Guest The Phoenix Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 "Good news boy, I've consulted some football supporters on the internet and sent off your completed UCAS form this morning. Pack yer bags." TBF, there's a fair number of intelligent and helpful responses on this thread. Zanetti and The Phoenix are amongst the exceptions. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA Baracus Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Aberdeen is an ace place to stay. Really big student scene and loads of bars/clubs. Plenty other things to do as well. If you're sharing then private accommodation isn't too bad. I stayed in quite a few places, always sharing with someone else and always had a double bedroom, and I paid £300 (Canal Place), £330 (King Street), £320 (Great Northern Road), £275 (Links Street although this was a single bedroom) and £325 (Beattie Place). Also stayes in Hillhead Halls in first year and a couple more times when between flats. There's plenty of private students halls like Unite (£400 a month, same as Glasgow) as well. The city has plenty of decent shops and it's fairly compact. Decent train and bus links plus the nearby airport. It's only 2 and a bit hours on the train from Glasgow and Edinburgh. There always seems to be plenty of jobs as well especially due to the oil and gas sector. The uni itself is well regarded and has good facilities. It's pretty old (1495 I think it was founded) and that seems to give it some prestige for some reason. Nice big library as well with some grear views from the top. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zanetti Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 TBF, there's a fair number of intelligent and helpful responses on this thread. Zanetti and The Phoenix are amongst the exceptions. I actually agree but I'd like to think that if his son's off to uni he's not daft and will be doing plenty research himself. I'd like to know why Glasgow has been ruled out though. There are two good unis there for that kind of course and the social life wins by a mile there. Unless they live in Glasgow now and he wants to move away which is fair enough. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 I refuse to believe there are people stupid enough to think I would use this thread to actually decide where my son is going to university... right? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supras Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Why just choose Scottish yoonies, though? Someone from my school paid tens of thousands in fees to go to, wait for it, Newcastle Unless it's as specifically highly regarded University he should definitely stay in Scotland. Unless you have a specific job you want which requires a particular degree I think people are best just going for something they will enjoy. I had no idea what I wanted to do wen I was 17, so studied PPE as I thought it would be interesting. Finished my degree still unsure so I worked in a cafe and went to Glasgow Uni to study more whilst I decided. Now I've a job that has nothing to do with anything I've studied but I enjoy it, my prospects are good and I loved my degrees and everything I learnt. A lot of jobs seem to just want you to have a degree and don't seem overly bothered with what it is. Definitely, to use the specific example of Deloitte and auditors they specifically state they will accept any degree, and ostensibly you have as much chance with a history degree as an accounting or business administration degree. They don't just want to hire a bunch of loser accountants (who set up a hilarious, riotous finance and accounting club at university) they want to hire normal people and turn them into loser accountants. As for the question itself, you can surely strike Aberdeen off the list? It's incredibly expensive and far less entertaining than pretty much anywhere else. Great place for looking for jobs, but as a student? Not even remotely. I'd recommend he goes to Edinburgh (objectively the best in Scotland), with the second choice of Glasgow. I actually briefly studied history at university because I was really enjoyed it at school, but soon dropped it as it got far less interesting at Uni. Bizarrely, we had two one semester courses, one covering 800-1500 and the other covering 1500-2000. Learned in 12 one hour lectures and 7 one hour seminars A positive in going to Glasgow is that, you can take History and English in your first year (as well as one other course) and ditch History and English when you catch onto how boring they are. One of my friends was actually president of the Glasgow Uni history club. Were they more interesting than the finance and accounting club? Probably not. Anyway, Edinburgh - Glasgow - Strathclyde - Dundee. Confess I know nothing about Stirling and have only heard bad things about St. Andrews. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supras Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Aberdeen is an ace place to stay. Really big student scene and loads of bars/clubs. Plenty other things to do as well. The city has plenty of decent shops and it's fairly compact. Decent train and bus links plus the nearby airport. I don't dislike Aberdeen, but do disagree with every statement here. And decent train links? There is one train station, if you want decent train links, look at the Glasgow area where there is hundreds and you can travel the city by train / subway. In Aberdeen it's walking or taking a horribly overpriced bus. I refuse to believe there are people stupid enough to think I would use this thread to actually decide where my son is going to university... right? You've misled us Romeo. But as pointed out, the ultimate P&B twist is that it will turn out he's not your son at all, and he's going to live with The Pheonix for education of a very different kind. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjc Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 University of Life should be an option. Don't let vT hear you say that! