"Aberystwyth comes to a standstill when the students leave, standard.

I've only spent just over 24 hours here and it's easy to see how polarised Aberystwyth really is. It changes character, mood, and atmosphere so much when the students aren't here. It's quiet, peaceful, serene and it makes one realise the potential Aberystwyth has to offer in that it is what you make it.

With time to yourself in one of the most beautiful places in the UK, Aberystwyth offers a real chance to reflect on precisely who you are.

Contemplating life is a vital element of growing up in any University. A new found friend recently told me about his experiences studying in Paris and how it differs from his experiences within Aberystwyth.

He described university as a volatile part of anybody's life, continual change and extremes lead a person to occasionally have to break away from reality and the life they have built inside their universities.

He said in cities you have to go to dangerous extremes to be able to escape, usually drugs or extreme acts of hedonism.

In Aberystwyth after a brief walk you're out of the town and outside of your life, you can calmly walk around the picturesque Welsh countryside and forget about everything.

It's at times like this when a person can reflect upon their life and come to a conclusion on matters pressing their mind and progress as a human being.

Ultimately university is designed to help a person form themselves into the adult they will be for the rest of their lives so it's perfect that the students around Aberystwyth don't have to turn to more nihilistic means to escape and untimely grow."

Written by Siobhan Bligh