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Abertay University

Who's going to Abertay?

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Reply 60
Original post by caiitlinz
It's okay c: Yeah, Courthouse is private, right? Do you know how many people it is to a flat? It's just going to be succchhh a stress organising accoms, insurance, bank accounts etc 3 weeks before Freshers... oh well.

Yes, I can't wait to get on the course! I'm guessing you're going into 2nd year of it? n__n Any tips you can give me? >__>



Yeah it's private, I think it's about the same price as Opal too. It's four people to a flat, and the kitchen is in the living room so it's all pretty open and good for parties. Last year it was decent for freshers week and every one tends to invite every one else to their flat to drink, and then three of the busiest clubs are on the next street. I think Courthouse residents can get keyrings and special stuff to skip the queue all year, but it might not always work. Also Abertay Union (and uni) and Dundee Union are five mins walk away in opposite directions.

The only bad things I know about Courthouse are the frequent flat inspections (compared to Opal at least) and also, if the fire alarm goes off you have to wait about half an hour for some dude in a van to come and turn it off.

Umm, not sure on tips for the course really. Try getting a decent tablet to use, try to be slightly familiar with Flash, Photoshop and Maya in advance, and stock up on decent sketchbooks. Once you get your student card you should go down to the Dundee Uni art shop on Perth Road, because they sell high quality stuff at half the prices of the art shops in town.

If you've got any other questions feel free to ask. :smile:
(edited 12 years ago)
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Abertay University
Original post by Surfpop
Yeah it's private, I think it's about the same price as Opal too. It's four people to a flat, and the kitchen is in the living room so it's all pretty open and good for parties. Last year it was decent for freshers week and every one tends to invite every one else to their flat to drink, and then three of the busiest clubs are on the next street. I think Courthouse residents can get keyrings and special stuff to skip the queue all year, but it might not always work. Also Abertay Union (and uni) and Dundee Union are five mins walk away in opposite directions.

The only bad things I know about Courthouse are the frequent flat inspections (compared to Opal at least) and also, if the fire alarm goes off you have to wait about half an hour for some dude in a van to come and turn it off.

Umm, not sure on tips for the course really. Try getting a decent tablet to use, try to be slightly familiar with Flash, Photoshop and Maya in advance, and stock up on decent sketchbooks. Once you get your student card you should go down to the Dundee Uni art shop on Perth Road, because they sell high quality stuff at half the prices of the art shops in town.

If you've got any other questions feel free to ask. :smile:


Wow, thanks for the info! I think that looks like a viable option if Opal isn't available. I'm going to start looking into it now c:

I've got my Intuos 4S already (although the pen is almost broken...), and I'm pretty familiar with Photoshop, not so much Flash, and not at all Maya (although I can kinda use Mudbox! >__>) Yeah, the sketchbooks I had for A2 were amazing but I can't seem to find them anywhere :frown: I'll definitely be checking out that srt shop: non-uni ones are such a rip...

Actually, one more question. How much of the work in first year is sketchbook/traditional based? c:
Reply 62
Original post by caiitlinz
Wow, thanks for the info! I think that looks like a viable option if Opal isn't available. I'm going to start looking into it now c:

I've got my Intuos 4S already (although the pen is almost broken...), and I'm pretty familiar with Photoshop, not so much Flash, and not at all Maya (although I can kinda use Mudbox! >__>) Yeah, the sketchbooks I had for A2 were amazing but I can't seem to find them anywhere :frown: I'll definitely be checking out that srt shop: non-uni ones are such a rip...

Actually, one more question. How much of the work in first year is sketchbook/traditional based? c:


Well unless they have changed the course a little bit this year, you'll find sketchbooks and traditional art are a huge part of it. Every module except audio requires a packed sketchbook of progression with ideas, leading up to your final piece. Although it depends on what sort of idea you go with, some ideas might require more digital work.

Personally 90% of my work for Vis Lit (the photoshoppy module) was traditional art in sketchbooks, and then my final pieces were done on photoshop and GIMP based around all the research and art I'd done in the sketchbook.

For some modules you'll have to give a final piece done on Flash, but the tutor will want a sketchbook of research and ideas leading up to that final piece. In our first term everybody had a crap sketchbook, so at the start of second term the tutor gave us an hour lesson on how to do a decent sketchbook.

You'll be fine with very little knowledge of Flash and Maya, I was clueless with both and got a decent grade for those modules. You get taught the basics very slowly, and if you get the same Maya guy that I did he's a legend.
Reply 63
Sociology and Alloway Halls! :smile:
Reply 64
Original post by J.Bell
Sociology and Alloway Halls! :smile:


Civil engineering and Alloway halls ! lol See you there :biggrin:
Reply 65
Original post by caiitlinz
Hmm, okay. Yeah, Alloway seems alright (and I guess it is a lot cheaper!) I just really liked opal when I visited XD I guess we'll see when it comes to the 18th...

