[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] The College is part of University of Wales.[EBOLD][PARA]On the coast of mid-Wales is a little fishing town with a [PARA]promenade of brightly painted houses on the sea front, a pier, the[PARA]ruins of a 12th-century castle and an unspellable name. It's a [PARA]remote place and chilly when the winter winds whistle across [PARA]Cardigan Bay, but [ITAL]there is a human warmth and relaxed tone [PARA]about the town[EITAL]. Apart from the sea front, it's not quite as quaint [PARA]as it sounds, although the mountains (well, big hills) spreading [PARA]inland make for an inspiring landscape. Up the side of one of [PARA]these hills, less than a mile from the town centre, sits the main [PARA]Penglais campus of the University. Here the wind blows as hard [PARA]as a heavy night on baked beans and [ITAL]the panoramic view is [PARA]splendid[EITAL]: the whole bay, the hills and the Afon Rheidol flowing [PARA]through the town below. Aber, as it's known to those in the know,[PARA]was one of the first of the Welsh colleges and the oldest [PARA]buildings are classic Victorian stuff. Most of the College is 60s [PARA]modernist architecture - ie concrete blocks, [ITAL]although they're [PARA]nicely spaced and you'd be surprised how interesting concrete [PARA]can be with a bit of effort. [EITAL]The 2nd site, a couple of miles outside [PARA]town at the village of Llanbadarn, [ITAL]is a pleasant scene and a [PARA]secluded one, even by Aber standards.[EITAL] Only 400 students are [PARA]based there (studying Librarianship and Information Science) and[PARA]they travel frequently to the main site and the town centre.[HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Because the campus is small and there are fewer than 5,000 [PARA]students, it's hard to avoid bumping into friends and foes [PARA]constantly, particularly when crossing the paved concourse in the[PARA]middle of the campus. This is great as the students are a really [PARA]friendly crowd, and even though Aber's one of the country's [PARA]most remote colleges and there's little chance to escape, the [PARA]sense of space in the stunning views helps stave off any feelings[PARA]of claustrophobia. There's plenty to do if you want, but there's no [PARA]pressure on anyone - jus' mellow. As far as students are [PARA]concerned, Aber seems to revolve around them with the [PARA]students and locals living in daisy-chain harmony.[ITAL][HDNG]THE TOWN:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA]Aberystwyth is the principal town - the commercial, shopping and[PARA]administrative centre - in the Welsh region of Ceredigion. [ITAL]But [PARA]that's a bit like saying a puddle is the largest expanse of water in [PARA]the Sahara[EITAL]. The town's steeped in history, but there's also quite a[PARA]lot of new developments. There are various museums, the castle [PARA]ruins and public libraries with ancient Celtic records, all mixed in [PARA]with the shops and banks. There are book shops (several 2nd [PARA]hand), supermarkets and all the standard stores in the shopping [PARA]centre. There are also a covered and a street market. Tourists [PARA]often pass through, popping into the port and holiday centre and [PARA]making the obligatory visit to the castle and gardens. Students [PARA]make the most of the [ITAL]beautiful [EITAL]beaches when the sun comes out[PARA]and the wind dies down. They take their books to the seashore [PARA]where amazingly they seem to absorb knowledge by just lying on[PARA]their backs wearing sunglasses.[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Its remoteness is one of the advantages of Aber - getting away [PARA]from it all to get a degree - but it's also a downer when it comes [PARA]to getting to or from college.[EITAL] As a result, most students hang on [PARA]till the end of term and don't pop home for the weekend so mum [PARA]can do the laundry. At the beginning and end of term there are [PARA]special cut-rate trains and coaches.[PARA][BOLD]Trains: [EBOLD]Aberystwyth station is 1 mile from the main campus. [PARA]Direct main-line connections to London (7hrs, 3/day) and [PARA]Birmingham are not frequent.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] Trans Cambria and National Express services - [PARA]London (ú14.75, 7:10hrs, 1/day), Birmingham (ú12.00, 4:25hrs, [PARA]1/day), Cardiff (ú22.75, 6:55hrs, 1/day). Every weekend the [PARA]Students' Guild gets paranoid about its isolation and runs special [PARA]minibuses to the Midlands for national transport links.[PARA][BOLD]Car: [EBOLD]A487 and A44 - not exactly Spaghetti Junction.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching: [EBOLD][ITAL]Without any major roads to Aber, it's mainly thumbs [PARA]down although the Welsh do take pity on hitchers.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local: [EBOLD][ITAL]Reliable [EITAL]local buses run until 10pm. Every 20 mins, [PARA]services run from the station to the main campus and to [PARA]Llanbadarn. Both trips cost 40p. Britain's longest electric cliff [PARA]railway, which leads to a camera obscura on the headland cliff, [PARA]isn't used by students on a regular basis.[PARA][BOLD]Taxis: [EBOLD]Cheaper than most places (ú1.40 from the station).[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles: [EBOLD][ITAL]Students need legs like exocets to pedal up the hills - [PARA]worth it for those who can take pain.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]NOS and REQUIREMENTS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Arts[EBOLD] 1,615 20pts[PARA][BOLD]Law[EBOLD] 398 22pts[PARA][BOLD]Science[EBOLD] 1,417 16pts[PARA][BOLD]Social Science[EBOLD] 850 20pts[PARA][HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 600,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 3,000 [BULL] Study places: 1,096[PARA][BULL] Computer workstations: 225[ESTAT][PARA]The Hugh Owen Library and 5 others for separate faculties [PARA](including Education, Physical Sciences and, at Llanbadarn, [PARA]Librarianship and Information Studies). 24 hour computer access[PARA]in some of the 16 computer rooms.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 6full/2part [BULL] Unemployed [PARA]after 6mths (1992): 5.1%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]Students don't actually have to decide what course they're [PARA]studying until they've already been doing it for a year. [ITAL]Weird[EITAL]... but [PARA]true. The course is fairly general for the 1st year, after which [PARA]students choose to specialise.[PARA][BULL]The University runs an earn-as-you-learn scheme where [PARA]students study for 4 years, but do a sandwich year in relevant [PARA]employment (and earning).[PARA][BULL]Semesterisation (2 15-week terms) and modular courses are [PARA]in place.[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses and video from Admissions and Recruitment; the [PARA]Guild provides a Handbook.[PARA][PARA]
