The Uni to go to (Aston University in general)

Name: samgriff

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Product:	Aston University in general
Date:	13.12.07 (198 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great courses, staff, facilities

Disadvantages: Sneaky changes of course

After being a student at Aston University now for a year and a half I thought it was probably about time to write a review of it and its many services. Unfortunately I live at home so I probably can't give a thorough review as someone who has lived there but I have tried many of its services so hopefully I can give you a pretty good description of the entire goings on at the University.

Getting in

Well to start off with getting in to Aston you have to have a few A levels or at least the equivalent. What that ask for really does depend on the course that you take, whether it is a popular course or not makes a large difference on the grades they ask of you. I applied for Human Psychology which they asked BBB for. I know for business courses they ask for higher. But what they accept is up to them, I got BBC but they still accepted me so I guess personal statements mean quite a lot to them.
There are literally hundreds of courses for you to pick from ranging from the most popular, Business studies, to languages, sciences and history. There is quite a variety taught so Aston is quite good for how much it caters for. Aston has just been ranked the 13th best University in the country so it has a pretty good reputation.

Location

Aston University is located in the heart of Birmingham in the West Midlands. Only a short walk from the Bullring and the shopping and nightlife in England's second city, it really can be considered one of the liveliest Universities in England. Aston University is known for being very green, and for good reason. Right in the middle of a busy city it is quite strange to find a place with tall trees, plenty of green areas and surprisingly a lake which is home to geese and swans! It truly is a lovely place to be as it has all the convenience of a major city but also the peacefulness of a small village.
The actual address of the University is: Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET.
The University comprises of the main building which houses hundreds upon hundreds of lecture theatres, the library with thousands of books. The student guild/union, the business school, two leisure facilities, housing for over three thousand students and two pitches.

So getting on to what University life is like, well it primarily goes on lectures. The lecture rooms are quite large and can fit hundreds of people in. Some lecture halls feel massive while others feel quite intimate. The lectures are quite interesting, well this being my general response from my first year. They pick good subjects and provide a clear and intriguing syllabus for us to learn. The different modules you have can be very different, and all require certain coursework and computer tasks that need to be completed. However in general I would say that the material we learned in the first year was interesting and useful.

The staffs at Aston are very friendly and are willing to help you with what you want. There are only a few people I have met who were a bit frosty but most are very enthusiastic and love to help you. Most of my lecturers have been superb and made coming to the lecture a joy as they made the hours go quick and the lectures fun.
I think I only had one lecturer in my first year that I wasn't too fond of but in the end it's the information they give you that's important.

The guild is the one big place that the students at Aston love to go to. It has everything you want, a bookshop, hairdressers, job centre, convenience store and take-away restaurants. The main part is Einstein's bar at the bottom which is quite a busy place at night. With pool tables, cheap booze and food, it's a place every student wants to be. A great place for a night out with friends.

The library at Aston is extremely well stocked, holding literally thousands of texts and journals. It has lots of computers and tables to study; the place is four floors high so you can imagine how much there is there. The loan out system is very good and easy to manage. Depending on the book you want there always seems to be at least a few copies so you can always get what you want. At the bottom of the library is a Costa Coffee which serves drinks and food so it's a good place to go for an afternoon of studying.

As I live at home I can't really comment much on the nightlife at Aston but my friends have told me many stories of what they get up to! Different societies seem to have nights out at least once a week. The main place to go is Broad Street which houses lots of clubs and places to make a night out. In a city as big and lively as Birmingham you are bound to have fun on a night out whether it being to a pub, club, theatre or just walking about.

Aston University has quite a few amenities such as a swimming pool and a large gym as well as football pitches. It always has different activities on at night such as judo, badminton or fencing. They are loads of clubs that you can join such as movie clubs or language societies. I think the gym is actually open to the public for a small price and it has all the equipment you would find in a normal gym so it's quite a good place to go for a workout.

The housing at Aston University comes in the form of apartment blocks. There are three main ones such as Dalton and Stafford tower which can house thousands of students. There is also Lakeside which houses a few hundred and is a nicer apartment complex with all rooms having en-suite and larger rooms. However it costs more than the other apartments. I have been in my friend's room in Stafford Tower before and the rooms aren't that big but they can fit a bed, a wardrobe and desk in, so pretty much all you need. The communal kitchens are quite small but provide a very camaraderie atmosphere within the place. Overall they are ok for student housing, a little on the small side but overall ok.

So I am now half way through my degree at Aston University, scary. Overall I am enjoying it, the first year was brilliant and I loved everything about it. The second year is as expected a little harder but my course seems to have changed. This is the only negative part about this University. The fact that a year through the degree and they change the major aspects of the core syllabus really bugged me. This year is mostly about how to conduct research and was not the course that was 'advertised'. A very sneaky thing to do as no-one can really quite a year through, but I'm trying to enjoy it.
The facilities are great at Aston and it is a very easy place to get to. Only a twenty minute walk from the New Street Station and it is literally five minutes away from a bus stop that has multiple services such as the number 51 from Walsall which is a main bus route.
The nightlife is great at Aston, as I've been told, the staffs are friendly, there are lots of courses and to top it all off its one of the best Universities in the country!

Summary: A great university