Current Aberystwyth Student – Ask me anything!

OP

Original post by Hollymay2001

Hi Rebecca!

I've applied for Equine and veterinary Biosciences, which I am really excited for, and I was just wondering if there are any books or websites you can recommend ahead of starting the course that might be useful now we all have some time on our hands?
I was also wondering if there's a society where you can ride and work with horses as I work at a stables currently and would love to keep that up if possible?

hope you're keeping well!

Hi @Hollymay2001,

I’m glad you’re looking forward to studying at Aberystwyth :smile:

Looking over A Level Biology content may be a useful, just to keep all the information fresh and increase your understanding. But don’t worry at the start of term the lecturers understand that everyone has come from different backgrounds and there is a recap over these topics.

Course coordinators will send out reading lists closer to the time but it may be worth emailing and asking if there are any resources they suggest. There is definitely no need to buy books, the library is very well stocked.

However personally the best book I bought for first year (I’ve also used it for second year) has been Anatomy and Physiology of Farm animals by R.D Frandson. I bought the 6th edition online and it was a lot cheaper than the current edition with only a few changes. But I do believe there is a PDF copy of the current edition online. I found it very useful for Applied Animal Biology and Equine Anatomy and Physiology.

In terms of websites, if you are interested in doing a bit of further reading and researching any topics that interest you nadis.org.uk is a really good resource for finding out about different diseases.

One of the lecturers who takes part of Disease Diagnosis and Control module in your first year works as a Veterinary Investigation Officer at the Wales Veterinary Science Centre and they produce monthly Newsletters which are interesting to read and count towards Further reading for that module (www.wvsc.wales/latest-news/).

Recently I’ve been completing a few free online courses on futurelearn.com. There are quite a few Veterinary related courses on there, that might me worth checking out.

The Equestrian Society at Aberystwyth organises riding lessons, competes in BUCS, runs termly hacks around the Welsh countryside as well as hosting weekly socials. Here is a link with some more information.

Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any more question :smile:

Rebecca

Reply 3

Molly reid 03

Hi!
I am thinking of applying to Aberystwyth for History, but it would be really helpful to get some questions answered before I do, especially as I can't go and visit it atm.
How far is campus from town?
What is the campus like?
Is it easy to get from Aberystwyth to other places in Wales without a car?
Do a lot of people speak Welsh?
Is there lots to do in Aberystwyth?
I am not massively into clubbing/drinking, will I find many people like me at Aberystwyth?
Thank you so much!
Molly

Reply 4

OP

Original post by Molly reid 03

Hi!
I am thinking of applying to Aberystwyth for History, but it would be really helpful to get some questions answered before I do, especially as I can't go and visit it atm.
How far is campus from town?
What is the campus like?
Is it easy to get from Aberystwyth to other places in Wales without a car?
Do a lot of people speak Welsh?
Is there lots to do in Aberystwyth?
I am not massively into clubbing/drinking, will I find many people like me at Aberystwyth?
Thank you so much!
Molly

Hi @Molly reid 03,

The campus is about a 20 minute walk from town, however there is also a regular bus. Compared to other city campuses the main Aberystwyth campus is quite compact, everything is quite close together. Most of the University accommodation is just above the campus or on the other side of the road, however there is other University accommodation on the seafront, which is about a 25-30 minute walk away.

Aberystwyth is well connected by both bus and train. Traws Cymru bus service currently offer free weekend travel making it easy to explore. Despite being more remote, day trips to Birmingham, Cardiff and Shrewsbury etc are feasible. I don’t have a car but I have managed to get around quite a bit, in particular around Snowdonia National Park as well as the Elan Valley area.

There are quite a few Welsh speakers amongst the students, staff and locals. However most of the students are not Welsh speakers. However, there are plenty of opportunities for you to improve your Welsh if you are interested, there are subsidised courses available via the University! Or if you do speak Welsh, you have the opportunity to live in Welsh speaking accommodation and take modules in Welsh. You may also be interested in finding out more about the UMCA, where there is opportunities to be involved in welsh speaking sports and societies.

