The Official Ask Aston Thread

I have an ordinary degree from UK uni and unfortunately due to the COVID confusion, I was unable to apply timely to my uni to reappear the last year and make my qualification into Hons degree.

Now I am looking at applications for Masters at Aston, is an Hons degree required. Is there a way to top-up my degree or do a pre-masters that will get me towards the path to Aston? There are many organisations (like Kaplan Pathways) who are charging a big amount but I found that they don't support Aston for UK graduates.

I want to invest my time and money that will lead me closer to the goal. Or should I drop the idea of doing the Masters and focus on getting a job? Thanks

Hi there!

In first year most people like in various campus buildings which are all situated next to eachother such as Mary Sturge, William Murdoch and James Watt.

The general fee for Aston on campus (unite) accommodation is £146pw which is fairly average for Birmingham and I believe slightly less if you opt for a 7 bed flat with a smaller bed!

Each accommodation has a similar common room and facilities but I found in my first year James Watt was the most lively (as I believe it is the biggest).

I would definitely recommend living on campus in your first year to meet more people - a good way to get to know others in and around your accommodation is to join the Facebook group for your block or for your yesr of freshers - this is where I got to know a lot of people!

I hope this helps!

- Poppy

Yeah definitely! Also can you apply for accommodation if you put aston as insurance or is it firm only

Hi there!

In first year most people like in various campus buildings which are all situated next to eachother such as Mary Sturge, William Murdoch and James Watt.

The general fee for Aston on campus (unite) accommodation is £146pw which is fairly average for Birmingham and I believe slightly less if you opt for a 7 bed flat with a smaller bed!

Each accommodation has a similar common room and facilities but I found in my first year James Watt was the most lively (as I believe it is the biggest).

I would definitely recommend living on campus in your first year to meet more people - a good way to get to know others in and around your accommodation is to join the Facebook group for your block or for your yesr of freshers - this is where I got to know a lot of people!

I hope this helps!

- Poppy

Hey i applied to bentley house, do you think its a bad decision as first year and i should change to on campus? I dont party but i am very sociable so im stuck :/

Hi there,

I lived across from Bentley house in my second year of university and it’s a very sociable area with a lot of Aston and BCU students.

I think if you’re a sociable person you will meet a lot of friends however, they may not be first years or Aston students!

Bentley house is more modern than the on campus accommodation (hence the price) so it really depends what you are looking for - I do recommend living on campus in your first year as it is way easier to make friends but it is certainly not the only way!

I wouldn’t consider staying off campus a bad choice as it is so near by anyway! Maybe have a look on Facebook at some Aston freshers chats you may find others are staying there too!

If I’m honest - the best way I found to make friends is through clubs and societies rather than accommodation.

I hope this helps but do let me know if you have more questions!

- Poppy

what active societies are there and which do you recommend joining? i haven’t found any info on aston clubs and societies but i’m intrigued.Also is the uni diverse?

Hi Josh

For Aston's biomedical science course, how difficult is it to secure an NHS role for the placement year (part of the sandwich option)?

Thanks in advance!

Hiya, I have sent an email to the uni regarding this question and this is the reply from programme director. Tbh it sounds very competitive

Thank you very much!

I'm a prospective student atm, and I was just interested in how fierce competition will be.

I'm wondering if there is anything will get me a head start, as I still have a year before I start uni?
I'm wary that with the corona, placements haven't really happened for sixth formers, but do you think there's anything else that could make me stand out if I look to apply for a role in the future?

Thank you very much!

I'm a prospective student atm, and I was just interested in how fierce competition will be.

I'm wondering if there is anything will get me a head start, as I still have a year before I start uni?
I'm wary that with the corona, placements haven't really happened for sixth formers, but do you think there's anything else that could make me stand out if I look to apply for a role in the future?

Hi there,

I studied Biomedical Science at Aston and can confirm that getting the NHS placements are very competitive. I didn't apply for a placement year at all so I can't speak from personal experience, but I did speak to a few people who went on to do their placements at NHS labs. From what I understood, it is about keeping your grades up from the first year, looking and applying for placement spots early (some people left it till the last minute), and securing a good reference from the lecturers. Also, keep communication lines open with your personal tutor as he/she will be able to give you the best advice about where and how to apply as well as help you play to your strengths in your application.
Apart from NHS labs, there are a lot of other amazing placement opportunities for biomedical science students such as studying overseas, working for pharmaceutical companies, working in labs overseas, etc. Hope this has helped.

*Ethel

Hi all,

Has anyone studied any of the Psychology subjects at Aston? I'm looking at the Health Psychology MSc (online) course. I would love to know how you found it and whether the psychology department (lecturers) and all are good?

Thank you.