Rebecca James
WE ASKED STUDENTS from different departments to tell us what they wished they knew before they entered their halls, came to Aber, and started their course and these are the results:
Ashley Evans: Welsh, Film and Television
1) Everyone is in the same boat, so don’t be afraid to talk to people! They’ll appreciate the effort. Also, you’ll need far less stuff than you think you will. I brought loads of plates and mugs etc when it’s better if you only bring 2 lots and wash them each time. This also makes sure you don’t gather dishes!!
2) Everything is 5 mins away so think twice before bringing a car (you can’t park it on campus anyway!). Although it is very handy if you want to go exploring the beautiful Welsh countryside!!
3) The lecturers are lovely – make sure you keep a good working relationship with them, as they can give you a lot of guidance when it comes to work after graduating. And choose modules that suit you and your style of working!
Jim Wyke: Interpol
1) What do you wish you knew before you entered your halls? That it didn’t matter if you didn’t get on with your flat mates or that you didn’t have to make a huge effort to like them. There are plenty of other people to be friends with at university. It’s not the end of the world to not like your flatmates.
2) What do you wish you knew before you came to Aber? Where to buy cheap, healthy food.
3) What do you wish you knew before you started your course? Exactly where the lectures are. That it’s important to do the reading, and attend seminars.
Cameron Smyth: Interpol
1) That my Seafront halls WASN’T actually on the seafront.
2) How small it was (but still great).
3) I actually had to do work.
Miska Nd: Interpol
1) That living in town can be cheaper than halls.
2) How far away from the rest of the world Aber is.
3) No matter how much you hear you have to put in a great deal of individual work, you need to live it.
Kathryn Baker: Drama and Theatre Studies
1) How annoying the fire tests are, and how awesome pre-drinks are during freshers with every flat in your block.
2) Aber is a fishbowl – everyone knows everything!
3) That 9AM on a Wednesday was a thing.
Lucy Roberts: English and Creative Writing
1) I wish I knew how filthy people were going to be in halls, so I could have purchased a haz suit.
2/3) I felt like the university sent out a lot of information out about the course and the town. I also visited for the open day and spoke to all of my future lecturers and felt that they adequately prepared me for starting my degree.
Penny Fox: Business and Management
1) Welsh medium meant that they wouldn’t speak English at all.
2) I felt I knew most of the stuff already about coming to Aber.
3) I wish I had more information about what opportunities there were for sandwich degrees and studying abroad.
Katie Hope: Astro Physics
1) I wish I had visited the uni to see where all the halls were, but I do believe I picked the best one.
2) How big Penglais Hill was.
3) That there aren’t many optional modules to choose from in physics. I would also have preferred less maths based modules.
Guto Brosschot: Astro Phsyics
1) That catered halls would have suited me better.
2) That they have a DIGS league for football (I only found this out in my 2nd year).
3) That it was so hard.