[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA]The first university in the alphabet is also the most northerly, way up there in the so-called 'Granite City'. The old stone city ([ITAL]marginally warmer than Jim Davidson's reception in Brixton[EITAL]) lies on the east coast of Scotland, suitably placed to be the oil capital of Europe, and spanned all round by [ITAL]spectacular[EITAL] castles and coastline, beaches and lochs, the Grampians and the Cairngorms. [ITAL]It's a pretty place too[EITAL], with flowers, parks and [ITAL]pleasant [EITAL]architecture in every wee nook and cranny. The University is based on 2 sites which were once 2 separate universities. In fact, Aberdeen had 2 universities at a time when that was the total in the whole of England. The larger, main site is King's College in Old Aberdeen, [ITAL]a satisfying eyeful[EITAL] of 15th century buildings, modern blocks, green space and cobbled streets, 3/4 mile north of the city centre. Marischal College, an imposing granite building right in the centre - the 2nd largest granite building in the world ([ITAL]yippee[EITAL]) - is the other site and home of preclinical and some biological science courses. Midway between the 2 sites (inland, to the west) is the University Medical School.[HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Aberdeen attracts many English, as well as Scottish students, who often find themselves further from home and more isolated than they'd anticipated. However, Aberdeen offers plenty of excitement of its own in a beautiful and relaxed environment. Students at Marischal College find that any separation from the main site is counter-balanced by being even closer to the city centre, but students do complain that the only mixing they do is in the University accommodation within their own year.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]THE CITY:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Population: 201,099 [BULL] London: 410miles [BULL] Edinburgh: 103miles [BULL] Dundee: 75miles[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA][ITAL]Aberdeen is busy to the point of being congested, but it's clean [EITAL]and is currently enjoying relative prosperity due to North Sea oil. The trade in black slippery stuff has attracted a varied cultural cocktail from all over Scotland and England, as well as industrial clusters and tankers. Consequently, the wee fishing fleet is on the wane. But Aberdeen isn't a sprawling waste, not by a long shot, and it's easy to burst out into [ITAL]splendid [EITAL]countryside and on to sandy beaches ([ITAL]coated in a thin film of pollution[EITAL]). Miles from anywhere, the city has more than enough shops to spend a student grant, which takes about 3 minutes 34 seconds since it's not a cheap town. It has bookshops and banks (most major branches) and many a muckle museum, including the City Art Gallery and the Maritime Museum (Aberdeen's oldest building).[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] Despite being so far north (the same latitude as St Petersburg), British Rail connections are [ITAL]quite good, but are expensive[EITAL]. Among many Scottish and some English towns, services are offered to London (7hrs, 3/day), Birmingham, Edinburgh and Bristol.[PARA][BOLD]Buses:[EBOLD] National Express coach services to, among other places, London (ú31.50, 10:20hrs, 2/day), Glasgow (ú10.90, 3:50hrs, 3/day), Edinburgh (ú10.30, 3:50hrs, 3/day) and Birmingham (ú32, 9:20hrs, 1/day). Citylink and Stagecoach also run services.[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] A92, A93, A94 and A96. 2 miles to the nearest junction.[PARA][BOLD]Air:[EBOLD] Aberdeen Airport offers inland flights around the UK and to some European cities.[PARA][BOLD]Ferries:[EBOLD] There's a ferry service to Lerwick in the Shetlands.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD][ITAL] The A92 is fairly major and once hitchers have got to the M90, it's plain sailing. The hitches of hitching, though, are that it's a long, long road and going west inland is nigh impossible.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] Good bus services run anywhere in the city from 35p.[PARA][BOLD]Taxis:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Useful late at night[EITAL], about ú1/mile.[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] Despite the heavy traffic and the cold winds, many students rely on pedal power. Incidentally, bike theft is as rare as any other crime in Aberdeen which has the lowest crime rate in Britain for a city its size.[HDNG]NOS and REQUIREMENTS:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Arts[EBOLD] 3,114 22pts[PARA][BOLD]Divinity[EBOLD] 136 12pts[PARA][BOLD]Engineering[EBOLD] 571 12pts[PARA][BOLD]Law[EBOLD] 623 24pts[PARA][BOLD]Medicine[EBOLD] 732 24pts[BOLD][PARA]Science[EBOLD] 2,331 16pts[HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 1,100,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 6,500 [BULL] Study places: 700 [BULL] Computer workstations: 300[ESTAT][PARA]There are 6 libraries, including 1 at Marischal and another at the Medical School. 24 hour computer access.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 7full/3part [BULL] Unemployed after 6mths (1992): 6%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]When Aberdeen University was 2 separate colleges, students wore red togas, spoke Latin and 1st years were called 'Bajans' (to rhyme with 'Ray Bans').[PARA][BULL]The Tale of Downie's Slaughter: Downie was a King's College Sacrist at the start of the 19th century, who was so unpopular that students staged a mock execution in the Quad. When he felt a wet cloth on the back of his neck, he thought the icy hand of death had clutched him and he died of shock. Aberdeen University gowns are now worn 2 inches shorter as a mark of respect.[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Nicky Campbell (DJ); Iain Crichton-Smith (poet); Iain Cuthbertson (actor); Sandy Gall (ITV newsreader); Evelyn Glennie (percussionist); Denys Henderson (Chair of ICI); Kenneth McKellar (singer); David McLean MP (Con); James Naughtie (BBC 'Today' presenter); Earl of Strathmore.[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads, part timers and postgrads. The SRC produces a freshers' mag.[PARA][PARA]
