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Weather: it is drier compared to the west. Although it has been a lot more wet in the last year. It can get very cold and miserable in winter (Scottish government recommends residents to take Vitamin D supplements) as the days are very short in winter but long in the summer.
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Activities: you have Aberdeenshire if you're into outdoors. Union street doesn't have much going for it anymore but there are still a variety of shops. The council does events in the newly renovated union terrace gardens/around Marischal college (Christmas Market). There's also the art gallery, 2 theatres, 3 cinemas in the city centre so there's stuff to do if you look for them. The P&J is out in Dyce with good transport link (Airport coach 727), but no one big plays out here.
New restaurants/clubs do pop up from time to time so it depends on what you're into.
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Nightlife: can't speak much about this but there are still some crowds on the weekends, most night outs are based at the top of union street where there is a Weatherspoons etc. Aberdeen is very much a student city during term. During Freshers week, they have student ambassadors who hand out any offers etc on clubs. The Irish bars are popular with students and locals.
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Transport: very expensive for what it is. Firstbus/Stagecoach to get around Aberdeen, Firstbus has more routes. As a student, you can download their app and pay for a pass for the entire term, for example Garthdee is a 45 minutes walk from union street. Firstbus 1 and 2 travels between Garthdee (RGU) and Bridge of Don. Trains can be reasonable if you book this well in advance. Aberdeen airport doesn't have that many connections/direct flights, but a quick weekend away to London can be easily done.
Aberdeen is a good sized city as a student as it quite compact, you can walk anywhere. Private accommodation is reasonable (being mindful of bills etc), it's easy to get a 1 bedroom flat for £500/month but that can be lonely as a first year.
•
Weather: it is drier compared to the west. Although it has been a lot more wet in the last year. It can get very cold and miserable in winter (Scottish government recommends residents to take Vitamin D supplements) as the days are very short in winter but long in the summer.
•
Activities: you have Aberdeenshire if you're into outdoors. Union street doesn't have much going for it anymore but there are still a variety of shops. The council does events in the newly renovated union terrace gardens/around Marischal college (Christmas Market). There's also the art gallery, 2 theatres, 3 cinemas in the city centre so there's stuff to do if you look for them. The P&J is out in Dyce with good transport link (Airport coach 727), but no one big plays out here.
New restaurants/clubs do pop up from time to time so it depends on what you're into.
•
Nightlife: can't speak much about this but there are still some crowds on the weekends, most night outs are based at the top of union street where there is a Weatherspoons etc. Aberdeen is very much a student city during term. During Freshers week, they have student ambassadors who hand out any offers etc on clubs. The Irish bars are popular with students and locals.
•
Transport: very expensive for what it is. Firstbus/Stagecoach to get around Aberdeen, Firstbus has more routes. As a student, you can download their app and pay for a pass for the entire term, for example Garthdee is a 45 minutes walk from union street. Firstbus 1 and 2 travels between Garthdee (RGU) and Bridge of Don. Trains can be reasonable if you book this well in advance. Aberdeen airport doesn't have that many connections/direct flights, but a quick weekend away to London can be easily done.
Aberdeen is a good sized city as a student as it quite compact, you can walk anywhere. Private accommodation is reasonable (being mindful of bills etc), it's easy to get a 1 bedroom flat for £500/month but that can be lonely as a first year.
Thank you very much that was very thorough and insightful! Weather might be a problem for me as I struggle during the winter months, but I do love the outdoors so hopefully there are walking/ hiking/ conservation groups! 🙂
Weather is certainly a fair concern. I would say that Aberdeen typically is only a few degrees colder than further south parts of the UK but the wind certainly can be a factor. As the above poster mentions the days in winter do feel very short, but I feel it balances out with pretty dry summers and longer days, and today for instance it's lovely! Really up to yourself with what you feel comfortable with.
For student activities, it might be worth having a look through the societies our student union host: https://www.ausa.org.uk/getinvolved/activities/
As you can see there's a huge range of interests covered, from those related to subjects of study to sports to hobbies. The main one foe hillwalking is Lairig who have regular meetings at the climbing gym in Aberdeen and also arrange out of town trips for hikes. The Conservation Society is great too, they run some talks on ecology and activities like litter picks and other nature-based volunteering!
As for transport, I think the above is a pretty reasonable assessment. I do think it's worth mentioning though that the city is very walkable, as they say it does feel like a small town and walking from the train station in the city centre to campus for instance is just 40 mins walk at most.
If you have any more questions about our university then just let us know and we would be happy to help! I'm also a previous student here who studied a few years ago so can give you more info on student activities if you'd like.
- Matthew, Enquiry Team
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Anyone at Aberdeen University, living at hillhead know a place that will deliver
