the piles of boxes that I have yet to unpack after moving into my new flat. The packing was postponed as I first had a trip to London to visit a friend and then exams in the resit period. Resits run for a two-week period in August for people who either failed their exams the first time around or, like me, were too ill to sit them. Although it’s not a nice position to be in, I found that it did break up the summer.

The summer holidays run from the beginning of June until the end of September, and I have to admit, I get easily bored. If you know the courses that you are going to take the following year, most lecturers are happy to give you preparatory reading. Not only does it help to alleviate the boredom, it also gives you a head-start and lifts some of the work during term time. Next term I will be taking two courses, both in Medieval History. However, one of the good things about the History department in Aberdeen is that you don’t need to specialise in a particular period, there is a great choice of courses available.

This coming September, marks the beginning of a new era for the University as a whole, making there much more choice in your degree programme. That is due to the new Curriculum Reform. Although, I am a bit upset that only new students will have the chance to take up some of the courses. Some of the new courses include Mandarin and Arabic, or things like ‘Humans and other Animals’ which explores the relationship between animals and humans with topics such as domestication, hunting and conservation. For those of you that are joining us in September, visit our website to find out more about the courses that are open to you. http://www.abdn.ac.uk/newstudents/undergraduates/choosing-courses/

Anyway, for now I have to get back to unpacking, or there will be nowhere for my sister to sleep when she comes to visit later this week!

This summer has been quite different from how I would usually spend my holidays. Most years I have either been working to earn a few extra pennies or had a work experience placement. So when it came to planning what I would this year, I thought that considering I had just finished degree, I deserve a bit of ‘me’ time; maybe do a bit of travelling and spend time with the family. So far I have to say that I may have spent more time in airports or railway stations than I have with my family, but I am not complaining.

The first stop was a visit to my parents, which involved spending 12 hours on a plane. It usually takes a lot longer but because I can get direct flights to Heathrow the journey is a lot easier, plus there is always a brief stop over in Dubai which means a lot of money gets spent at the Duty Free . The next stop was my best friends’ wedding, and yes I do mean more than one friend, as two of them were getting married to each other and I got to be a bridesmaid. The wedding was in Cleish, just a couple of hours away from Aberdeen. It was a beautiful day, and there were a few moments where I did get a little misty eyed seeing my friends so happy together. The next destination after the wedding was Scarborough, a small seaside town in the North Yorkshire, and it also happens to be the place I was born. It takes a couple of hours by train, but again the journey is made easier by the fact the one of the more direct trains departs from Aberdeen.  After spending few days enjoying my grandmother’s amazing cooking, it was back to Aberdeen for few days to bid farewell to some of my friends who were leaving the city after graduation. I have known most of friends here for nearly four years, starting from when I was a wee first year student, so saying goodbye was really hard, but I have already made plans to see all of them before I start my new course (even though it would mean more travelling). I wasn’t left feeling sad for too long as I had to pack my bags to go down to London for a few days to help my aunt get ready for her wedding. At this point I have to admit I was rather fed up of planes, but the flight from Aberdeen to Heathrow only takes an hour so it wasn’t all too bad. And now dear readers, I am writing this blog from my lovely flat in Aberdeen, where I will be for a few more days before I go back down to London for another wedding!

While I am dreading packing up a suitcase for the umpteenth time this summer, living in Aberdeen has made all my little trips a lot smoother with the presence of an airport, railway and bus station. But fingers crossed this will hopefully be the last journey for a while, so I get to relax at home, maybe make a start on some of my research and of course, work at the open day. Remember you can still book a place by visiting www.abdn.ac.uk/openday

So dear readers I am away to make a packing to do list and hunt for my suitcase. Best of luck to everyone getting their A-level results this week, and looking forward to seeing some of you at the Open day.

Nooreen

We are well into summer now and I have been working my way through my backlog of leisure reading.  I have finally finished Les liaisons dangereuses, which was definitely worth the wait.  I cannot decide on what to read next, I am torn between War and Peace (third and final attempt) or Dan Brown the Lost Symbol.  No doubt Dan Brown will win, I fancy some light reading before the heavy duty academic reading begins again.  My core text year is the wonderfully written but very long Art Through The Ages. The sad thing is I am really excited to get going again.  At first I loved the freedom of the summer break, relaxing and working but without the cares of looming deadlines.  Now, I am desperate for them.  History of Art is a change of discipline for me and I am excited at the prospect.  I have started to read around the subject, in order to get a feel for the periods or artists that interest me the most. 

The University is a busy place at the moment, well for the staff anyway!  Everyone is preparing for the new students from mid September and then of course the infamous August Open Day.  The Open Day will on the 31^st August and we hope for a glorious day.  There will be a full schedule of events including campus tours, academic talks and general information on entering University.  If you have not booked your place please visit www.abdn.ac.uk/openday.  You will also be able to download the schedule of activities, so that you can plan your day.  There will also be a party for prospective students on the evening of the 30^th August.  This will be a great chance for you to let your hair down and meet some current students and ask any questions that I am sure you will have.

For those readers that will be starting with us in September, I am sure that you are both excited and apprehensive. Do not be, as everyone will be in the same boat as you.  Everyone will want to make new friends, and before you know it you will be on the train/bus/plane home and wondering where the term went.  We have organised numerous events and induction events.  The New Students website is an excellent resource for finding out everything you need to know.  It details everything from e-registration to Freshers’ Events.  You can find it at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/newstudents/.  Remember that yours truly and many other Student Ambassadors will be on hand from Welcome Weekend and throughout Freshers’ Week should you need any help/advice/chat.  We are to be easily found sporting our sexy bright red t-shirts!

Signing off for now and I hope to see many of you soon.

Daliah