Mel Gibson woz 'ere. (University of Stirling in general)

Member Name: DaftScotsLass

Product:	University of Stirling in general
Date:	15/02/03 (795 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful Setting., Brilliant record for research, arts and sports, Easy to get to

Disadvantages: Not really walking distance from the nearest town., Small Union for a large number of people.

How many universities in the country can say that on their grounds they have a castle, a cinema, a golf course and a loch? How many can say that they are a five minute walk from a famous range of hills (the Ochils), and at the foot of a monument to one of Scotland's national heroes? How many can say that you get capped by one of the Avengers (Dame Diana Rigg) at your graduation? How many Universities have held European film premieres? The answer: not many, but the University of Stirling has all of the above to offer.

Over the years I was at the university (1998-2002), the place has seen many a change:

*The building of a state-of-the art centre for the study of Nursing and Midwifery
*The building of an Olympic-sized swimming pool with drug testing facilities, and the conversion of the old pool into a modern equipped fitness centre.
*A lottery grant awarded to the MacRobert Arts Centre, resulting in a total refurbishment, and the building of well-reviewed facilities for childrens' theatre. Previous to the refurbishment, the Centre hosted the 1995 European premiere of the movie "Braveheart", with guests like Mel Gibson and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
*The building of the Iris Murdoch Centre (yes, the same person the movie was about), for research and support for Alzeimers' sufferers and their families.
*The gradual refurbishment of all student accomodation.
*The constant upgrading of computer facilities to keep ahead with current technology.

I can only account for the Psychology, Biology and German departments, and say that the opportunities they offer are wonderful. The basic undergraduate course I undertook gave an introduction to the subject for both those that had done little psychology previously, or none. The taking of units in up to three subjects in first and second year gives you an opportunity to 'suss out' what you like, and, regardless of your UCAS choice, this gives you the fle
xibility to change your degree programme up until mid second-year.

The student Union was refurbished in the Summer of 2002, giving birth to the newly christened Studio Bar (formerly Maisie's and The Alehouse). It's not fabulous for a night out, but the nightly cheesy tunes in the 'Glow' club will get every student up on the dancefloor. But, be warned. The University is now taking on more undergraduates than it has accommodation for, and hence, be prepared for long queues to get in on popular nights like on Freshers' week and the Final Fling (the last union night of the semester). Even so, the University is a 5 minute bus ride from Stirling, where you can find the likes of the Fubar club (Thursday night is student night), The Yard and Enigma. At the end of the driveway is the infamous Meadowpark (Med) hotel, which hosts their hugely popular 50p (Smirnoff!) vodka night every Tuesday, and is always packed during the Semester.

Stirling University was one of the first Universities in the UK to adopt a US-like semester system, with two semesters of 13 weeks rather than 3 terms of a shorter period. This results in a summer break that is shorter by a fortnight than most other universities, but a winter break that can be up to 7 weeks, as exams are held before Christmas (and, if you're lucky enough, you get them out the way in the first couple of weeks before December. Also note that, doh, exams are also held on Saturdays). In the psychology department in particular, emphasis is on a combination of research, report writing and exams, rather than exams and dreaded 'finals' being the major weighting of your degree classification. This aimed to take the pressure off the end of semester, and resulting in a steady performance rather than letting those who excel at exams zoom ahead.

There is a helful careers centre at the university that has several advisors that specialize in specific subjects and faculties, so
there is always someone at hand at the end of your degree who can help you decide where to go from there.

Finally, accommodation. Though I stayed at home, off campus, there are several student accommodations on-campus and off-campus. The university will guarantee accomodation to all first years (within reason - you'll be less likely to get accomodation if you live at the end of the driveway!), though you are generally expected to seek off-campus accomodation in one of the four years at university. There are several Center-Parcs style chalets that are generally reserved for final year students because they are in a quiet and peaceful location (but be warned, the internal walls are like paper - live with people you can trust to be quiet!). As stated above, refurbishment is ongoing, and the provision of En-Suite accomodation (though you pay extra for it) is growing. The main residence off-campus is John Forty's court, a ten minute stroll over Stirling Bridge to the centre of town.

For those who want to live in the locality, there are buses from Bridge of Allan 3 times per hour, from Dunblane once per hour, from Alloa and Clackmannanshire twice an hour and, most importantly, from Stirling town centre every five to ten minutes during the day. A taxi ride to the University will generally set you back around £5-6 depending on traffic.

Overall, my experiences of Stirling will stay with me a long time, especially the impromptu appearance of Wheatus at our graduation ball! Though in an unconventional setting, Stirling provides all that a student could need, and will make sure that you never see rabbits or ducks in the same light again.

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