Oliver Dyer

BA Medieval and Early Modern History

Redditch

"I’m learning a lot of things about myself, about life and about history. Studying at Aberystwyth appealed to me mainly because it’s one of the few universities which offers medieval and early modern history. The staff here are fantastic, they publish a lot of books and have interest in subject areas which I’m interested in, so it was the perfect place for me to study.

The town is so friendly and it’s a really comfortable place to be – you can walk in the town at anytime and always feel safe.

The academic facilities here are really good – we have a number of libraries, there’s the Hugh Owen, one in Old College and a few more. In these they have extensive collections, a brilliant system to request books and they also offer multiple copies of key texts so nobody has to fight over the same book. In addition to these, there is also the National Library of Wales to use, which as a historian is fantastic. I can always get exactly what I’m looking for, and it’s a wonderful place to work.

Then, there are the computer rooms, which include four or five 24hour computer rooms.

I was fortunate to gain a Merit Award which gave me an unconditional place at the University, guaranteed accommodation on campus for every year of my studies, plus £1,000 paid in three instalments over the year. It was a great help to me in my first year, giving me an extra source of income which helped with text books, trips I wanted to go on and any unforeseen costs.

I initially came on a visiting day after applying to Aberystwyth, which confirmed that this was the place I wanted to be. I was able to meet staff before coming here, and they were really friendly. They were able to see me as a person rather than just from my UCAS application form, which helped, I’m sure.

The sports facilities here are really good. There’s an extensive gym, sports halls which are really well maintained, an astroturf and plenty of playing fields. There’s always something going on in which you can get involved."