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Course review
Review by: Alastair S
University: Royal Holloway, University of London
Course: Geography
Year of study: 1st
Level of Study: Undergraduate
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The course in general
How many contact hours do you have in the average week?
12
Ideally, what 3/4 subjects would you recommend doing in order to be in the best position for your course?
For the general Geography course(BA or BsC) they are not especially fussy about what subjects you have done at A level as you may not know what kind of Geography you want to go into in the latter 2 years.
Why did you decide to study your degree programme?
I decided to study this course because it provided a broad introduction into the key current studies of human and physical geographies to use as a platform for pursuing further more specific interests in the second and third years. The department runs a great selection of trips- in the first year Southern Spain and in the second year New York/ Kenya or Ireland! The department is also RAE 5* so you can be assured that you are being taught by some of the best geography researchers around.
Explain the things you wish you'd known about your degree before you applied:
I wish I had known a bit more about what courses lead on from the first year courses.
Describing your average day
Explain how your day is made up. For example, do you have labs/seminars/tutorials/lectures?
During the week there are two days with just one or no lectures, the remaining three are fairly busy usually with several, sometimes consecutive, hours of lectures including a once-a-week two hour lab session. Also once a week there is an hour tutorial session. Unlike other courses the first year of this course is made up of mostly lectures where other courses use seminars also.
How much extra work/reading are you required to do out of lectures?
You are expected to do two to three hours of reading to supplement each hour of contact time. This is fair enough as if you add together the contact time and independant study time it equates to a pretty standard number of hours for a working week. It is important to remember to do reading after the lectures or by exam time there is a lot of work to cover. Also with regard to assignments, they are set in tutorial time and not in lectures. There is normally one of these a week and they do require a good deal of research and time in the library. They are essentially past exam essay questions so doing well in these is a great asset when it comes to exam time.
The best and worst parts of the course
What do you like best about your degree programme?
I liked how you did not have to choose a specifically science or humanities route in the first year.If you have interests in both sides to geography, as often people do, but do not know which you prefer most you can make the decision at the end of the first year once you've had a good chance to see what really interests you and what areas you excel in.
What do you like least about your degree programme?
The way you are expected to do a lot of background reading/independ work for each hour of contact time but it is not checked or acknowledged that you have done it so it can be easy to fall behind with your reading.
Academics and course content
What do you think of your university's academics and facilities?
The facilities at Royal Holloway are top notch, they have all the equipment you could want for physical geography in terms of labs and test equipment and have a good lecture theatre for human geography lectures/seminars. The main library is also well equipped and located very near to the geography building so it is easy to get books out after lectures. There is definitely a good atmosphere of work about the place whilst being plenty of opportunities to join clubs and sports societies including the geography society!
Explain how you expected your course to be and how it compares to how it actually is. Give an outline of the content of the course.
The first year content is split into 6 modules:
2 for introduction to Physical geography (lecture based)
1 for introduction to Human geography (lecture based)
1 for Development geography (lecture based)
1 Geographical Techniques (lab sessions, lectures)
1 for Geographical Research and field training (lectures, field work)
Looking for more information on Geography?
Other reviews for Geography
Joseph N, 3rd Year doing Physical Geography at University of Leeds
Edward N, 2nd Year doing Geography and Geology at The University of Birmingham Katie S, 2nd Year doing Geography at University of Bristol
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University review
Review by: Alastair S
University: Royal Holloway, University of London
Course: Geography
Year of study: 1st
Level of Study: Undergraduate
Visit the Royal Holloway, University of London forum and see what people are discussing right now!
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Describing your university
Sum up your university in one paragraph:
Royal Holloway is a relatively small campus university part of London Universities. It is an international university and has a unique mix of people from around the world unlike any other university. It offers some great academic courses and facilities for learning. It also has a decent social scene which is at its best if you participate in clubs and societies.
What is the academic life like at your university?
The academic life is good, there are a good number of societies for further academic advancement and people do study, even if there are lots of social distractions going on which every student will find. The facilities are there for great work and study, you just have to make the most of them.
Describe your Freshers' Week - was it as you expected, better or worse? Why?
