Newsletter £35 in travel expenses* OPEN DAY DATES 2013 We will be holding open days on the following dates: Saturday 26th January, Wednesday 6th February, Wednesday 20th February, Wednesday 13th March, Monday 25th March. The Itinerary (below) is the same on all the dates. We look forward to seeing you. HOW DO I BOOK A PLACE?
PSYCHOLOGY @ BANGOR Congratulations on being offered a place to study Psychology at Bangor University. The latest National Student Satisfaction Survey placed Bangor Psychology in the top 5 in the UK, so you can be sure that you have made a wise choice!
The most convenient way to book a place is via our on-line booking system www.bangor.ac.uk/psychology/undergraduate/open-dayregistration.php. Alternatively you can fill in the enclosed reply slip. We suggest that you book your place as soon as possible as our Open Days are always very popular. Due to the number of applicants we receive, we regret that we are unable to send written confirmation of your booking unless you return the postcard with your reply slip.
Choosing a university course is obviously a decision you will not take lightly and you will probably be starting to suffer from information overload! This is why we have prepared an Open Day that tells you only what you need to know about your course, the School, the University and the City of Bangor. Our Open Day is not just designed to let you know what to expect from the course, it is designed to give you a realistic idea of student life at Bangor. As you will see, the open day itinerary gives you the opportunity to see around the campus and city, check out the accommodation and get all the details on your chosen course. Our enthusiastic students will be able to answer any questions you might have about the student experience, and provide first-hand knowledge of what it’s really like to study Psychology at Bangor. We will provide you with refreshments and lunch and we’re also offering up to £35 to assist you with your travel expenses. Can you think of a reason not to come?
WHAT HAPPENS? Visitors should aim to arrive at the Wheldon Building between 12.00 – 12.30 p.m.
12.00 - 12.30
Registration. There will be a light buffet lunch, student video and poster display. You will also have an opportunity to meet and chat with staff members and current undergraduates and talk to representative from accommodation, students services, students union etc
12.30 - 1.45
Tour of School of Psychology
1.45 - 2.45
Talks on ‘The Admissions Process’ and ‘Studying Psychology at Bangor’.
2.45 - 3.45 (approx)
Coach tour of campus & Student Accommodation (occasionally this may have to be limited to applicants only, depending on numbers). Local students can leave at 2.45pm if they wish.
WHY COME TO AN OPEN DAY? We are sure that you’ve already done your homework and know that we are the largest top-rated Psychology School in the UK, but do you really know what it would be like to study and live here for the next 3 years? There is a lot more to student life than the course you study, and to be successful as a student you will need to be happy with your surroundings as well as with your course. Many students rate Open Days as the most important factor in deciding which university to attend, so this is probably your best opportunity to find out whether Bangor will suit you as a person as well as a student. We can tell you about our world-class research, the excellent quality of our teaching and our spectacular location, but only you can judge whether this is the place for you. Come along to one of our Open Days and see for yourself.
Did you know?
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STUDENTS WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS We welcome all applicants and their guests with additional needs and/or disabilities. All our buildings are accessible with ramped entrances, lifts and accessible toilet facilities. However the University is located on a steep hill, which can present unavoidable problems to some with mobility difficulties. We strongly recommend that you contact us on (01248) 382629 if you think that you, or your guest, may benefit from additional support or advice. WHAT DID PREVIOUS VISITORS THINK? These are just some of the things that students and parents have said about our open days:
“We have been to several open days so far and this is the best. Everyone’s been really friendly & helpful & my son really enjoyed the Psychology Talk” “It’s given me a great idea of what studying here will be like. The city, the course & the facilities look brilliant. I’ll be back in September!” “I didn’t realise Bangor was so easy to get to. We live near Birmingham and left at 7am; we were here 2 hours early!”
“It was brilliant to be able to spend so much time with students who are already here. Talking to them has given me a real idea of what it is like here and I can’t wait to start in September, as long as I get good enough grades.”
Go straight over and along the straight road, there is a steeply sloping park on your right (College Park), until you pass the sandstone Memorial Arch on your right and a set of pedestrian lights by the Arch. You should now keep in the nearside lane until you come to a mini roundabout Take a sharp left (leaving the mini-roundabout by its first exit) and this will bring you to public car parking on the right, and also further along on the left (the latter being most convenient for the Wheldon Building) and there is a multi-storey car park 100 yards further on. After parking, return to the pedestrian lights by the university arch and after crossing the road take a short walk up the hill, then turn into the lane on your left and the Wheldon Building is on your right just past a Grade 1 listed (but dilapidated) building.
HOW DO I GET THERE? Directions to the School of Psychology, Wheldon Building, Deiniol Road, Bangor:
If travelling along the A5 - go through the village of Bethesda and within about two miles you will come to the A55 Expressway (Llandegai service area on the left as you approach roundabout). Go straight across this roundabout and follow route into Bangor as above.