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mordecai Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) Someone from my school paid tens of thousands in fees to go to, wait for it, Newcastle Unless it's as specifically highly regarded University he should definitely stay in Scotland. Definitely, to use the specific example of Deloitte and auditors they specifically state they will accept any degree, and ostensibly you have as much chance with a history degree as an accounting or business administration degree. They don't just want to hire a bunch of loser accountants (who set up a hilarious, riotous finance and accounting club at university) they want to hire normal people and turn them into loser accountants. As for the question itself, you can surely strike Aberdeen off the list? It's incredibly expensive and far less entertaining than pretty much anywhere else. Great place for looking for jobs, but as a student? Not even remotely. I'd recommend he goes to Edinburgh (objectively the best in Scotland), with the second choice of Glasgow. I actually briefly studied history at university because I was really enjoyed it at school, but soon dropped it as it got far less interesting at Uni. Bizarrely, we had two one semester courses, one covering 800-1500 and the other covering 1500-2000. Learned in 12 one hour lectures and 7 one hour seminars A positive in going to Glasgow is that, you can take History and English in your first year (as well as one other course) and ditch History and English when you catch onto how boring they are. One of my friends was actually president of the Glasgow Uni history club. Were they more interesting than the finance and accounting club? Probably not. Anyway, Edinburgh - Glasgow - Strathclyde - Dundee. Confess I know nothing about Stirling and have only heard bad things about St. Andrews. This is exactly what I was going to say. If he has an aptitude for any sort of practical subject then he could pick both history and english and then choose something in the science or engineering faculty. If he ends up hating those subjects then he could jump ship in 2nd year to another discipline altogether. I don't know how other universities in Scotland do it, but this is a thing that Glasgow uni does very well. ETA: Out of those options I'd choose either St Andrews or Edinburgh...with Edinburgh slightly ahead for me. Edited October 28, 2014 by Mordecai 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjc Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I'd say either Edinburgh or Glasgow.......stay in the West end if he's choosing Glasgow. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) As for the question itself, you can surely strike Aberdeen off the list? It's incredibly expensive and far less entertaining than pretty much anywhere else. As DA Baracus pointed out, the halls are no more expensive than elsewhere in Scotland and if you're sharing private accommodation then it's not that much more expensive than anywhere else. Where the whinging starts is where you want some student looking for a one bedroom flat within half an hour walk of the city centre. As for entertainment? The place is packed full of bars and clubs and with two universities in what's still a relatively small but large enough feeling city there's plenty to cater for both. The bars and clubs which can rake it in from professionals at the weekends also tend to offer numerous deals through the midweek as they try and out-compete one another for what is quite a high student percentage of the population. I had friends in Glasgow and Edinburgh and when I stayed with them and went out there was very little more they could offer that I didn't have back up the road. The same applies to this day actually. The historic Aberdeen University campus is superb as well. It's like being somewhere like St Andrews within 20 mins walk of a lively city centre. Best of both worlds. If he ends up hating those subjects then he could jump ship in 2nd year to another discipline altogether. I don't know how other universities in Scotland do it, but this is a thing that Glasgow uni does very well. I made the jump from engineering to geology at Aberdeen with little effort. Edited October 28, 2014 by Hedgecutter 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 A few people have mentioned Glasgow and that would be my first choice as no need for digs, decent uni and such but I think he fancies staying in another town/city. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLip69 Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I'd say get out of Scotland and head down to England. Manchester would be my choice, two great Uni's fantastic social life, and a great football team. Salford also have a Uni and a not so great football team. Broaden the wee buggers horizons. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milton75 Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) As for entertainment? The place is packed full of bars and clubs and with two universities in what's still a relatively small but large enough feeling city there's plenty to cater for both. The bars and clubs which can rake it in from professionals at the weekends also tend to offer numerous deals through the midweek as they try and out-compete one another for what is quite a high student percentage of the population. I had friends in Glasgow and Edinburgh and when I stayed with them and went out there was very little more they could offer that I didn't have back up the road. The same applies to this day actually. I really disagree with this purely on the basis that I used to like going clubbing. Still would if I had the stamina. I spent 6 years living in Edinburgh (went there as a student), have spent a dozen in Glasgow now, and spend half of every week in Aberdeen for work, so feel I have a fairly balanced perspective. There is no equivalent to places like the SubClub, Berkeley Suite, La Cheetah, etc. In Aberdeen... or really Edinburgh for that matter, where the clubbing scene seems to have been decimated. I blame the fact that so many pubs are open till 3. I would argue there isn't even an equivalent to the Arches in the other cities, and the Arches is pretty mainstream really. Each to their own obviously, but the other cities aren't big enough to sustain a more varied scene. Instead you end up with more of a melting-pot approach. Edited to add: the point about Manchester is fair enough. Decent city. Great amount of stuff to do and not too far away. Edited October 28, 2014 by milton75 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) A few people have mentioned Glasgow and that would be my first choice as no need for digs, decent uni and such but I think he fancies staying in another town/city. Again, crunch the figures and say "this is what the novelty will cost you and this is the standard of student living once the boozy nights out are taken away". If he's happy with it then fair enough but make it sound like a choice he has rather than going all 'Better Together' on his ass. That'll guarantee to have him out the door for years... until he graduates anyway. I really disagree with this purely on the basis that I used to like going clubbing. Still would if I had the stamina. I spent 6 years living in Edinburgh (went there as a student), have spent a dozen in Glasgow now, and spend half of every week in Aberdeen for work, so feel I have a fairly balanced perspective. There is no equivalent to places like the SubClub, Berkeley Suite, La Cheetah, etc. In Aberdeen... or really Edinburgh for that matter, where the clubbing scene seems to have been decimated. I blame