Thoughts turn to uni days as students arrive for start of new chapter

I'd like to spend this week's column thinking about my university days.

I reminisce about them regularly but particularly at this time of year when Freshers and students returning for the second and third years of their degree descend upon our university towns and cities.

Until recently there were three universities across the Cambrian News region. Thankfully we still have Bangor University in Gwynedd and Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, but sadly, in the south of the county, Lampeter no longer exists.

Whilst Aberystwyth and Bangor universities have had a busy couple of months registering, housing and orienting new and returning students, the halls of Lampeter University remain eerily empty and quiet. Wales' oldest university closed last summer, so this is the second September in a row that there have been no university students there, and it seems there never will be again. It is no more; what a loss to the town.

Lampeter no longer receives that annual influx of youthful optimism that students bring to a place. Nor do they benefit from the boost to the local economy that students bring.

I am yet to find any more up-to-date figures, and I believe student numbers have fallen since then, but this article from Aberystwyth University’s website dated 29 September 2021 states that international students brought nearly £80m of economic benefits to Ceredigion and enriched its culture during the 2018/19 academic year (https://shorturl.at/iEoyR).

“Across Wales,” the article concludes, “international students in the 2018/19 academic year brought a net economic benefit of £1.08bn”.

I was a Fresher at Aberystwyth University in...well, let's just say it was a few decades ago now and leave it at that, and although I was not an international student, I still like to think that myself and my fellow student friends enriched the economy and culture while simultaneously studying and having the time of our lives.

I joined Dim Prob, an Aberystwyth University community action group run by the incredible Jenny Hyde. Sadly the group no longer exists but when it did was a real force for good. I took on a number of Dim Prob tasks including going into a local primary school as a volunteer helper and waiting tables for afternoon teas for the local elderly who received free food and drink and some much-needed company.

Hopefully something similar still exists, or maybe this year’s cohort of students can create something like it now that Freshers’ Week is officially over.

Ah, Freshers’ Week. I remember it well. Meeting new friends, finding new places and starting a new chapter in life was an equal mix of nerve-wracking and exciting, and I am a tiny bit jealous of this year's new intake, wherever they have chosen to study.

To those who have chosen Aberystwyth and Bangor, welcome, and enjoy! And to the residents of Aberystwyth and Bangor, I hope you enjoy the presence of the students too. They bring an energy to the areas they occupy and, as previously stated, they boost the economy.

Aberystwyth students have enjoyed a close relationship with the town’s residents over the years, and the term 'Town and Gown' is one I learnt relatively early on when I joined the Choral Union under the baton of David Russell Hulme in my first year, and the Wardens' pantomime group in my second.

These locally established groups and many others like them took students like me under their wings and worked with us to create incredible performances and form firm friendships. Decades later, they still do. It's true the number of students has dwindled, but the opportunities to mix with locals are still there for however many want to.

As a student I believed it was important to become part of the town I had moved to, and I integrated myself with the community with two jobs. Perhaps that’s why I returned to Aberystwyth permanently following my postgraduate degree in Lancashire. I fell in love with Aberystwyth and its people and ran back as soon as I could, thanks to a job opening at the ‘Cambrian News’!

So yes, I had two jobs alongside my studies. Don’t get me wrong, I desperately needed the money (still do!) but I also wanted to meet people outside uni, so I worked on the checkout at Somerfield, and as a 192 Directory Enquiries operator for BT. I'm really ageing myself now aren't I?!

Sadly neither of those places exist in Aberystwyth now, but I bonded with the people I worked with. I am still in touch with many former colleagues from both companies, and we often see each other in Aberystwyth. Some have become part of my very close friendship group, thanks to those bonds first formed when I was a student.

For those not as lucky as I to have made a home in Aberystwyth after university, there are reunions throughout the year, and I cannot wait to see some of my old friends at Aber Forever on 17 October. The price of a pint at the union may have changed but our love for the place has not, and I hope this year’s students fall in love with their new homes as much as I did.