University of Aberdeen Blog

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

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

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

It is unfortunate that the University of Aberdeen is currently on its Easter break, because most students are missing out on the rather nice weather we are having at the moment. As always during holidays the campus is rather calm and quiet. So is my house as both of my housemates are out of the country right now. One of them is on an internship at the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, DC. I did the same internship six years ago as part of my undergraduate degree in History and Politics. It only lasts three weeks, but it is great fun and gives History students a chance to explore Washington, DC while gaining some valuable work experience. It is one of many such opportunities that all students at the University of Aberdeen have as part of their studies here. If any prospective History students are reading this, you can find more information about the Washington placement here http://www.abdn.ac.uk/history/ugrad/washington.shtml

The Easter break lasts for one more week and then the campus will explode with activity again. The first week back is always very busy as AUSA (Aberdeen University Students’ Association – www.ausa.org.uk) is holding its annual elections, giving students a chance to choose who will represent them and who will fight for their rights. A lot of my friends are heavily involved in AUSA, but thankfully they are all standing for different positions so I do not have to choose between them. Being involved in AUSA is not only good fun, but it also looks very good on a CV later on. Last September AUSA moved into its brand new headquarters, allowing them to provide even better services for students.

As you can see there are many ways for students to gain valuable work experience at the University of Aberdeen. If students need some help looking for interesting placements and internships, or if they need advice on how to apply for jobs and such, then they can always turn to our excellent Careers Service (http://www.abdn.ac.uk/careers/).

Speaking of jobs and such, this will in all likelihood be my last ever entry for this blog, as my time as a student ambassador is coming to an end very soon. I have greatly enjoyed my almost six years on the job and will miss it very much. Thankfully, my new job is also at the University of Aberdeen so I do not have to say a final farewell to my work colleagues. I hope you, the readers, have found my blog entries both informative and entertaining and, of course, I hope that you will have as good a time being a student at the University of Aberdeen as I have.

Be well in all things,

David         

Regular readers of this blog are no doubt aware that I am thoroughly enjoying my time as a student at the University of Aberdeen. In the past I have written about the many friends that I have made and the many societies that I have joined over the years. However, there is one aspect of being a student that I have not really mentioned before, but that is nonetheless an important part of the student experience at the University of Aberdeen. As you will no doubt have guessed from the title of this blog entry, I am talking about the sense of belonging and the sense of community that go hand in hand with being a student here.

It is not the easiest concept to put into concrete terms. It is probably best described as the fact that irrespective of what you are studying or where you are from you feel that the University of Aberdeen is Your University and that you are part of a wider community. This feeling can manifest itself in many different forms. For instance earlier this month our boat club successfully won ‘Survival of the Fittest’, the 16^th annual boat race between the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University. While I do not personally have any interest in boat racing and have never been to a single boat race in my life, I was nonetheless pleased that ‘We’ won the race (and just for the record, this was ‘Our’ 14^th victory J For more info visit http://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/details-9979.php).

This sense of community is not just limited to the students, but it also includes all members of staff, from the friendly cleaners making sure your halls of residence are clean and tidy, all the way to our new Principal and Vice-Chancellor. Last Monday, Professor Ian Diamond took some time out of his busy schedule for a special Q&A session with students organised by our Students’ Association. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend myself, but I have been told that the event was well received and that Professor Ian Diamond enjoyed it so much that there will be more of these Q&A sessions in the future.

Until the next time, be well in all things

David

Right, who is excited about second semester?! I hope you have screamed ‘ME!’ at the computer. Well, I am definitely looking forward to my new courses; there is nothing wrong with being a little bit of a geek! Apart from doing some university preparations I have also been helping new postgraduate students to settle in at the Hillhead Halls. It was great to be back in student halls once again, I have even managed to practice my French with new Erasmus students. Welcome to all new students, I hope you have settled in well and are enjoying yourselves already! As Ashley mentioned, there are many amazing events this week and we all should have a little bit of fun before the essay writing will begin again. Go party, sign up for as many societies and sports clubs as you can, I promise it’ll be fun!

Many of you, who have applied to University of Aberdeen, have been getting in touch with us to find out about your offers. We were happy to have received so many applications, however due to such a large amount of applications it is taking a while to get back to all of you. But the University will be sending out the bulk of their decisions in February, with the exception of Medicine and the BEd. Unfortunately, if you have not applied on time late applications will not be considered.

We also received many phone calls from parents with regards to Parents’ Evenings; the letter has all the details on how to sign-up for an evening and also online evenings, there is also additional information can be found on www.abdn.ac.uk/parents-evening. However the letter does not indicate whether or not an offer will be made to the student.

There is also additional information about Saltire Scholarship, the deadline for this year is 17^th June, and applications should include the reference and transcript. The scholarship is open to Canadian, Chinese, Indian and US nationals. Details of the scholarship can be found at: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/international/scholarships.php.

I hope you all will get the letters you are waiting for very soon. Good luck everyone! I’m off to order books for this semester J

So, for many students the horror of exams is finally coming to an end with only 3 days left. Fortunately for me I did not have any exams this year! Woop woop! My lecturers have however made up for that by giving us classes meaning I have been attempting to play with online maps a lot.

