Aston

Posted August 2nd, 2007 by csc104

What we say

What we say:

Birmingham is only 5 minutes walk and the Uni is proud owner of the UK’s oldest public swimming pool. Held in high esteem for business, engineering, languages and health sciences.

Birmingham is Europe’s youngest city and with more students than any other UK city outside London, it’s not surprising that Birmingham’s club scene is one of the liveliest in the country.

If you like chocolate, Cadbury World is just round the corner.

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University Introduction

University:

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Address:

Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET

Contact number:

0121 204 3000

Website:

http://www.aston.ac.uk

Brief history:

Founded in 1895 and a University since 1966, Aston is an established, "old" University known for world class Teaching Quality and Research and a Graduate Employment record that is consistently amongst the best in the UK.

The University’s Arms were granted on 18 March 1955 by Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms to the Birmingham Corporation for use by the former College of Technology. They were designed to show the College’s connection with the City and with the teaching of technology.

The motto of the University is the same as that of the City of Birmingham – "Forward".

University Life

Accommodation & Surrounding Areas:

Availablility
- 2117 study room available
- Firm choice applicants guaranteed accommodation.
- Insurance choice and clearing applicants not guaranteed accommodation.

Costs
- Self catering high & low rise standard accommodation costs students £62.14 per week.
- Self catering low rise en suite accommodation costs students £93.13 per week.
- Catered; the University has launched a pre paid meal card for all halls of residences. Term time breakfast and dinner will cost students £950 for the academic year.

Contract period
- 52 weeks

Locations
- All halls of residences are within 200 metres of the campus and a five minute walk of the city centre.

Facilities
- Television rooms
- Telephone in each flat
- Launderette
- Wifi Broadband Internet access via an external service provider
- Mini-market and bookshop
- 2 cafes
- Sports facilities

Resources:

Library
- 700 study places
- 300 000 books
- 800 current periodicals
- Over 40 electronic databases and more than 3,400 electronic journals

Opening Times
- 64 weekday hours
- 11 weekend hours

IT
- Wireless
- 800+ Computers
- 24 Hour Access

Other
- Study skills programme

Welfare:

Services
- University Health Centre hosts GPs, a Dentist & an Optician
- Counselling Service
- Student Support Department (Help with Finance)
- Students’ Advice Centre (SAC)
- Nightline
- Chaplaincy
- University run nursery
- Personal tutor

Safety
- 24 hour team of security and portering staff
- 2 'off beat' police officers
- CCTV

Sporting facilities:

Indoor
- 2 sports centres on campus
- 25m Swimming Pool(a quite stunning Grade 2 listed pool dating from the 1850s)
- 2 large sports halls
- Squash courts
- A brand new Cybex Fitness Centre and Gym (with over £250,000 worth of equipment)
- Good variety of fitness classes including salsa, aerobics & aerofunk

Outdoor
- All-weather floodlit pitch
- 45 acre facility 5 miles from campus (includes pitches, floodlighting, changing rooms)

Costs
- Yearly gym membership costs students £125
- Yearly swim gym membership costs students £160

Sports Clubs
Games
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Dodgeball
- Golf
- Ice Hockey
- Men's Basketball
- Women's Basketball
- Cricket
- Five-a-Side Football
- Gaelic Football
- Hockey
- Korfball
- Lacrosse
- Ladies Football
- Mens Rugby
- Mens Football
- Netball
- Snooker & Pool
- Squash Club
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Ladies Rugby

Dance
- Breakdancing
- Salsa
- Wildkatz

Combat
- Boxing
- Fencing
- Aston Jitsu
- Thai Boxing

Aim
- Darts
- Archery
- Ultimate Frisbee

Water
- Sailing
- Scubadiving
- Canoe
- Swimming & Water Polo
- Windsurfing & Sailing

Outdoor
- Equestrian
- Mountaineering
- Motorsport
- Ski & Snowboard

Boring but important

Fees and bursaries:

Undergraduate
- All courses set at £3070
- Foundation degree programmes set at £1225
- Study placement years and work placement years set at £1535

Bursaries
- Aston bursaries; award of up to £750 available to UK students, in addition to the maintenance grant, dependent on family income.

Scholarships
- Aston Subject Specific Award; £750 award if you are studying a subject of regional or national importance.

Allowances
- Aston Placement Allowance; £1000 award for students on work placement in UK and abroad.
- Aston Placement Bursary; Additional £500 award if you are placed abroad

Visiting

Open day dates:

2007
- Wednesday 19 September

Rail:

Birmingham New Street Station is the nearest main-line station to Aston University, a short, flat 15-20 minute walk away. Direct services arrive here from all parts of the UK.

To walk to the campus from Birmingham New Street Station
- In the main station concourse, go up the escalator directly ahead of the ticket barrier area, then turn left into the Pallasades shopping mall.
- Walk towards the exit, then down the pedestrian ramp from the mall to street level. This is New Street, a bustling shopping street.
- Cross the road on to Corporation Street, straight ahead, then follow this main shopping street for half a mile to the campus. You will pass the House of Fraser Department Store on your left and a massive Gap Store on your right.
- Keep walking straight ahead down Corporation Street (ignore a silver coloured sign directing you to the right) crossing a roundabout next to a Tesco Store on your right, until you reach the Zebra crossing of James Watt Queensway (a main road) on the right side just after the STA Travel Agent (you also have passed the red-brick Law Courts on your left)
- After crossing this road, either go straight ahead on to the campus, or for the Main Building, turn left, walk for 50 metres and turn right into Aston Street. Just after the mini-roundabout and opposite the zebra crossing you will see the Main Building with its distinctive red and blue sky lifts.

Some regional and national services arrive at Birmingham Snow Hill (which is also the terminus for the Metro Tram service from Wolverhampton) or Birmingham Moor Street stations, a short 10 minute walk from campus. Please check your timetable.

Coach:

Coach services, including motorway services to London, operate from Digbeth coach station, which is a short taxi ride (c£5) or 20 minutes' walk from the campus.

Road:

The Aston University Campus is best reached from the M6 motorway and A38M (not the M6 Toll, which bypasses the city). The University is located in the north east quarter of Birmingham City Centre and is marked on most city maps in road atlases etc.

To get to the University campus by car:

1. Exit the M6 at Junction 6, and follow signs for the A38(M) to the city centre. Ignore signs to 'Aston'. We are located in Birmingham City Centre, not Aston.
2. Stay on the A38(M) (Aston Expressway) for about one-two miles until you reach the third exit. This is just after you pass the overhead 'end of motorway' signs. Aston University/University of Aston is signposted from here. You will see the Aston University Main Building on your left.
3. Take the left filter lane here, and at the Lancaster Circus roundabout (next to the Fire Station) take the first exit left into James Watt Queensway.
4. Ignore the first left turn into Aston Street (this is for dropping off only) but keep going for 50 metres in the left hand lane.
5a. Keep in the left hand lane - you will pass the redbrick Lakeside university residences before reaching the main entrance on your left. If campus car parks are full, visitors will be directed by security staff to alternative pay car parks at Millennium Point/Think Tank Museum or Faraday Wharf, about 5 minutes walk from campus.

Parking not available, follow 5b after 4 to reach a public car park.
5b. Drive past the University main entrance and follow yellow AA signs to alternative pay car parks at Millennium Point/Think Tank, about 5 minutes walk from campus.

Taxis:

Taxis can be hired from the taxi rank at New Street Station and cost around £5 to the University. Follow Taxi signs from the main station concourse. There is also a taxi rank on Campus on Aston Street to get back to the Station