PhD Geography (Arts)

Aberystwyth University

The location is lovely despite it being quite out the way and a bit difficult to get to sometimes. All the staff have been great and really friendly, always helpful. The nightlife is great too with a huge variety of pubs and places to go.

Best -The way the lecturers really care and get involved with helping the students, they make the uni experience amazing. Worst -Covid happening during my degree.

Atmosphere on campus and quality of teaching were excellent Some facilities and services could receive better funding for improvement and renovation

Aberystwyth is a beautiful and tranquil place to study, away from the stress of the city. The staff and other students are very friendly and welcoming, and the course is very well put together. The only downside is the remote location, meaning that at times you can feel very isolated from cities, and homelife.

The views are absolutely stunning and despite what people may say about the weather in Wales, it's really not that bad and it makes the sunny days even more special! It's also quite unique in that there's very little suburban area, meaning you can walk ten minutes from university accommodation and be in complete countryside unable to see any other buildings. The walks around here are amazing and there's a huge variety to choose from. Whilst we're on the topic of walking, there is THE hill (Penglais Hill), and while most people get a taxi or bus up from town if they live in uni accommodation, it is easily walkable and definitely improves your fitness! One tip for choosing accommodation (at any university) is to look at a satellite image of the buildings and surrounding area, as well as the generic pictures, because what you might not be able to tell from the prospectus pictures is that there can be a very different vibe based on surroundings. For example, PJM and Fferm are both very open, and PJM in particular has lovely grassy expanses which make everything so much less claustrophobic, while Rosser, Cwrt Mawr and Trefloyne provide a more traditional uni halls feeling. Maintenance are very quick to sort any problems. The main downside of Aber is that from the outside the facilities don't always look the best, like the Hugh Owen library which looks a bit like a concrete bunker. However, this is because the money is spent on renovating the inside where students will actually spend their time, and you'd never guess how depressingly grey the outside is once you're in there! The societies and sports clubs are amazing and the people in them are so inclusive that you'll become like one close-knit family. The lecturers as well are very friendly and encourage you to actively participate in discussions. There's also the opportunity to take some modules through the medium of Welsh if you want to. We have regular surveys sent out where we can provide feedback on the modules, and there are academic reps who can relay any issues you might have to staff members. Overall, I couldn't recommend Aber enough and would encourage people to look past league tables etc (or look at the student satisfaction/teaching quality which Aber scores highly on) and think about where would you be happiest studying?