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emailing rhul...

well i cant come to the rhul open day on the 13th of june, and i need to ask a few questions before next year starts, such as what subject would be more advisable to drop etc...

im looking into doing psychology (or maybe one of the amazing new options they have!)

do you think they will accept an email asking if i can come in to talk to one of the psychology teachers? and if so... what shall i write :/ (im not very good with communication heh)

i cant come to the june one because of a careers day at school, which involves having a very big booklet that talks about personal statements, and also doing a first draft of a personal statement.

thanks for the help :smile:

edit: i know there was an open day last saturday... i did go but due to personal issues i had to quickly scoot off, which meant not being able to ask the important questions
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 1
E-mailing them can't hurt; you seem to have 'proper' questions which you couldn't really find the answer to anywhere else, and they'd probably be happy to help you if they can.
Founders Building, Royal Holloway
Royal Holloway
Egham
Visit website
Reply 2
You can pretty much rock up any day (I'd recommend a Wednesday) and stroll freely around the university anyway. Just turn up, not even joking.
Reply 3
Original post by megfashion
well i cant come to the rhul open day on the 13th of june, and i need to ask a few questions before next year starts, such as what subject would be more advisable to drop etc...

im looking into doing psychology (or maybe one of the amazing new options they have!)

do you think they will accept an email asking if i can come in to talk to one of the psychology teachers? and if so... what shall i write :/ (im not very good with communication heh)

i cant come to the june one because of a careers day at school, which involves having a very big booklet that talks about personal statements, and also doing a first draft of a personal statement.

thanks for the help :smile:

edit: i know there was an open day last saturday... i did go but due to personal issues i had to quickly scoot off, which meant not being able to ask the important questions


There are usually Wednesday UCAS days, though those have stopped now due to Easter. If you don't want to just turn up, you can email someone at the department who deals with admin (I'm trying to think of the name of the woman who deals with this sort of stuff, but they've recently changed and I can't remember who the new one is, and don't seem to have any saved emails from her...If I figure out who it is, I'll let you know). They're very helpful either way, but bear in mind that this is a particularly busy time of year due to exam preparation, so don't be surprised if any emails you send aren't replied to right away.

In the meanwhile, if you have any questions specifically about psychology that a current student might be able to answer, let me know and I'll try my best.
Reply 4
hiya, thanks very much :smile:

ive contacted the liason office, asking whether or not i can ask a few questions to a psychology lecturer at the uni... just going to wait for a reply now!

oh, ive never heard of these wednesday UCAS days :/ i wouldve gone to one if i knew... heh.

yeh i understand if they dont reply quickly :smile:

thanks both :smile:
Reply 5
Original post by llacerta

In the meanwhile, if you have any questions specifically about psychology that a current student might be able to answer, let me know and I'll try my best.



sorry for the double post...

well i was going to ask about whether or not i should drop media or english, as i could get a higher mark in media without much work so i can get higher grades on others... but if i did english maybe not as high :/

also just asking about personal statements, whether itd be beneficial to add a personal situation in at the moment (the situation involves a relative who is showing signs of schizophrenia/multiple personality disorder)

i cant remember the others on the top of my head :P
Reply 6
Original post by megfashion
sorry for the double post...

well i was going to ask about whether or not i should drop media or english, as i could get a higher mark in media without much work so i can get higher grades on others... but if i did english maybe not as high :/

also just asking about personal statements, whether itd be beneficial to add a personal situation in at the moment (the situation involves a relative who is showing signs of schizophrenia/multiple personality disorder)

i cant remember the others on the top of my head :P


As long as in both cases you're meeting the required grades of AAB, it doesn't really matter which subject you take (at least, the Psychology Department seems to show no preference). The most useful A-level for Psychology at Royal Holloway is biology without a doubt (and no, not psychology, unfortunately), but I know people who have studied purely arts A-levels and are here, so it's certainly not a deal-breaker. The key thing is getting that magical AAB- without that prediction, it's much more difficult to get an offer. If you think you might slip below that if you were to take English, I'd probably go for Media, personally. If you think either way you'd get those grades, but that you might just get something a bit higher with Media, then choose whatever you enjoy most.

I'm not quite so sure about the personal statement stuff (though I may be a PS helper, it's been a while since I've done any reviews, unfortunately!) As far as I know, you can talk about relatives who may be suffering from psychological disorders which is maybe why you now have an interest in psychology, as long as the personal details aren't too personal, if you see what I mean. My advice would be to keep it focused on psychology and the theoretical background and the wider reading you've done due to your experiences with this relative, rather than a purely descriptive thing, if that makes sense.

I hope that helps a bit, but fingers crossed the department will reply to your email as well.
Reply 7
Go see the campus before you apply.
Reply 8
Original post by Muffinz
Go see the campus before you apply.


In her original post, megfashion does say that she's visited the campus, but unfortunately her visit was cut short. However, I completely agree with the sentiment- one of the most important things about choosing a university is that you feel comfortable there!
Reply 9
Original post by llacerta
As long as in both cases you're meeting the required grades of AAB, it doesn't really matter which subject you take (at least, the Psychology Department seems to show no preference). The most useful A-level for Psychology at Royal Holloway is biology without a doubt (and no, not psychology, unfortunately), but I know people who have studied purely arts A-levels and are here, so it's certainly not a deal-breaker. The key thing is getting that magical AAB- without that prediction, it's much more difficult to get an offer. If you think you might slip below that if you were to take English, I'd probably go for Media, personally. If you think either way you'd get those grades, but that you might just get something a bit higher with Media, then choose whatever you enjoy most.

I'm not quite so sure about the personal statement stuff (though I may be a PS helper, it's been a while since I've done any reviews, unfortunately!) As far as I know, you can talk about relatives who may be suffering from psychological disorders which is maybe why you now have an interest in psychology, as long as the personal details aren't too personal, if you see what I mean. My advice would be to keep it focused on psychology and the theoretical background and the wider reading you've done due to your experiences with this relative, rather than a purely descriptive thing, if that makes sense.

I hope that helps a bit, but fingers crossed the department will reply to your email as well.


ah, thanks. i just heard that it is really competitive, so they might not regard me as well as others... at AS im doing psycho, media, music and english.

thanks for the advice. and sorry for the short answer after the amazing long post, i have read it though i promise :P
Reply 10
Original post by megfashion
ah, thanks. i just heard that it is really competitive, so they might not regard me as well as others... at AS im doing psycho, media, music and english.

thanks for the advice. and sorry for the short answer after the amazing long post, i have read it though i promise :P


As a Science Faculty Rep., I've been lucky enough to actually look at the exact numbers of psychology applicants and offers given for the upcoming academic year. Psychology is very competitive, but though I can't remember the numbers off the top of my head, approximately 75% of applicants received offers. However, I completely understand your concerns. I guess my main point is: get those grades! Even if you do the more 'prestigious' subject of English and end up with a prediction of (or actual grades of) ABB, they won't let you in. But, once again, hopefully the department will reply in an email to help you out more with this decision.

Haha, of course, no worries! I do tend to go on a bit, so I'd understand if it was a struggle trudging through the spiel to get to the useful bits. :biggrin:
(edited 11 years ago)

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