I just wanted to give a different point view from Chocfudge.
I have just completed my first year at Birkbeck and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. My course is Bsc Environmental Management, part of the Geography, Environment and Development department. The people in my class are a great bunch, ranging in age from around 20 to 50, most being in their 20's and 30's.
Topics were covered in sufficient depth in my opinion, with only 4 modules per year to get through, compare this to some Uni courses which cover 8/10 modules in the first year alone.
Birkbeck is not aimed at school leavers, so yes if you come expecting fresh faced 18 year olds everywhere you may be disappointed, anyone expecting otherwise should have possibly done a bit more research.
Saying that, you only need to take a look outside the main entrance of Mallet street to see that there are plenty of young people at Birkbeck and that people of all ages and races seem to mix fantastically well there, which is one of it's charms in my opinion.
It's a shame the above poster had a bad experience, as i'm not doing History I cant comment on the quality of that course.
Lectures in the evening suit me down to the ground as i'm not a morning person, plus leaves the days free for you to work if you want to, this allows a bit more flexibility in the type of jobs you can apply for.
It's not a place for hardcore party animals I agree but this does not mean we don't enjoy ourselves, the student union bar can be heaving with all kinds of interesting characters at times.