Aberystwyth is a great place to be a student, there is a great feel to the town and there is always plenty to do and see. Despite being a smaller town there is plenty of things to do in the town and on the door step. Exploring the many breakfast/brunch/coffee options in Aberystwyth is also a firm favourite weekend activity for me too. Events held by the Student Union, such as Superteams, AberChallenge and Rugby 7s, are definitely highlights to a lot of Aber students years too! There are also plenty of volunteering opportunities, if that is something that interests you.

There definitely are people who are not into clubbing and drinking. Whatever University you go to there will be people who are not keen on clubbing and going out. Most of the sports clubs and societies hold sober socials and non-drinking activities. There is never any expectation to drink if you do not want to.

I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any more questions!

Rebecca

Reply 5

Hannah-151

Hi Rebecca, my name is Hannah. I am currently in year 12 studying for my A-Levels and am considering coming to Aberystwyth to study physical Geography. Could you tell me a bit more about the city itself and what sort of things facilities the university has. Thanks!

Reply 6

OP

Hi @Hannah-151

Aberystwyth is a great place to be a student, there is a great feel to the town and there is always plenty to do and see. Despite being a smaller town there is plenty of things to do in the town and on the doorstep. The University has a very friendly and welcoming feel.

Aberystwyth is a great place to study Geography as we are set in Cardigan Bay and surrounded by a range of habitats including marine, moorland, mountain and grassland, making for some great fieldwork opportunities!

On campus there are there are two well stocked libraries, with access to computers, group study rooms, individual study carrels, quiet group study areas, printing, photocopying, and scanning etc.

The national Library of Wales is just below the campus. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, in addition to the largest collections of archives, maps, portraits and photographic images in Wales.

The sports centre on campus has a range of facilities and services, including a swimming pool, sauna, gym, climbing wall, squash courts, free weights room, dance room, tennis courts, running track and 3g pitch, in a addition to a number of different classes. All of these facilities and classes are free to use if you live in University accommodation.

The student’s union on campus has a Starbucks, bar, computer rooms, a small shop, as well as offering food.

There are also several hospitality services on campus – everything from just a quick snack to a evening meal is available from several sites around the campus.

The Arts centre on campus has a café, gift shop, book shop, cinema, and theatre. The Arts centre often attracts some big names from comedy to music and various speakers.

You can do a virtual tour of some areas of the campus and have a look at some of the facilities.

Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any more questions!
Rebecca

Reply 7

Em876

Original post by Hollymay2001

Hi Rebecca!

I've applied for Equine and veterinary Biosciences, which I am really excited for, and I was just wondering if there are any books or websites you can recommend ahead of starting the course that might be useful now we all have some time on our hands?
I was also wondering if there's a society where you can ride and work with horses as I work at a stables currently and would love to keep that up if possible?

hope you're keeping well!

I literally had the exact same question as you as I am also doing Bioveterinary Science and I love horses, guess I might see you at aber in September :smile:

- you can follow the equestrian team on instagram :smile:

Reply 8

Hollymay2001

7

Original post by Em876

I literally had the exact same question as you as I am also doing Bioveterinary Science and I love horses, guess I might see you at aber in September :smile:

- you can follow the equestrian team on instagram :smile:

wow that's so great can't wait to meet you!!

Reply 9

Hannah-151

Original post by Aberystwyth University Student Ambassador

Hi @Hannah-151

Aberystwyth is a great place to be a student, there is a great feel to the town and there is always plenty to do and see. Despite being a smaller town there is plenty of things to do in the town and on the doorstep. The University has a very friendly and welcoming feel.

Aberystwyth is a great place to study Geography as we are set in Cardigan Bay and surrounded by a range of habitats including marine, moorland, mountain and grassland, making for some great fieldwork opportunities!

On campus there are there are two well stocked libraries, with access to computers, group study rooms, individual study carrels, quiet group study areas, printing, photocopying, and scanning etc.

The national Library of Wales is just below the campus. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, in addition to the largest collections of archives, maps, portraits and photographic images in Wales.

The sports centre on campus has a range of facilities and services, including a swimming pool, sauna, gym, climbing wall, squash courts, free weights room, dance room, tennis courts, running track and 3g pitch, in a addition to a number of different classes. All of these facilities and classes are free to use if you live in University accommodation.