the fact that so many pubs are open till 3. I would argue there isn't even an equivalent to the Arches in the other cities, and the Arches is pretty mainstream really. Each to their own obviously, but the other cities aren't big enough to sustain a more varied scene. Instead you end up with more of a melting-pot approach. You did say however that Aberdeen is far less entertaining than anywhere else when it just didn't have your niche type of club. Somewhere like Aberdeen is never going to have everything that the nation's biggest city has of course but what you've done is similar to me saying that Glasgow is far less entertaining than anywhere else in the UK because it doesn't have the type of big clubs which you could go to all the time if you studied in London. Edited October 28, 2014 by Hedgecutter 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 I'd say get out of Scotland and head down to England. Manchester would be my choice, two great Uni's fantastic social life, and a great football team. Salford also have a Uni and a not so great football team. Broaden the wee buggers horizons. good shout and I had mentioned Manchester as it's a city I love to visit, financially though, probably not possible. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjc Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 good shout and I had mentioned Manchester as it's a city I love to visit, financially though, probably not possible. I went to Manchester and agree that it's a great City & Uni but like you say tuition fees would blow most folk out of the water. Scandalous. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supras Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 As DA Baracus pointed out, the halls are no more expensive than elsewhere in Scotland and if you're sharing private accommodation then it's not that much more expensive than anywhere else. Where the whinging starts is where you want some student looking for a one bedroom flat within half an hour walk of the city centre. As for entertainment? The place is packed full of bars and clubs and with two universities in what's still a relatively small but large enough feeling city there's plenty to cater for both. The bars and clubs which can rake it in from professionals at the weekends also tend to offer numerous deals through the midweek as they try and out-compete one another for what is quite a high student percentage of the population. I had friends in Glasgow and Edinburgh and when I stayed with them and went out there was very little more they could offer that I didn't have back up the road. The same applies to this day actually. The historic Aberdeen University campus is superb as well. It's like being somewhere like St Andrews within 20 mins walk of a lively city centre. Best of both worlds. Aberdeen as a city is simply as more expensive. Bars are more expensive. Food is more expensive. Shopping is more expensive. Hell mend you buying a car in Aberdeen. And yes, rent is significantly more expensive than, say Glasgow, any shared property you get in Aberdeen will be a lot worse than one for the same price in Glasgow. And of course properties will require more heating. Also worst one bed flat in Rosemount is >£500 for rent alone, with single glazed windows, and no chance of a student getting it anyway. As I said, I quite like Aberdeen, and the nightlife is decent, but it will lose in any comparison to Glasgow or Edinburgh on this front. It might just be my student in Glasgow vs. work in Aberdeen bias, but most people would come to the same conclusion. Oh, and it's full of men. The city and the clubs. And you definitely don't want to take the booze train back to the central belt on a Friday. Good place to work, because of the wages and quality of life, but as a student stick to someone cheap with plenty of dank (Glasgow). good shout and I had mentioned Manchester as it's a city I love to visit, financially though, probably not possible. Don't visit - you sound dangerously uncool. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zanetti Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) A few people have mentioned Glasgow and that would be my first choice as no need for digs, decent uni and such but I think he fancies staying in another town/city.Understandable. I was convinced I was going to move away for uni too but in the end I chose to stay in Glasgow. The open day in Edinburgh was full of wanks and the course in Stirling wasn't exactly what I wanted.I don't regret it though. Not having to pay rent meant that I always had money for whatever I needed/wanted, plus I ended up doing a year abroad so I got to see what moving away was like anyway. Edited October 28, 2014 by Zanetti 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supras Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Also, if he's looking for some adventure places like Denmark and the Netherlands offer University, in English, for very reasonable tuition fees. Might be worth a look. Kids straight out of school usually don't have the guts for it, I'm pretty sure I didn't. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) Aberdeen as a city is simply as more expensive. Bars are more expensive. Food is more expensive. Shopping is more expensive. Hell mend you buying a car in Aberdeen. And yes, rent is significantly more expensive than, say Glasgow, any shared property you get in Aberdeen will be a lot worse than one for the same price in Glasgow. And of course properties will require more heating. I didn't say that private was the same price but this seems incredibly exaggerated. It's all about being able to play the game which you can when you live there, knowing which bars do which deals on which nights etc rather than the ones you probably go to now. What self respecting student buys a car anyway?! Finding a room through ASPC / Citylets etc was always an expensive nightmare anyway, it was all about Gumtree, adverts around the uni, word of mouth and so on. Soooo much cheaper. Prices haven't changed that much since I graduated and jumped straight into work. As for shopping, is a weekly shop in Morrisons or something from a clothes shop in Aberdeen any more expensive than the same stuff in from a store in Glasgow? I think you're getting a bit carried away tbh. Tip for any Aberdeen student btw: the numerous charity shops are treasure troves with rich folk constantly moving throwing stuff out. It might just be my student in Glasgow vs. work in Aberdeen bias... Ah. Getting to the bottom of this rather quickly... I look back now and think "how the hell did I manage?" but thought nothing of it at the time seeing as being a tinky student was great here. Edited October 28, 2014 by Hedgecutter 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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