History of the University
The University came into being as a direct result of a campaign in the late nineteenth century for better higher education provision in Wales. Funds were raised by public subscription to establish a college of university rank in Bangor, and a feature of its foundation was the voluntary contributions made by local quarrymen from their weekly wages over a period of time.
After opening its doors on 18 October 1884, the University College at Bangor became one of the three original constituent colleges of the University of Wales. A new location was established in 1911 on a hillside overlooking Bangor, and major growth occured in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the number of students increased to over 2000.
Today, we have 7000 students, 20 departments and 400 teaching staff. We are therefore large enough to ensure a breadth of academic and social activities, but are sufficiently compact to enable the individual student to maintain a sense of identity. A feature of Bangor's university life is its friendly community spirit, and its ability to integrate within the life of the cathedral city. Although not a campus university, it is often described as a campus within a city, and you will find that all departments and halls of residence are within easy reach of each other.
Life at Bangor
When I came to Bangor I didn't know what to expect, in my head I had the picture of a small collection of buildings hudled on a rocky outcrop with only one pub in a 10 mile radius. But I'm happy to say that its not like that at all. There is in fact a large number of pubs all within easy reach of all the main halls of residence, the university also has its own night club run by the Students Union which runs a wide variety of nights catering for everyones tastes. The compact nature of the university means that you never feel out of place - except when you walk into the wrong lecture room!
Each department generally has associated clubs, for example the School of History and Welsh History has an independantly run History Society as well as the Archaeology Society. If you are interested in exploring the Welsh countryside then you can join the Walking club which also has a great social life built in. Whatever your hobbies your bound to find something your interested in.
Life at Bangor is every enjoyable and you'll always find something to keep yourself amused when you need a break from work.