30,919 discussions, 145 guides
University of Glamorgan
30,919 discussions, 145 guides
University of Glamorgan
University of Glamorgan
Treforest
Pontypridd
Mid Glamorgan
CF37 1DL
Tel:+44 (0)1443 480480
1913
Fusion
Fusion is the award winning radio station of Glamorgan University. In 2000, it won the Radio 1 "Best Student Radio Station in Britain" award. It also recieved an award for its non-factual speech based programming, which was as a result of its radio drama. It is run entirely by students, and is a great way to gain experience in the radio industry. For more information go to the [/external/?http://www.glam.ac.uk/fusion Fusion Website]. This site is a little out of date but is due for some attention soon.
Leek
The university paper is not at all bad and gives information on current events aswell as treating more in-depth issues.
The students' union is looking to develop considerably in the next few years. Nothing is confirmed yet but a larger union building and more activities are on the cards.
A few good Welsh rugby players.
There is one main union building on campus and this houses three bars. On the first of the two floors there is a bar called Smith's. This is a relaxed and relatively quiet bar serving standard student food of a reasonable quality. Upstairs there is the The Baa Bar, yes it really is called that. This too is open during the day but does most of its trade in the evenings. Next to it there is the union nightclub called Shafts. (Please note how we managed to refrain from using any number of possible jokes here.) Shafts has a capacity of 500 and is busiest on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The ents team run a range of different theme nights in both Shafts, and occasionally, The Baa Bar. The whole building is open every night so there are never problems with overcrowding. On Tuesdays and Thursdays the bars are open but most students take advantage of the bus services into Cardiff (20 mins) run by the big nightclubs. When combined with what is on offer at the union itself, this makes Glamorgan pretty special ents wise. This is important as the University is now the biggest in Wales and has a reputation to uphold. Its also worth noting that there's been plenty of development lately and facilities and decor squeeze into the 'top notch' category. Since the George Knox became the Bar bar the food has taken a sharp turn upwards, fresh baked cookies and a well thought out menu offer more than the average meat and starch combo found at many unions.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are the largest nights. Sources at the union say however that the high number of local students means that quite a few people live at home and commute in so don't go out so much during the week. This means that you should always be able to get a ticket for the union.
The Glamorgan Summer ball used to be held on playing fields at the main site. The typical Welsh weather caused problems as you might expect!! To counter the troubles the ball has been held in the CIA in Cardiff. The event was overseen by Mark Goodier and acts included Right Said Fred, Sash, Fierce and a Tom Jones impersonator. Everyone we talked to said that this was a top event and one not to be missed.
A 'ghost and paranormal' society tops off the list societies. Most tastes and persuasions are catered for.
Karate and Football have been doing well lately.
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As with most universities, first years are the priority for accommodation, but still many can't get into university accommodation at Glamorgan. Accommodation here is certainly in short supply.
There are a selection of flats and corridor style halls. The flats are based on six rooms sharing kitchen facilities and are modern and sociable. Other accommodation is of the single room, 'cell block' variety. This is not particularly attractive but does the job and as soon as you have settled in and made friends you won't even notice the dogs, security fences and warders (Joking!).
Best advice is to go for Glamorgan Court when choosing halls. These flats, with 6-8 students per kitchen, are smart and quite new, aswell as being en suite. Some rooms have telephone lines, but these are usually reserved for special needs students. Getting about is easy, you are never more than 15 minutes walk from lectures, even at the off campus site where you will find the law and nursing schools.
The Philip Naeud and Philip Squire Halls, more commonly known as UA/b and UC/D are more densly populated with up to 18 (!) students per normal sized kitchen. Many students have complained that they often have to wait an hour to have an opportunity to cook, and the backpacker's rule applies - if you're not there you lose your spot in the queue.
After the first year Treforest is the best place to live. Accommodation in the village is limited though and Pontypridd is the nearest town. Some students have said that this isn't a very friendly place and it is a pain to get in to university for morning lectures but there are plenty of local students at Glamorgan who love their Ponty and are very proud of it so I guess you'll just have to make up your own mind! The same goes for Merthyr. Neither is a cosmopolitan metropolis so think what you want from a place to live and what you can live without before you go.
It doesn't look as if the situation is going to get better soon, as the university is closing down two of its five halls - Maes-Yr-Eglwys and the catered Forest Hall!
Oh, and a WARNING: Do not believe the pictures in the guide to halls, as some of them appear to have either been taken a number of years ago, or have paid a visit to the Art department's touch up division!
The University is in the middle of the sleepy village of Treforest. This is a picturesque little place and has a few nice pubs to drink in, pub crawls are laughably easy due to them all being within about a square mile! The local community doesn't exactly welcome Glamorgan's 17 000 students with open arms but they seem to grudgingly accept that without the university there wouldn't be a Treforest. There are some English-Welsh tensions but nothing to get in a pickle about. If you are English just keep your trap shut when the rugby is on. For more fun, Cardiff is about 20 mins away and easily accesible.
Permit based and there are plenty of spaces. The cost is a whopping 60p per day. Also of note is the fact that there have been no reported thefts in three years. Criminals, get to Glamorgan, they'll be getting complacent by now.
There is no bank on campus but there are cash machines from Halifax, Natwest and Barclays, so you should be able to get money without charge, whichever bank you are with.
The University has disabled facilties near the top of their list of things to do. The newer building like the Student Union, have good access, but lack of funds have meant that the older buildings are taking some time to get sorted. There are ramps at most of the buildings, though. Facilties for sight impared students are good.
There is a main campus shop that sells groceries and stationery. For a better range there are supermarkets not too far away in Pontypridd.
There is a branch of Blackwells on site which should have all reading lists in stock. According to some students, they don't always have enough copies of popular texts though.
There are some good sports facilities to serve an active student population. Playing fields, an all weather pitch, squash courts, a climbing wall, a fitness suite, a health suite, croquet lawns, floodlit tennis courts and to top it off a boulodrome. The local area provides all the natural features that outdoors buffs could ever desire.
There are local buses to get about but your feet or a bicycle are all thats needed really. Bike theft is too common so a sturdy 'D' lock should be considered.
There aren't many more places in The UK with more green space than here! The campus itself is pleasant and there are hills and moors galore within a short distance.
The main library is open until midnight and has 250 000 books and 850 study places. Neither of these is adequate and many students use Cardiff's much more comprehensive facilities.
1220 computer workstations are available. Given the number of students this is not enough.
The welfare setup is good with a range of counsellors on hand to help and medical facilities.
