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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Tell me about Royal Holloway U L...

69 replies

Oldowl · 23/09/2017 14:03

In general and specifically for Geography, IR and/or Politics.

DD does not want to be in a huge city and would suit a smaller uni with a college feel.

OP posts:
PaperdollCartoon · 23/09/2017 14:07

I don't know about those subjects specifically, but although not being a top uni, is it is well regarded university with good reputation. I grew up near there and went to college in the same town, and several friends went to uni there. I can confirm it's a lovely place to live, and a good community for students. Lots of good friendly pubs too Smile

BizzyFizzy · 23/09/2017 14:08

My DD is there doing PIR. She loves it.

LIZS · 23/09/2017 14:11

Relatively small , low key night life. Lots of societies. Tends to attract overseas (for now at least) and from home counties/South England. Has brand new library and recently built accommodation mixed with very traditional rooms in Founders building. Not especially cheap area to live.

voilets · 23/09/2017 14:16

Have a friend's DD there. Very lively, community feel. Lots of societies. Rent locally is not too bad for London. Lovely buildings - pretty. She says like Hogwarts!

Good lecturers

Original poster
Oldowl · 23/09/2017 17:15

Thank you.

Which other unis would have a similar feel - small, lots of societies but low-key night life?

OP posts:
OwooenBled · 23/09/2017 17:31

My eldest dd hated the larger city universities we looked at.She had three very happy years in Keele.Loved it there.

stonecircle · 23/09/2017 17:54

DS2 had it as his reserve for geography 2 years ago. He really like it but was a bit out off by the fact that, whilst the campus is lovely, after first year students live off campus in Egham, which is a bit non-descript. He also had sport reasons for firming elsewhere.

But I went on the offer holder day with him and I we both thought the geography dept was fab.

He was also quite keen on Southampton, but again, sports facilities prevailed. We've just dropped DS3 off there and that has a nice feel. I know someone who does geology there and loves it.

LooseAtTheSeams · 23/09/2017 18:05

Lovely campus and good reputation. It was set up as a women's college and still attracts a lot of women students, I'm told. It's part of London University but it really is a long way out from city life and the train service into London isn't that great! I've taken groups of kids round on taster days and it is very friendly, with lots of societies as PP said, and a good student union.

LooseAtTheSeams · 23/09/2017 18:07

You might want to look at Kent as well - another Campus university and not right in Canterbury. University of Sussex also has a great campus and very good food hall (another taster day experience!)

BizzyFizzy · 23/09/2017 18:10

What's not great about the train service?

RandomMess · 23/09/2017 18:12

Stop service or change!

thereinmadnesslies · 23/09/2017 18:23

I loved it there - I did my undergrad in Manchester so Royal Holloway for a masters was a complete contrast. The staff seem to genuinely care about and know all their students, unlike the big red bricks where there are 300 plus students on popular courses. There's lots of interdisciplinary opportunities as well.

Uvegot2bkidding · 23/09/2017 18:31

Train service is fine. Fast train to Waterloo is 40 minutes. Others bit slower and some you have to change, but if you get the right train there's no problem.

BizzyFizzy · 23/09/2017 18:36

If you miss the Richmond service to Waterloo, you simply jump on a Hounslow service and change in Staines to the train from Windsor. This gives you 4 trains an hour, outside rush hour, which is pretty good. The trains are really reliable too.

Original poster
Oldowl · 23/09/2017 18:39

Yes, the inter disciplinary aspect really appeals to DD. So the opportunity to do Geography, Politics and IR would be great.

How do Durham, Exeter and Oxford compare as smaller, low-key night life cities? We live in the South so trekking up to St Andrews for an open day would not be high up on my to-do list.

Sussex, I believe, has an excellent reputation for IR.

OP posts:
stonecircle · 23/09/2017 19:13

Durham, Exeter - and St Andrews - all great smaller places to be at uni. Can't go wrong with any of them.

LooseAtTheSeams · 23/09/2017 19:16

Fair enough! If you get the fast train it's ok. It still feels quite a way out to me, but OP's DD is after a quiet campus so irrelevant anyway!

regularbutpanickingabit · 23/09/2017 19:18

Lots of foreign students and kids who don't live that far away which means the place is often dead at the weekends. Nice enough but can be quite a souless environment. Some lecturers frustrated about not being elsewhere.

LooseAtTheSeams · 23/09/2017 19:26

Meant to add a friend's son had RH and Sussex as top choices for the same degree area and chose Sussex. Absolutely loves it so well worth a look.

LuchiMangsho · 23/09/2017 19:31

I cannot assure you that none of the lecturers are frustrated by not being elsewhere. PIR has lost an Irish colleague to Belfast and two to Loughborough but it's a great little Department. The Geography department is fantastic. Ahem. And the new library is amazing.

iloveredwine · 23/09/2017 19:41

one friend went there and got married there. We live very near and it's lovely. I have a few friends who work there and are all very enthusiastic. it's a lovely campus and small enough to get to know people while close to London and reading for a change

Graveyardkate · 23/09/2017 19:51

Aberystwyth? Definitely a town, not a city. Nightlife is homespun and low key. And the sea and beautiful Welsh countryside nearby.

GiantSteps · 24/09/2017 10:50

Which other unis would have a similar feel - small, lots of societies but low-key night life?

RHUL is a great place (I might be biased I taught there as a postgrad), and very well-respected staff & research leaders. Although my field not the one your DC is looking at.

Others like it: Lancaster, Keele, York - all in lovely small cities/large towns with excellent facilities and reputations. Good all-round universities. Exeter might be another to look at, and Aberystwyth.

Camomila · 24/09/2017 11:54

I went there and studied PIR. Met my best mate in the first week and DH just after Christmas. Best 3 years of my life :)
I think it's a great choice for someone who doesn't want a big city, it feels very 'cosy' as a uni and the nearest big towns arent massive either.
We used to like getting the train to Windsor to go (window) shopping or we'd sometimes walk to Virgina Water and have picnics.
If she's interested in Geography as well a few of my friends did European Studies (3 politics/IR units and 1 lang unit a year IIRC)

scaryteacher · 24/09/2017 12:32

Ds did his BA there, and loved it, graduated in July, and went back last week to start his MA. Egham suited him, easy access to London, Staines has most other things and is easily got to by bus. He had a social life that suited him, easy access to everything on campus, and his rent last year in a shared house was £366 per month, so it could be worse!!

It has the added advantage for us of him being able to get to London and the Eurostar easily, and as I tend to drive over to drop him off and pick him up, it's an easy drive from the ferry in Dover. Egham also has Waitrose and Tesco, which means I can get my British supermarket fix when I take ds to uni.