BY RAIL: On leaving Bangor Railway Station, take the road straight ahead, go past a mini roundabout, until you reach a university building called the Robinson Building on the left. Just past this building is a car park access road (about 100 metres beyond the mini-roundabout) and this will take you directly to the Wheldon Building. This is a 5 minute walk, but there is a taxi rank outside the station should you prefer. BY ROAD: If travelling along the A55 Expressway from Chester/Conwy direction - leave the A55 at Junction 11 for Bangor (signposted Bangor A5122 and A5 Betws y Coed). At the top of the slip road, turn right at the roundabout and take the A5122 towards Bangor (going past Penrhyn Castle on your right). Follow road towards Bangor (approximately 2 miles). There is a sharp left hand bend as you approach the Boat Yard (on right). Follow the main road, going past Bangor Swimming Pool you will come to a mini roundabout with a Marks & Spencer Store on the left (immediately after pedestrian lights).
If you are using a Satellite Navigation system, then using LL57 2UW will get you to Deiniol Road (where the WHELDON building is located) Regrettably, we cannot provide space in the University’s car parks for visitors, but we’re sure you will find the above suggested parking easily accessible and convenient for your visit. If you have mobility difficulties please contact us and we will try to accommodate you.
MAP OF BANGOR INCORPORATING SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY ACCOMMODATION Main Arts Buildings oad Siliwen R ad ge Ro Colle
Ffr
idd
oe
dd
Ro
ad
PEDESTRIANS ONLY
College Park
Student’s Union Building
Traffic Lights
Deiniol Road
Thoday Building
Robinson Building
Sackvil
P
le Road
Public Car Park.
P Public Car Park.
P Multi-Storey Public Car Park.
1.
BRIGANTIA BUILDING COMPLEX
2.
LLOYD BUILDING
3.
WHELDON BUILDING
WHERE CAN I STAY OVERNIGHT? If you would like to stay overnight in Bangor (or would like more information on activities you could undertake in an extended stay ) then please contact either: Visit Wales on 0870 1211251 or visit the website at:
www.visitwales.co.uk They can provide information on Welsh Tourist Board graded accommodation to suit all pockets as well as information on the multitude of activities and areas of interest in Bangor and North Wales. BANGOR PSYCHOLOGY EMAIL-BUDDY SCHEME For many years now we have been successfully running a popular scheme that puts applicants to Psychology degree courses and current Psychology undergraduates at Bangor into email contact with each other. If you decide to take part, you can establish contact with one or more of our present students and will have plenty of opportunities to ask questions about all aspects of student life at Bangor, which will all be answered with the benefit of first hand experience! Please note that you will automatically be assigned an E-mail buddy unless you indicate otherwise. THE APPLICATION CYCLE Are you a little confused about what happens next to your application? Read on and all will be revealed. With this newsletter you will have had an offer letter. You will also have received (or will receive shortly) a letter from UCAS confirming the offer and specifying any conditions that may be attached (A Level tariff points etc). You can also check your current status on the UCAS website.
When you have received a decision on your application from all the institutions to which you have replied you will be sent a form from UCAS. This will let you pick a first (conditional firm CF) choice and a second (conditional insurance CI) choice. The CF choice should be the institution you most want to attend and the CI choice acts as a back-up if you fail to get into your CF choice for any reason. Alternatively, if you do not want to accept any offer you may decline them all and make one additional choice through the UCAS extra scheme. Applicants who have received all their offers by 31st March 2013 must make their CF & CI choices by the 8th May 2013. It is important that you don’t miss this deadline or you will be declined by default, which means that all the universities that have made you an offer will assume you are not interested, and you may end up having to go through Clearing. If you are holding unconditional offers (i.e. if you have already met the entry criteria) then you just make one choice and your place at that university is then guaranteed. AFTER YOUR EXAMS If you meet the conditions of your offer you will be accepted onto your CF choice. If you have not met the terms of your offer you may still have been accepted (perhaps due to a good reference or personal statement). So before you panic, or assume you are going to your second choice or will have to go through Clearing, you should check whether you have been accepted. If we are your first choice then ring 01248 382629 if you’re in any doubt. HOW DO I CLAIM MY TRAVEL EXPENSES? In order to ease the financial burden faced by families at the time when young people are applying to university, we are offering support in the form of payments of up to £35 for those who attend Psychology Open Days. Our main aim is to ensure that no one is prevented from attending an Open Day because of financial constraints. Please apply, if you feel that this support makes a difference to you, by completing the claim form that will be available when you attend an Open Day. Payment will be : (a) Public transport fares up to £35. (Relevant train or bus tickets will be required with claim). (b) Payment for petrol (10p per mile)