Royal Holloway (Royal Holloway, University of London in general)

Member Name: Bex28band

Product:	Royal Holloway, University of London in general
Date:	22/03/09 (63 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good teaching and great courses

Disadvantages: Lack of night life, small location

I am a second year student at Royal Holloway and i am studying Media Arts. My opinion on Holloway has changed over the last couple of years and i think that there are many advantages and disadvantages to the university. There are two initial things that i noticed. The first is that are a lot of girls around. Originally an all female university, Holloway has never quite managed to get the same amount of boys to girls and i think the ratio at the moment is about 70%girls to 30%boys. This has the advantage that generally there is more focus on working however as a girl who quite likes the company of lads i have to say i do notice it!

Secondly is that there is a very high intake of private school pupils. I come from a particularly rough comprehensive and initially i found it difficult to settle. I think the biggest thing i noticed is that a lot of my friends have spent their lives at boarding schools and this was the first time they had experienced living with no constraints. On my first induction day we all had to stand up and say where we were from and what school we went. I was the only one with no private school under my belt and felt a bit ridiculed. A lot of my friends also have a lot of money so going out can sometimes prove difficult when they all choose top expensive bars and restraunts to go to!

The course i'm on is very good and i love the fact that its 50% theory and 50% practical. It gives you a real overview and although i prefer the practical i think i need the theory to keep me on track. The teaching is to a very high standard and the equiptment is top of the range.

The location is a bit naff and egham is tiny with very little in it. Getting to London is easy but you can;t really go out there for an evening as the last train back is at 11.30pm.

The campus is very small and because of the location it can be easy to feel very isolated and trapped in a bubble. I would say that having a car is a real plus.

Accomodation ranges from really horrid to AMAZING!!! the best places to be are Tuke and Butler or Gower and Wederburne.....both these are slightly pricey but are the best accomodation you will ever find. They all have double beds, new kitchens, tons of space and ensuits. Second best to this is Runnymead which is a slightly cheaper option but is still good quality.

I have grown fond of Holloway but i think if i were to choose a uni again i would probably go somewhere else. The teaching and courses really are great but the location and lack of nightlife and societies really let it down.

Summary: I'm fond of Holloway but would probably not choose it again!