Fresher's week was great fun, as I had expected! I got to meet lots of people in the same position as me and had a great chance to take full advantage of the social scene at Holloway. The clubs and societies were great and I thoroughly enjoyed going to the taster sessions of different sports. The volunteers were very helpful and friendly too.
Are there any other notes you would like to add about life in general at university or anything else which would be relevant to a prospective student?
At university make the most of all the opportunities available to you (in every respect) as you will never get as many opportunities in life any time after.
What is the best and worst thing about your university?
The best thing about the university is the amazing Founders Hall.Beautifully maintained campus that is effectively the university hallmark and jewel in it's crown.I was lucky enough have it as my halls of residence in my first year.
The worst thing is the very poor quality/ availability of social facilities/shops in comparison to other universities. The Students Union is aweful in comparison to any other clubs and universities unions.Costs £5 entrance and drinks cost a lot by student standards but it is the only option around without having to pay a lot for a taxi.
Sport and extra curricular
What are the sport and other activities on offer like at your university?
There are lots of sports and other societies in which to participate,eg; hobbies like poker,James Bond,academic societies like debating, sport, ultimate frisbee, rugby, tennis to general social societies like geography society and NADS (Nightclubbing And Drinking Society) which host big nights to London etc.There is something out there for everyone and you will have a much better time at uni if you take part in clubs and societies.
The social scene
What is the social scene (and/or nightlife) like at your university? Is it particularly alcohol orientated?
The nightlife is mixed. There are a lot of quality clubs and societies to join.You will make great friends and connections if you join these and make the most of the activies and socials they hold. Other than that the social scene depends a fair bit on your halls of residence or if you live at home and commute. The most social hall is Founders as it is made up of long corridors with about 40 people on each and not partitioned off by locking doors and entrance codes asin the newer halls. Other than that, the further off campus you are the worse (for your first year) off you are. People that commute from home don't really get the full social experience and people in the Kingswood Hall are quite cut off from the social centre of the campus. You are bound to make friends with the people on your corridor and across the building. You can make some good friends on your course as well if you make the effort, after all they are interested in the same subject and you will spend a fair bit of time with them over the 3 years. Wherever you make your friends you are almost guaranteed to see them all at some point in the SU which is the place to be for nights out (Wednesday and Friday nights) even if the place itself is rubbish! The social scene, like most universities is very alcohol orientated, all the societies, sports clubs, groups of people all do centre socialising around alcohol, you will find very few people who don't and those that didn't when they started are soon converted. If you don't drink though, find yourself a decent group of friends and they will respect your choice.
What do you think of the city your university is based in or near (as a city)?
The university is based in a small commuter town, Egham, on the South West of London in the Surrey countryside (London reenbelt). It is very limited in the shops it offers, as the town centre is mostly coffee shops/restaurants, which is nice if you have lots of money like some of the residents in neighbouring Ascot, Sunningdale, Windsor etc. If you are a student however the best shop there is a Tesco Metro followed by the 24 hr Budgens and Subway. Other than that there is a branch of every bank there which is good as a student.The next town along, Staines is a short bus ride away, has most major retail outlets, food outlets and a Vue cinema. The university also advertises that it is close to London and implies you might go shopping or socialising there regularly but it's 40 mins away, trains don't return when clubs close, costs £7.50 and no-one really goes that distance so don't believe the hype!
Accommodation
Do you live in a halls of residence or a student house (or college)? What would you suggest is best in your opinion?
Every first year is granted halls of residence (if they apply in time) and depending on your personality you will make different choices for halls. For the following two years you rent a house off campus in the local area. For your first year halls are definitely the best option as you will be missing out on a lot otherwise and will really regret it. The general idea is you make a load of friends in halls and through other things in the first year and in the following years you can choose with whom you want to rent a house.
If you are in a hall or college, is it catered or self catered? Which is better for the first year in your opinion and why?
I was in Founders hall for my first year and it was catered. The food was not of astounding quality but it was very good value and there was a good choice and that's the main thing when you're a student.
Approximately, what is the average cost of accommodation per week in your first year for catered and non-catered halls/colleges?
About £3200 for 30weeks rent in Founders Hall (moving out in holidays)catered, single room with a washbasin. All the other halls were a bit more expensive than this and the newer ones are all self catered, ensuite.
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