The student’s union on campus has a Starbucks, bar, computer rooms, a small shop, as well as offering food.

There are also several hospitality services on campus – everything from just a quick snack to a evening meal is available from several sites around the campus.

The Arts centre on campus has a café, gift shop, book shop, cinema, and theatre. The Arts centre often attracts some big names from comedy to music and various speakers.

You can do a virtual tour of some areas of the campus and have a look at some of the facilities.

Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any more questions!
Rebecca

Hi Rebecca, thank you! your answer had definitely answered my questions :smile:

Reply 10

Molly reid 03

Original post by Aberystwyth University Student Ambassador

Hi @Molly reid 03,

The campus is about a 20 minute walk from town, however there is also a regular bus. Compared to other city campuses the main Aberystwyth campus is quite compact, everything is quite close together. Most of the University accommodation is just above the campus or on the other side of the road, however there is other University accommodation on the seafront, which is about a 25-30 minute walk away.

Aberystwyth is well connected by both bus and train. Traws Cymru bus service currently offer free weekend travel making it easy to explore. Despite being more remote, day trips to Birmingham, Cardiff and Shrewsbury etc are feasible. I don’t have a car but I have managed to get around quite a bit, in particular around Snowdonia National Park as well as the Elan Valley area.

There are quite a few Welsh speakers amongst the students, staff and locals. However most of the students are not Welsh speakers. However, there are plenty of opportunities for you to improve your Welsh if you are interested, there are subsidised courses available via the University! Or if you do speak Welsh, you have the opportunity to live in Welsh speaking accommodation and take modules in Welsh. You may also be interested in finding out more about the UMCA, where there is opportunities to be involved in welsh speaking sports and societies.

Aberystwyth is a great place to be a student, there is a great feel to the town and there is always plenty to do and see. Despite being a smaller town there is plenty of things to do in the town and on the door step. Exploring the many breakfast/brunch/coffee options in Aberystwyth is also a firm favourite weekend activity for me too. Events held by the Student Union, such as Superteams, AberChallenge and Rugby 7s, are definitely highlights to a lot of Aber students years too! There are also plenty of volunteering opportunities, if that is something that interests you.

There definitely are people who are not into clubbing and drinking. Whatever University you go to there will be people who are not keen on clubbing and going out. Most of the sports clubs and societies hold sober socials and non-drinking activities. There is never any expectation to drink if you do not want to.

I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any more questions!

Rebecca

Ah, great! Thanks for all the help!

Reply 11

Anonymous #1

How's life in Aber and is Comp Science one of the great courses to choose from in this uni?

Reply 12

OP

Original post by Anonymous

How's life in Aber and is Comp Science one of the great courses to choose from in this uni?

Hi,
I am really enjoying my time here. Aberystwyth is a great place to be a student, there is a great feel to the town and there is always plenty to do and see. The University has a very friendly and welcoming feel and has even been named Welsh University of the Year for 2020 in The Sunday Times Good University Guide. The teaching quality is very high, The Sunday Times Good University Guide has been named the University of the Year in 2018 and 2019 for Teaching quality.

The town is well known for being a very safe place to live and has a very friendly atmosphere attracts many students here, including myself. Although Aberystwyth is a small town the nightlife is great, there a lot of pubs as well as cocktail bars and two clubs. It is very reasonably priced, especially when compared to a lot of the cities. There are lots of cafes and shops, as well as several supermarkets (Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl, M&S and Iceland) that are all very accessible. There is plenty to do in the surrounding area as well with Snowdonia National Park on the doorstep and Birmingham, Cardiff and Shrewsbury are very accessible for a day trip.

Computer Science here at Aberystwyth in in the Top 15 in the UK for Graduate Prospects for the subject of Computer Science (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019). The course is accredited by the BCS (the Chartered Institute for IT) on behalf of the Engineering Council, allowing you to develop skills required by the industry. At Aberystwyth there is access to a wide range of resources including dedicated Linux, Mac OS X laboratories and central servers in addition to robotic equipment including Arduinos, mobile robots and sailing robots. The course is taught by lecturers who have close links with the industry and software engineering conferences, ensuring that you are learning from cutting-edge research and the latest technologies.

