Aberystwyth Freshers 2014

Hi guys, I know this is early but I thought this thread would be useful in the future for all new Aberystwyth students.

Come on in and introduce yourself and meet others who are in the same sheepskin lined boat .

Let me introduce myself,

Name: Emma
Course: History of Art
Accommodation: Cwrt Mawr
Most looking forward to : Moving in and meeting all you guys

Posted from TSR Mobile

Hi guys, I know this is early but I thought this thread would be useful in the future for all new Aberystwyth students.

Come on in and introduce yourself and meet others who are in the same sheepskin lined boat .

Let me introduce myself,

Name: Emma
Course: History of Art
Accommodation: Cwrt Mawr
Most looking forward to : Moving in and meeting all you guys

Posted from TSR Mobile

Hi Emma

Great idea at starting the thread! it's going to be a popular one. We have an Introduce Yourself Thread already made... you can find it here

Thanks to gagaslilmonsteruk for the epic introduction into Aberystwyth life! hehe... What date are you coming to Aber Emma? Are you all set with accommodation, etc?

Cheers,
James

Hey Emma, welcome to the university of Aberystwyth - you're going to love it!
I'm going to be a (returning) final year student this year and I do French and Film and Television. I've never been to Cwrt Mawr myself, but the security is very good there, and it's a stones throw away from lectures - unless you're unlucky enough to have some courses at Llanbardarn campus, which is a 30 minute walk/or a bus ride away. Cwrt Mawr is surrounded by Trefloyne and Rosser, and is a 90 second walk from Pentre Jane Morgan Student Village, which is the other side of the bridge/road (bridge is much quicker as there are loads of cars on that hill regardless of time of day!). Seeing as you do History of Art, most of the arty stuff actually takes place in town next to the Brynderw accommodation at the bottom of the hill (about 20 minutes walking time), and 5 mins walk from the train station. If you have a course at the Old college - or as a lot of us call it 'Hogwarts' - it's an additional 10 minutes walking time and situated right where North and South Beaches meet, and if you have a couple of courses there with a break, you can nip over to Costa or Subway or an independent café and have plenty of time to get back.
The fire bells go off once a week, and a proper full on practice evacuation once per term. The library I believe tests once a fortnight. First year, my accommodations (Brynderw and Rosser (left Brynderw due to personal problems with a housemate)) were on different days of the week. Brynderw was usually a Friday morning around 10-12, but Rosser was any time between 8.30 and 10.30. PJM however was on a Wednesday afternoon around 3.30pm. Full on practice evacuations take place usually mid-week, about 2 or 3 weeks into term and they are very much like they were at school, but instead of being registered, you give your names and inform about missing housemates, or housemates who are at home or in another part of the uni or away somewhere. Evacuations take place usually around sunrise, and sometimes you can tell when your turn is coming, as you can hear a house nearby having theirs. PJM is so big, it usually takes 3 days to cover every house in that accommodation alone. Most of my evacuations in 2nd year took place between 7 and 8.30am and last around 5-10 minutes. Also inspections take place twice per term. One communal inspection usually 2nd or 3rd week in, and a full inspection around week 6/7. A full inspection is rooms + communal areas. If you fail, you get one day to rectify your errors and then after that, if they fail you again they call a cleaning team out and it comes out of your deposit. My house in 2nd year often failed the communals, but we always passed second time - usually it was that we forgot to empty the crumbs from the toaster or something as trivial as that.
Taxis to accommodation are very cheap, as are bus fares, but buses aren't very often. It's often easiest to do your shopping at the Co-Op as there is a taxi rank situated nearby and fares are good. Spar, and particularly CKs, are great for oddments, but very quickly add up, so try not to use them too often! In shops, there is a 5p fee for plastic bags, even in shops that don't charge for bags in England.
If you ever fancy a weekend away, don't think or expect Cardiff is easy to get to. It's either a 4 hour bus ride or 6 hours by train (with a change in England at Shrewsbury). For weekends away, it is often much easier to head for Carmarthen, Bangor, Swansea, Birmingham, Shrewsbury or Manchester. National Express run 1 service a day to London, and the trains are only ever bound for Birmingham 1 x 2 carriage train every 2 hours (trains after 7.30pm only go as far as Machynlleth - 30 minutes away). First train of the day is 5.14am and last one is 11.30pm. Additional carriages are added/or if coming into Aber, taken away at Machynlleth (where the other service heads for Pwheli - so make sure you're on the right part!).
Nights out are fairly cheap, and most start as pre-drinking at someone's or at Wetherspoon. There are 2 nightclubs - Y Not (known to locals and students as Yokos); some nights its free to get in if you have student ID, but it's not exactly the best club I've been to. I've also heard from friends that the women's toilets there are a nightmare as the stairs are very steep, so don't go there with heels that are high! Pier Pressure is £3 entry, and plays cheesy pop - expect a LOT of S Club 7 and Five. There are occasional nights for alternative music "Black House" - mainly ska, Drum and Bass, usually at the arts centre. The cinema is £4.50, and there is usually only 1 screen, 1 screening and 1 film per week, but its a lot cheaper than the alternative at the arts centre. The films arrive there a few weeks after the rest of the UK, but the really popular ones (Twilight/Hunger Games) come out at the same time.
Good bars are; Rummers, Wetherspoon, Salt, Varsity (I think they closed it, but if not, it's ace!), Cambrian, Harry's, Downies Vaults, Inn on the Pier (KARAOKE!), the Glengower Hotel, Academy, and although its not everyone's cup of tea, most people end up at the angel - (The bar that's like marmite; open late, very popular, but geared towards a very specific type of people, particularly on event nights).
If you have anything else to ask me, subject related or accommodation or anything else - Inbox or quote me! Enjoy Aber, because you will make friends and memories for life there!