Archaeology and Art History - MA (Hons)

University of Aberdeen

Love the campus and classes! Think accommodation is pretty average and could be cleaner, but I love my flat and the friends I’ve made in flatmates. Not the biggest range of activities in the Union but still plenty of events.

It's a beautiful campus and the majority of the staff are absolutely amazing and lovely. I wish there were more drinking (alcohol) socials and music events in the union though as we have nothing like that compared to other unis I was considering.

I like the opportunities and the department here for my course, also the student life here is great with all the societies on offer, I've made many friends from all sorts of degrees, recently on my course I've went on many field days outside the University and have connected with with my classmates, the campus and everything on offer here is wonderful!!

Best: I love the university campus. It's really close to everything you'd need (including the accommodation village, which is a 20 minute walk - a nice walk through a really pretty park, I might add - or 10 minute bus ride away). The standard of teaching is truly excellent, and the lecturers are all so lovely. There's a LOT of support for students, and coming from someone who suffers with mental health I've never experienced an academic institution that truly prioritises the mental wellbeing of its students. Lots of institutions claim to be concerned about the wellbeing of its students, but the University of Aberdeen is one of very few that are actually proactive and are genuinely interested in maintaining its students wellbeing. Worst: The city centre. Rather than one big shopping centre as is usually the norm, there are 3 smaller ones which makes it confusing to know where to go to do your shopping. Also it's not the safest city centre (although in Aberdeen's defence, I suppose most city centres in any town is going to have problems). To do with the university itself, my only complaint really is that some events (such as movie nights in the accommodation) are not well planned and can sometimes be later than advertised due to poor planning. Sometimes the buildings are hard to find, in the sense that sometimes to enter a building you have to go around the back of a carpark. It's not always clear how to get to your building and sometimes your key card doesn't always work to let you into a building.

Studying Archaeology at Aberdeen was the best decision I’ve ever made, I love the department and work so much I’m staying on for a masters. The lecturers have been generous with their time and expertise, and have supported me at every stage of my learning. The downside has been university management and the student union, which is severely lacking. If you are considering it I would definitely say to go ahead, you won’t regret it!