I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any further questions.

Rebecca 😊

Reply 13

Peachj

5

hello

i'm applying to study veterinary medicine aberystwyth/RVC starting for the first time in 2021. i will be applying as a mature student (il be 26 by then) - is there dedicated accom for vet students/ and or mature students ? id probably look at renting privately near by if not ! do many people do this ?

is the new veterinary education centre built yet ? its difficult to find much info about the course just yet ! what are the farm and equine facilities like and are they close by ?

thanks !!

Reply 14

OP

Original post by Peachj

hello

i'm applying to study veterinary medicine aberystwyth/RVC starting for the first time in 2021. i will be applying as a mature student (il be 26 by then) - is there dedicated accom for vet students/ and or mature students ? id probably look at renting privately near by if not ! do many people do this ?

is the new veterinary education centre built yet ? its difficult to find much info about the course just yet ! what are the farm and equine facilities like and are they close by ?

thanks !!

Hi @Peachj,

This is the information I have found regarding accommodation – “Once students have made Aberystwyth their firm or insurance choice they will be in a position to apply for accommodation online. Invites to apply will be sent by post and by email from around mid-March onwards with instructions on How to Apply which can also be found on the website and encourage students to check the full information prior to applying for accommodation. Further information can also be found linked to our Accommodation webpage to assist you with your accommodation choices and other useful information. We operate an electronic allocation system however specific requests can be made by completing an Association Form which forms part of the required steps when completing the licence pack. This will be at a later date once you become unconditional. Students of the same age are generally allocated together in houses or flats. If you have any queries once you are offered accommodation then, do not hesitate to contact us at the Accommodation Office.”.

The majority of University owned accommodation is only a short walk away from the campus and there is a range of accommodation to suit all budgets, styles (shared flat/ensuite/studio), meal options and length of licences. You can compare the University options here.
.
There is also the option to rent privately in Aberystwyth, more advice can be found here.

The construction of the Veterinary Education Centre is yet to be finished but it will be located on the main campus, more information can be found here.

Lluest Equine centre is about a 20 minute walk away from the main campus, however you can also get there by car and bus. There are a wide range of facilities including International-sized indoor arena, Outdoor school, Horsewalker, round pen and demonstration boxes. Additionally the University owns several horses here. They hold events such as lecture demonstrations annual Equine Reproduction Colloquium (CFER).

I have visited the Dairy farm a couple of times for practicals. It is a well-run dairy farm, using all the current research and technologies. They are currently in the process of converting their rotary parlour to a robotic milking system. The dairy farm is about a 30 minute drive from campus, we’ve always been taken in minibuses.

At Gogerddan they lamb around 800 sheep a year indoors, there is a wide range of facilities and other research carried out here. Gogerddan farm is 15 minutes drive from Penglais campus.

In addition to these facilities there are a number of other local farms with connections to the University.

I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any more questions 😊
Rebecca

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 15

rhievans4

5

Hi! I'm currently studying for AS level exams in year 12 and I'm looking to come to Aberystwyth to study psychology and counselling.I was just wondering if there's any accommodation that you recommended.thank you, Rhiannon.

Reply 16

OP

Original post by rhievans4

Hi! I'm currently studying for AS level exams in year 12 and I'm looking to come to Aberystwyth to study psychology and counselling.I was just wondering if there's any accommodation that you recommended.thank you, Rhiannon.

Hi @rhievans4 ,

I am a current 2nd year student at Aberystwyth, and I am really enjoying it here!

There are a range of different accommodation options here at Aberystwyth and it really depends what you are looking for, your budget and what facilities you want. There is also the option to live in

You can compare the University options here. You can also do a virtual tour of all the University accommodation options here.

In my first year of University I lived in Pentre Jane Morgan and I really enjoyed it. I really liked living in a house rather than a flat. It was a bit quieter and there was lots of outdoor space near our house. The view walking from our house over to University each morning was also amazing!

I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any more questions 😊

Rebecca

Reply 17

Cymru2001

1

Hi - is it possible to buy secondhand books from students who have finished their course? I am starting in Year 1 in September 2020, studying a Joint Honours in Film & Television Studies with Creative Writing.

Many thanks.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 18

OP