Language Centre – Hetherington Building

I’ve spent a lot of my time as an undergrad in this wee building, after it was converted from the postgrad building to the home of the smlc (school of modern languages and cultures). The first floor is lecture halls and small classrooms, as well as the computer cluster, library, and the student common room, and I think the rest is offices for the teachers.
You don’t technically need to be at Glasgow to get in here as they don’t ask for student cards, but you’d need one if you wanted to connect to the internet or use the computers, or get stuff out the library of course. Still, if you wanted a cheap vending machine coffee in the hillhead area you could get one!
I don’t find it an easy place to work as there are no windows in the computer cluster, but having said that they have headphones with every computer so that you can listen to recordings for oral language practice. The library is UNREAL. I find it best for movies/​music, and you can take out loooads of great French films and tv series, even more recent stuff! Excellent way to pretend you’re studying when in fact you’re just watching telly. :P
All of the teachers I’ve had from smlc, with very few exceptions, have been outstanding, with special props to Dougal Campbell, probably one of the cleverest, most supportive and most engaging teachers in the whole UK!

I spend pretty much every day of my life here during term time, so my relationship with it is kind of bittersweet. I’ve had some good times here, and bad times, like frantically trying to meet coursework deadlines without freaking out!
The Hetherington has recently been refurbished and it now hosts a communal social area with funky Ikea furniture, a vending machine and a coffee machine which bizarrely is often out of order due to the cups having holes in them. The first time I saw the «out of order — holes in cups» sign I found it hilarious, but now it’s getting more than a little annoying when I want a cup of tea! It makes me wonder who this cup vandal is. What has this day and age come to?
The builing hosts a computer room which is usually packed with the same faces, like mine. A language library with a whole host of DVDs, especially European and World Cinema, which you can hire for free for a day if you have a Glasgow Uni matric card, so seriously use this place if you find yourself on a rainy afternoon as they have some awesome films! You can browse the catologue till your hearts content to see what you fancy. There’s even a DVD room inside the library where you can sit and watch said DVD. You can also watch the TV which I’ve only just realised and I spent a while watching that BBC show «Ooglies» which is playdoh fruit and vegatable and household items with googly eyes stuck to them running around. Pretty amusing but probably not what I should have been doing.
They also have great book resources if you’re interested in languages. I’m hopefully going to Japan next year and as such have been eagerly trying to teach myself Japanese (which isn’t really happening) they have a great book here called «Japanese for Busy People» which I’ve loaned a few time and it’s great.