[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 promenade of brightly painted houses on the sea front, a pier, the ruins of a 12th-century castle and an unspellable name. It's a remote place and chilly when the winter winds whistle across Cardigan Bay, but [ITAL]there is a human warmth and relaxed tone about the town[EITAL]. Apart from the sea front, it's not quite as quaint as it sounds, although the mountains (well, big hills) spreading inland make for an inspiring landscape. Up the side of one of these hills, less than a mile from the town centre, sits the main Penglais campus of the University. Here the wind blows as hard as a heavy night on baked beans and [ITAL]the panoramic view is splendid[EITAL]: the whole bay, the hills and the Afon Rheidol flowing through the town below. Aber, as it's known to those in the know, was one of the first of the Welsh colleges and the oldest buildings are classic Victorian stuff. Most of the College is 60s modernist architecture - ie concrete blocks, [ITAL]although they're nicely spaced and you'd be surprised how interesting concrete can be with a bit of effort. [EITAL]The 2nd site, a couple of miles outside town at the village of Llanbadarn, [ITAL]is a pleasant scene and a secluded one, even by Aber standards.[EITAL] Only 400 students are based there (studying Librarianship and Information Science) and 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 students, it's hard to avoid bumping into friends and foes constantly, particularly when crossing the paved concourse in the middle of the campus. This is great as the students are a really friendly crowd, and even though Aber's one of the country's most remote colleges and there's little chance to escape, the sense of space in the stunning views helps stave off any feelings of claustrophobia. There's plenty to do if you want, but there's no pressure on anyone - jus' mellow. As far as students are concerned, Aber seems to revolve around them with the students and locals living in daisy-chain harmony.[ITAL][HDNG]THE TOWN:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA]Aberystwyth is the principal town - the commercial, shopping and administrative centre - in the Welsh region of Ceredigion. [ITAL]But that's a bit like saying a puddle is the largest expanse of water in the Sahara[EITAL]. The town's steeped in history, but there's also quite a lot of new developments. There are various museums, the castle ruins and public libraries with ancient Celtic records, all mixed in with the shops and banks. There are book shops (several 2nd hand), supermarkets and all the standard stores in the shopping centre. There are also a covered and a street market. Tourists often pass through, popping into the port and holiday centre and making the obligatory visit to the castle and gardens. Students make the most of the [ITAL]beautiful [EITAL]beaches when the sun comes out and the wind dies down. They take their books to the seashore where amazingly they seem to absorb knowledge by just lying on their backs wearing sunglasses.[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Its remoteness is one of the advantages of Aber - getting away from it all to get a degree - but it's also a downer when it comes to getting to or from college.[EITAL] As a result, most students hang on till the end of term and don't pop home for the weekend so mum can do the laundry. At the beginning and end of term there are special cut-rate trains and coaches.[PARA][BOLD]Trains: [EBOLD]Aberystwyth station is 1 mile from the main campus. Direct main-line connections to London (7hrs, 3/day) and Birmingham are not frequent.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] Trans Cambria and National Express services - London (ú14.75, 7:10hrs, 1/day), Birmingham (ú12.00, 4:25hrs, 1/day), Cardiff (ú22.75, 6:55hrs, 1/day). Every weekend the Students' Guild gets paranoid about its isolation and runs special 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 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, services run from the station to the main campus and to Llanbadarn. Both trips cost 40p. Britain's longest electric cliff railway, which leads to a camera obscura on the headland cliff, 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 - 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 [BULL] Computer workstations: 225[ESTAT][PARA]The Hugh Owen Library and 5 others for separate faculties (including Education, Physical Sciences and, at Llanbadarn, Librarianship and Information Studies). 24 hour computer access in some of the 16 computer rooms.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 6full/2part [BULL] Unemployed after 6mths (1992): 5.1%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]Students don't actually have to decide what course they're studying until they've already been doing it for a year. [ITAL]Weird[EITAL]... but true. The course is fairly general for the 1st year, after which students choose to specialise.[PARA][BULL]The University runs an earn-as-you-learn scheme where students study for 4 years, but do a sandwich year in relevant employment (and earning).[PARA][BULL]Semesterisation (2 15-week terms) and modular courses are in place.[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses and video from Admissions and Recruitment; the Guild provides a Handbook.[PARA][PARA]