I'm going for Computer Arts c: I guess we'll probably be working together some time in the next four years! XD


The Opal rooms the university has allocated to them are booked up but they give you the option to book direct with opal.
Reply 66
Oh btw, if anyone can help: I made my rent pre-payment yesterday for my first month at Alloway. When you do this, should you get e-mail confirmation or anything? They havn't sent me anything, but I have all the proof that I paid.
Reply 67

Original post by GG01
Civil engineering and Alloway halls ! lol See you there :biggrin:


Good stuff, what flat?
Reply 68

Original post by GG01
Oh btw, if anyone can help: I made my rent pre-payment yesterday for my first month at Alloway. When you do this, should you get e-mail confirmation or anything? They havn't sent me anything, but I have all the proof that I paid.


I don't think you get anything, I got my parents to pay all my rent for the year at once so we got the discount and we had to actually print the confirmation page to have any kind of proof
Reply 69

Had a look through my first year emails and it would seem you are right, accommo only send reminders to pay rent. though they should stack it all up on advance. so you start the year "in debt" to the total annual cost but it is due each month, there is a report telling you what you are due on oasis so if you've paid it all at the start it should indicate that you are due 0 already.
Reply 70
Original post by J.Bell
Sociology and Alloway Halls! :smile:



Original post by GG01
Civil engineering and Alloway halls ! lol See you there :biggrin:


Game Design & Alloway halls, see ya both there! ;D
Original post by Rory :)
The Opal rooms the university has allocated to them are booked up but they give you the option to book direct with opal.


Thanks c: Now to see where I can actually get come results day...
Reply 72
Original post by ThatEmoKid

Original post by ThatEmoKid
Game Design & Alloway halls, see ya both there! ;D


What flat?
Reply 73
Original post by J.Bell
What flat?

18/7, i'm guessing the treck up the stairs is going to be torture :'( What about you? :biggrin:
Reply 74
Opal was way fun last year, there was a lot of parties in every flat and the walls were thick enough so that you could easily get to sleep too, there was maybe only a couple of nights I couldn't sleep due to noise and that was because we had some girl in our flat that always screamed when she got drunk, but yeah, if there's still spaces left, go for Opal!
Reply 75
Original post by jxcx
Opal was way fun last year, there was a lot of parties in every flat and the walls were thick enough so that you could easily get to sleep too, there was maybe only a couple of nights I couldn't sleep due to noise and that was because we had some girl in our flat that always screamed when she got drunk, but yeah, if there's still spaces left, go for Opal!


Sadly, there's none :frown:
Reply 76
Original post by ThatEmoKid

Original post by ThatEmoKid
18/7, i'm guessing the treck up the stairs is going to be torture :'( What about you? :biggrin:


Flat 2
Reply 77
Original post by J.Bell
Flat 2


I'll be walking by your flat to get to my block! woot woot! :biggrin:
Reply 78
Hello everyone,
I'm a guy from Estonia entering Abertay this year for ethical hacking course and I'm staying in Opal.

I do a lot of cycling and here are lots of questions regarding it:

1. Is it safe to use Opal bicycle parking for a racing bike? Can I insure it? How does the parking look like, because I couldn't find any pics on the Internet?
2. How bad is the climate? Should I forget about sunny days road cycling without getting all covered in water and dirt?
3. Is it possible to store a set of tires in my room or anywhere else?
4. Are there any good cross country tracks nearby? With single-tracks, mud showers etc because I love those.
5. Are there any cyclists at Abertay?
6. And finally, will I have ~6 hours a week for my cycling needs? :smile:
Reply 79
Original post by panda s
Hello everyone,
I'm a guy from Estonia entering Abertay this year for ethical hacking course and I'm staying in Opal.

I do a lot of cycling and here are lots of questions regarding it:

1. Is it safe to use Opal bicycle parking for a racing bike? Can I insure it? How does the parking look like, because I couldn't find any pics on the Internet?
2. How bad is the climate? Should I forget about sunny days road cycling without getting all covered in water and dirt?
3. Is it possible to store a set of tires in my room or anywhere else?
4. Are there any good cross country tracks nearby? With single-tracks, mud showers etc because I love those.
5. Are there any cyclists at Abertay?
6. And finally, will I have ~6 hours a week for my cycling needs? :smile:


I don't cycle, but I lived at Opal and study at Abertay so can answer a few questions!

1. Their bike storage seems pretty secure. It's indoors and you need a key to get to it, but you might want to phone Opal and ask more details.

2. Dundee has crazy weather. Some days it'll be boiling hot, others it'll be snowing and hailing. When I got to Dundee in September 2010 we had a lot of sun and warm weather right until the end of October. This summer has been a mix of hot sunny days and rain.

3. Should be fine in your room, nobody from Opal would tell you not to.

4. Not sure.

5. Well I saw a lot of bikes being stored at Opal so I'd assume so.

6. Dunno about ethical hacking, but on my course I'd have enough time to cycle for 6 hours a day, 7 days a week... not that I do, but uni doesn't take up much time.

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