A Student Guide to Living and Studying in Aberdeen

Robert Gordon University is a highly thought of institution that has a lot of courses for students with different backgrounds. It is a social and professional haven for aspiring students that want to achieve the best learning and employability standards. Recently, the University is undergoing major expansions at the Garthdee campus to continually provide more available resources for all students. But what measures do the marketing team take to entice students to Aberdeen? The city itself has to answer questions on why students travel from far and wide in wanting to live and study there. What is the appeal?

Typical Lecture Hall

The booming “powerhouse of the northeast” (lonely planet guide) provides an “exciting” description of the city. After all, the capital of the northeast boasts a big oil industry history, which is responsible for the wealth of the city. A constantly mentioned feature of Aberdeen is the somewhat desolate harbour. Looking out from Pure Gym, whilst on a treadmill, at the ships create a bleak sight as they lay motionless in the docks. As well as that, their look adds a lot of tired outlook of the city. The former fishing, paper-making, shipbuilding, and textile rich city has made way for the oil industry and the harbour’s murkiness.  It reflects the economic growth of the city that has now all but worn into weariness.

Former Aberdeen football favourite Alex Mcleish was recently quoted in the press and journal "to be “gobsmacked” at the run-down state of the city’s Union Street during a visit to the north-east” and who would not agree with the football legend? It seems that the Granite City does seem to get duller over time even though the dark shades of grey have been ever so evident in his former time of being a professional footballer up here in this industrious city. What makes it worse is that the weather can put most off visitors and confuse them as to where the buildings end and the skyline starts.

Climb The Ladder

Prices of property are growing and have become expensive for the stern residents of Aberdeen. In 2011 STV news stated that “new figures show that tenants in the city's west end pay an average of £946 a month for a two-bedroom flat, the highest in the country”. Cheaper housing and flat renting are located on the outskirts or in council areas but Richard Layrea, purchasing and supply chain management RGU student, admits there is “nothing really to do in these areas” which is a negative aspect of these cheap but not so cheerful properties. It then doesn’t help when the transport system is expensive (£2.40 for an adult single to travel to Garthdee campus).  Mr. Laryea goes on to state that the “change of money has to be exact” which is a nuisance in the short term. He suggests that maybe “tuition or accommodation fees can include travelling fees for the bus with a possible discount on them as well”.

International student Wu Wei describes the city as “comfortable to live in” although the “property renting fees are quite expensive”. It must be hard being an international student coming from a distant land to finding yourself encased in a grey concrete jungle. Not only is there a culture shock from the new arrival but also a language barrier. It may seem obvious for international students to group together in their respective ethnic groups to feel secure. This is not helped by the language barrier and, even worse, the local dialect of Aberdeen. Mr. Wei had to take an IELT test (International English Language Test) but felt his “ability of language was still not good enough before coming here (Aberdeen)”. He feels that there should be “more help and support in the English language” from the university.

Certain Success

However, RGU does seem to be the silver lining in the overwhelmingly dull looking city. The Sunday Times defines the university: “with just 3.8% of graduates unemployed six months after learning, a degree from RGU is as near a guarantee of a job after graduation as you can get”. Future students have to consider joining this successful statistic. Another source cites that RGU is the “best modern University in the UK”, as stated in the Sunday Times University Guide in 2012, can be a notably strong fact to sway a student mind. Clearly, this is due to the cutting edge facilities and professional teaching system that gives students the support they need.

Digital Advances

But as technology advances how the university can adapt to reach new audiences?  Gaining awareness through media is important for younger students from all nationalities to recognize RGU. Social media involve students who are thinking of what University to choose. Mr. Wei found out about RGU through the university website: “its simple layout made navigation easier”. It seems like RGU need to contribute more to the online social media. A facebook post or a twitter tweet seems to be a once in a blue moon action by the University. They need to provide good information from social media to attract friends of students already at the Uni.

Rachel Creegan, Head of Marketing at RGU, stated that “the website has been successful as there has been a cultural shift to technology by students”. There is a normative principle that every student is “technically savvy” so they can easily access the University through online media. Everyone has access to a computer one way or another but can this be true in less economically developed countries? That is where word of mouth comes in: “Word of mouth is the better tool that attracts international students” says Rachel. Mr. Laryea found out about RGU through word of mouth and passed on his knowledge to friends.

International Reach Out

There seems to be a problem in promoting the university to certain countries. Regional manager of RGU marketing Julie Deighton explains that “it varies from country to country”. She adds that “In Nigeria, for example, the press advertisement is the most successful tool”. Long distance marketing is a hard communication system to try and maintain. Mr. Wei concluded that “compared with other universities' advertising. I can see less information of RGU from transitional media or internet media in the Asian area”. Certain measures of “taking trips to the country” and “having relationships with countries to support students”, stated by Julie, maintains a constant influx of international students.

Maybe the success of a constant influx of the student base can lie in the specialised courses that RGU have on offer for all students. As Aberdeen is the oil capital of Scotland, it would be fitting for the University to have oil and gas related courses. These target the oil based countries that are attracted to gain experience in the industry. Oil and gas law and accounting are two examples of specialised courses that are popular with International students. Highly ranked accounting might be an interesting proposition to Chinese students that enrol at the University. RGU have a big reputation in this industry and Rachel Creegan suggests that “it has always been a historic thing”.

International Students

Key Identity

Selling the brand of RGU can create a unique selling point but can it cause as many problems? The RGU’s badge is a signifier to sell the image of the institute to international students. “Advertising is hard to focus on one country” says Rachel Creegan. There is a cultural different that needs to be identified and communicated with properly. Product placement is not such an easy option in relation to promoting to International students. Mrs Creegan adds that each country needs “their personal marketing strategy”. An interesting way of spreading the brand is from setting up” sponsorship” deals. In Ghana there is a television show that results in getting a prize of a scholarship at RGU (A fitting prize to say the least).

Final Thoughts

Whether or not the university is a good institution, half of the reason to study in Aberdeen is to live peacefully in the city. Cultural and religious differences between international and UK students can begin to make the non English speaker to feel alienated. There has to be a better mix as Julie Deighton concedes that “some say they struggle to interact with local students especially in the post grad courses, as these are made up mostly of international students”. More time and consideration should be taken to orientate new students with the learning system and address the language barrier. Do not be put off by Aberdeen, it is a student rich city with great courses to enrol in but whether it is a place worth living your whole life in, if you’re in outsider, is harder to compromise with.