I was one of those students who didn’t venture far from home.
I wanted to have my cake and eat it, in that I sought independence in a big city but I also wanted to be able to hop on a bus and have the comforts of home within an hour.
That was essentially what drove my decision to head to Aberdeen. I was just lucky that it was the right decision for me.
I got to study a great course, with great people, in a city I now love, on one of the most beautiful campuses in the country.
But after a four-year undergraduate course, I had the urge to spread my wings and fly. To experience what I considered at the time to be true independence.
And to do that I moved to London to continue my studies. This was honestly what I can only describe as one of the single greatest years of my life so far, and that was purely and simply down to the city.
How can we improve Aberdeen for students?
I didn’t make many friends if I am honest but the city was enough.
So when I look around Aberdeen I ask myself what do we need to do to allow prospective students to feel the same?
London was the place I learned I didn’t actually need the company of someone else to actively enjoy myself.
Dinners alone with a book, walks along the Thames, exploring the Tate and V&A, shopping in various street markets, sunbathing in the parks.
Don’t get me wrong; I am well aware London outranks Aberdeen in many of these areas because it is of course our capital city – and indeed out of sheer scale.
But it got me thinking about student life in Aberdeen – how we can improve it and how important it is to the renaissance of our city centre.
Encouraging students into the city centre
The first problem I can see is that while we are a two university city, both campuses are situated some way from the city centre.
While we have NESCOL, thousands of students are travelling to Old Aberdeen and Garthdee every day.
I spoke a while ago about the benefits of offices moving out of industrial estates and into the city centre, and the premise is the same for students.
Now I don’t expect both institutions to pack up their buildings and head back into town.
But I would argue when RGU exited Schoolhill, there was a noticeable miss from the city centre.
Aberdeen University too, once had the use of now council headquarters Marischal College until they moved to their King Street campus.
But in a post-Covid world we need to be encouraging them into the city to live and explore in order for Aberdeen to really thrive.
At the moment we don’t even have a student union and it would appear to be up to individual businesses to come up with promotions to entice them in.
Missing young and vibrant energy
Over the course of the last month, I have spent some time in Edinburgh and Glasgow and the student presence is evident.
The young and vibrant energy is palpable and I feel it’s something we are missing here.
A little birdie told me recently that there had been talks of Gray’s School of Art talking about the potential of taking up the use of Norco House.
And I understand Aberdeen University is considering how best they can utilise the space they have available in Marischal College.
Either move or something similar would be great. But is it enough?
Lots has been said recently about ensuring Union Street is accessible to the elderly and the disabled. So much so that plans to pedestrianise have been shelved for now.
And while these people must absolutely be considered, let’s not lose sight of our younger population who choose to make Aberdeen their home during their time at university.
Recently built student accommodation on Powis Place was a good start at providing new, quality living spaces close to the centre of town.
But if you’re studying at Aberdeen University it is easy to exist out there quite happily without ever having to pass the Mounthooly roundabout.
Students could be future of Granite City
With the council’s masterplan dependent on more people living closer to Union Street, surely they are the perfect target market?
Aberdeen’s hotel industry is, sadly, no longer what it was and in recent years a number of city centre businesses have closed their doors.
So the conversion of Bauhaus on Langstane Place into student flats was a great idea.
But we need to do more.
Plans are in motion to reinvent our city centre and with projects like Nuart and Resident X, and with the Art Gallery, our music and theatre venues, and our beachfront and parks we have lots to offer our students off-campus.
These people who come to our city ready to embark on four years of study should not be looked at as temporary residents.
They could be the future of Aberdeen. So let’s make it easier for them to live centrally, easier for them to move about and ultimately stay here after they’ve donned their cap and gown.
Rebecca Buchan is City and Shire Team Leader for The Press & Journal and Evening Express
