So you’re a student headed to Aberdeen this month, welcome!
Moving to a new city, especially if it’s your first time away from home can be really exciting, but with all the fun of getting ready, it’s easy to overlook little things that can help you adjust to new surroundings.
So to help you prepare for the big move, we’ve thought of a few things, from our experience of life in Aberdeen, that will help you adjust to the Granite City.
From tackling those gulls and working out the transport system, here’s all the stuff you should keep your eyes open for. Good luck with the move!
1) The dialect
This is going to be one of the most difficult obstacles you ever face during your adjustment to Aberdeen, and so it’s best to speedily nail it on the head.
The most commonly used phrase is “fit like”, and it’s used to ask how a person is doing, not to inform them of their physical attractiveness. Bookmark our Doric dictionary, to start learning some useful phrases.
2) The gulls
These gulls are not just any gulls.
These are larger-than-average, food thieving, high-pitched squawking herring gulls.
Gracing the city with their unwanted presence, these creatures will steal your food, rake through your wheelie bins and keep you awake at night with their perpetual noisy activity.
If you’re a light sleeper, ear plugs are recommended.
3) Aberdeen is a very windy city
Located on the coast, Aberdeen is prone to a few gales every now and then. Umbrellas and humans are often unable to handle it.
Approach windy days with caution.
4) Not absolutely everything is grey
“Is this picture from Aberdeen?”, we hear you exclaim. Yes, yes it is, and just look at all that greenery.
There’s more to Aberdeen than grey buildings.
There are parks, a beach and tons of other stuff that isn’t grey. Honest.
5) You should bring your winter wardrobe with you
Winter in Aberdeen usually starts in October. But, if the weather we are experiencing now continues, then winter is already here.
Don’t leave your winter clothes at home thinking it’ll be OK to pick them up when you visit your parents in a few weeks.
Take them now, and thank us later.
6) If you attend RGU, Aberdeen students will make fun of you, and vice versa.
For years there’s been a rivalry between the two universities.
Robert Gordon students think they are bee’s knees because they are all ‘super modern and stuff’ and Aberdeen students think they are the bee’s knees because they are all ‘traditional and stuff.’
Neither university has won the ongoing debate.
7) The drinks in Club Tropicana aren’t free
Despite the impression this 80s themed club’s moniker gives, the drinks aren’t free.
And it’s probably not wise to quiz the staff on it – can you imagine how many times they must have been treated to mid-night out version of the George Michael hit?
8) The buses can be difficult
Buses in Aberdeen work slightly differently to everywhere else in Scotland, so it’s best to be prepared. Here’s two things you should know:
1) They don’t give change, so make sure you have the correct fare.
2) They aren’t always on time, and the times you do wait 20 minutes for one, two will arrive at once.
9) The taxis are expensive
The taxi fares are likely to be a little higher than what you may be used to. It’s all part of the living-in-the-oil-capital-of-Europe fun.
10) The traffic is a nightmare
Aberdeen is probably the only city where pedestrians move faster than vehicles, and so you’re quicker walking from A to B than driving.
If you really need to use motorised transport, it’s advised you set aside enough time to wait in tailbacks.
11) When you move out of halls, prepare for high rent prices
The Aberdeen property market is in its own little bubble.
Prices for renting and buying are much higher than what you find in Scotland’s fellow cities.
When the time comes to leave halls, be prepared for what’s about to come.
The only way Aberdeen prices wouldn’t shock you is if arrived from London. Aberdeen is a bargain compared to London.