Starting tomorrow we have lots of postgraduate students arriving at the University to start classes in the next couple of week. If you are one of those students, welcome to Aberdeen and I am sure you shall see my smiley face around campus quite a lot over the next week. As well as working in the Townhouse, I am also going to be meeting students at the airport. I also have the joy of being the Re-freshers Week Coordinator for the Students’ Association. We have organised lots of amazing events for you to get used to Aberdeen and meet lots of new people. Keep an eye out for people in red t-shirts saying “University of Aberdeen” and green t-shirts saying “Refreshers Week”.

There are going to be lots of events that you can find in your “New Students Guide” and on the Students’ Association website – www.ausa.org.uk, these include campus tours, a “Re-freshers fling” to introduce many of you to Scottish Ceilidh dancing, movie nights, Sports Fayre, Societies Fayre, bus tour, treasure hunt, welcome talks, nights out and many other things too J I am not a new start and I’m getting really excited about it!

I better get back to writing my essay and sorting out all the volunteers for next week. If you need any help next week just speak to someone in either a red or a green t-shirt (I will have both) and we can answer your questions. See you all soon.

Hello everyone!

Okay, let me introduce myself. My name is Kristina and I am a third year student in the University of Aberdeen, studying French Language and International Relations. The interesting fact about me is that I am originally from Siberia (Yes, that’s right, Siberia!), but before you say it, no I am not use to this cold weather. But I do like snowy weather, it does remind me of home, also it means that we will have white Christmas this year!

Last year I spent my year abroad in one of the most beautiful cities in France, Lyon. It was amazing! I had time to travel and learn more about French culture and its history. It was truly a great experience. Although, I did miss my University, especially life on the campus where everything was nearby and all my friends were there. I was glad to be back at the University and very lucky to get a job as a student ambassador. The University’s Open Day and Freshers’ Week were a great way to meet a lot of interesting people.

Although it was great to be back in Aberdeen and I was very happy to begin my third year of University, I found myself slightly lost, because of the amount of work I had to complete by this Christmas. Temporarily my address changed to the Queen Mother Library! But I have managed to survive and achieve good marks. Now I can relax and enjoy my holidays in sunny Gran Canaria, thanks to my parents! I do hope all of you manage to get home in time for Christmas without any delays!

Enjoy your time by the warm fire in the company of your family and friends. Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! I am looking forward to meeting many of you at the University’s Applicant Days.

See you in 2011!

Kristina

Normally, as a student ambassador I give campus tours to prospective students, answer phone calls, reply to email enquiries, and send out prospectuses. It is a very enjoyable part-time student job to have, but some aspects of it can become a bit tedious now and then. However, the tedium is balanced by the fact that I get to meet some pretty interesting people. One such meeting happened earlier this month; when I was asked to give a campus tour to a former alumnus of the University who was a student here back in the late 1950’s. The people accompanying him on the campus tour were the descendants of another alumnus from back in the early 1920’s. It was fascinating to show them around campus and to find out from them just how much the University has changed and grown over the past decades.

Then on Saturday, 13^th November, I took part in a completely different walk down memory lane. One of my work colleagues organised a ghost tour around King’s College campus for our work department and I, along with some friends and fellow student ambassadors, got to play the part of some of the ghosts. I do not want to give away too much, but I was a “loupin’ monk” looking for Bishop Elphinstone, the founder of our University. We had about thirty people on the walk and it was a huge success. The weather played along nicely, and the campus is really beautiful after dark, when all the ancient buildings are nicely illuminated. It really helped bring the ghost stories alive. While it is not a regular event (yet), I am hoping that I will get another chance to reprise the role before leaving Aberdeen.

Until the next time, be well in all things.

David

I don’t know what it is about November, but it always seems to be the month where my calendar starts to fill up and I tend to be running frantically from building to building. It may sound a tad stressful, but once it all gets going it’s actually quite good fun.

The month started with the last of the Halloween parties and the monthly AUSA council meeting. I sit on the Societies Union Committee, which is responsible for promoting societies and their social events, sorting out the distribution of money to different societies and giving advice, support and training to any society which needs it.  The council meeting itself was quite good fun, especially as Soc Union managed to get a few policies approved so our President was quite happy.

This week has involved the odd late night spent working on an important section of my project. I tend to have meetings with both my supervisors every week and twice a month I have to update them with the progress I have made so far. This week it is the research questions aspect of my project, and so far they seem to be shaping up quite nicely, though I think I have a fair bit to do before I can let my supervisors see them.    

And finally the last important date in my diary is Scottish Mental Health Research Network conference down in Glasgow, where there will be a lot of talks linked to my project and hopefully will be a good opportunity to network. I’m actually a bit nervous as I have never been to a conference before, and have never had to spend an entire day wandering around in a suit, but I have a feeling that this is the sleep deprivation talking.  

So fellow readers, as you can see life has become quite busy, so this blog post will be my last as a student ambassador. I have had an amazing three years working for the department and meeting new students, and will miss typing away about the random things I have been up to. But like they say, when one door closes another opens, so let’s see what happens next J

Nooreen