[HotfireLegend]

(I typed a long message but my mum came in and I had to press home quickly and it erased itself -.- Gonna give you short version instead.)

Both unis ask for AAB.
I'm a bit of an introvert.
I'm deaf.
I wish to study Geography.

Royal Holloway may suit me better due to its smallness. However, I have heard comments that it is too small and depressing.

Birmingham may not suit me currently due to its massive size. It is better known than Royal Holloway, though the League Tables actually place Royal Holloway higher than Birmingham. (By about 7 places?)

It is a major decision for me - I understand this should really be my choice, but I've been pondering it since December (when I received both offers) and have come to no conclusion, with the deadline looming. I even made a table where I scored each aspect of both universities. Royal Holloway scored higher than Birmingham by only 2 points! I've been to my school's uni advisor - she can't tell me which to go to, obviously, but the one that is my favourite should be my firm. I like both equally though! I can't really firm one and insure the other, since they have basically the same requirements.

I have until 9th May to decide.

What are your experiences with either university, and which one do you SUGGEST I choose? Also, do you have any tips regarding either university or other things I should know about them? Many thanks

[Sisko_197]

why not go to BOTH?

[Infallible]

I'm going to RH to study geography (BSc), but I can't tell you if you'd prefer it. I haven't even been to visit the campus.

Good luck in your choice though.

[H.J.P]

What are the graduate prospects for your course? Birmingham is a Russell Group uni, which may be better for you in the future. Maybe consider that, especially if u like both equally.

[Infallible]

(Original post by H.J.P)
What are the graduate prospects for your course? Birmingham is a Russell Group uni, which may be better for you in the future. Maybe consider that, especially if u like both equally.

RH is part of the University of London.

[postman pat]

(Original post by HotfireLegend)
(I typed a long message but my mum came in and I had to press home quickly and it erased itself -.- Gonna give you short version instead.)

Both unis ask for AAB.
I'm a bit of an introvert.
I'm deaf.
I wish to study Geography.

Royal Holloway may suit me better due to its smallness. However, I have heard comments that it is too small and depressing.

Birmingham may not suit me currently due to its massive size. It is better known than Royal Holloway, though the League Tables actually place Royal Holloway higher than Birmingham. (By about 7 places?)

It is a major decision for me - I understand this should really be my choice, but I've been pondering it since December (when I received both offers) and have come to no conclusion, with the deadline looming. I even made a table where I scored each aspect of both universities. Royal Holloway scored higher than Birmingham by only 2 points! I've been to my school's uni advisor - she can't tell me which to go to, obviously, but the one that is my favourite should be my firm. I like both equally though! I can't really firm one and insure the other, since they have basically the same requirements.

I have until 9th May to decide.

What are your experiences with either university, and which one do you SUGGEST I choose? Also, do you have any tips regarding either university or other things I should know about them? Many thanks

I personally would recommend Birmingham as it is more prestigious, plus that is where I'm going.

Never use league tables are they really are a poor indicator of a University's prestige.

If you don't like the size of Royal Holloway you could just as easily travel into London whenever you want so it's not really a small place

[HotfireLegend]

(Original post by postman pat)
I personally would recommend Birmingham as it is more prestigious, plus that is where I'm going.

Never use league tables are they really are a poor indicator of a University's prestige.

If you don't like the size of Royal Holloway you could just as easily travel into London whenever you want so it's not really a small place

Yeah, except London's more expensive than the city of Birmingham.

(Original post by H.J.P)
What are the graduate prospects for your course? Birmingham is a Russell Group uni, which may be better for you in the future. Maybe consider that, especially if u like both equally.

Birmingham: 90.6 average
Royal Holloway: 89.1 average

xDDDD

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datab...sity-graduates

(Original post by Sisko_197)
why not go to BOTH?

Er, how?

[Witty Username]

(Original post by HotfireLegend)
(I typed a long message but my mum came in and I had to press home quickly and it erased itself -.- Gonna give you short version instead.)

Both unis ask for AAB.
I'm a bit of an introvert.
I'm deaf.
I wish to study Geography.

Royal Holloway may suit me better due to its smallness. However, I have heard comments that it is too small and depressing.

Birmingham may not suit me currently due to its massive size. It is better known than Royal Holloway, though the League Tables actually place Royal Holloway higher than Birmingham. (By about 7 places?)

It is a major decision for me - I understand this should really be my choice, but I've been pondering it since December (when I received both offers) and have come to no conclusion, with the deadline looming. I even made a table where I scored each aspect of both universities. Royal Holloway scored higher than Birmingham by only 2 points! I've been to my school's uni advisor - she can't tell me which to go to, obviously, but the one that is my favourite should be my firm. I like both equally though! I can't really firm one and insure the other, since they have basically the same requirements.

I have until 9th May to decide.

What are your experiences with either university, and which one do you SUGGEST I choose? Also, do you have any tips regarding either university or other things I should know about them? Many thanks

I'm at Birmingham atm, so if you have a particular question I can try to answer it. With regards to size, I occasionally feel the uni is a bit impersonal due to the size, but my year group is ~100 people so on my course you do get to know most people.

[HotfireLegend]

(Original post by Witty Username)
I'm at Birmingham atm, so if you have a particular question I can try to answer it. With regards to size, I occasionally feel the uni is a bit impersonal due to the size, but my year group is ~100 people so on my course you do get to know most people.

- Does the distance from campus to accommodation bother you?
- Do they sort accommodation by the type of person you selected on the UoB accommodation application site, or is this largely ignored? (i.e: if you selected quiet, are the people around you likely to be quiet?)
- Have you seen any deaf people, or know of any?
- How easy is it to make friends, if you're an introvert?
- Do you think finding like-minded people in a large university is easier than in a small one?
- To what extent is it impersonal? (My course would have about 200 people in...)
- How easy/hard is it to hear in the lecture theatres?
- Are lectures typically done in one designated theatre or in multiple ones, depending on the event/course/occasion?
/barrage

xDDD

[Witty Username]

(Original post by HotfireLegend)


- Does the distance from campus to accommodation bother you?
- Do they sort accommodation by the type of person you selected on the UoB accommodation application site, or is this largely ignored? (i.e: if you selected quiet, are the people around you likely to be quiet?)
- Have you seen any deaf people, or know of any?
- How easy is it to make friends, if you're an introvert?
- Do you think finding like-minded people in a large university is easier than in a small one?
- To what extent is it impersonal? (My course would have about 200 people in...)
- How easy/hard is it to hear in the lecture theatres?
- Are lectures typically done in one designated theatre or in multiple ones, depending on the event/course/occasion?
/barrage

xDDD

- I lived on the vale last year, about a 20 minute walk from uni. Now I live in Selly Oak, about 15 minutes away. The distance never really bothered me, I was just happy I could walk it rather than having to use transport.

-urm, I believe it's changed since I applied, now they ask people to desribe themselves as 'sporty/studious' etc.
The people I lived with in halls all took gap years- that was the only way in which we were arranged together

-Come to think of it, I haven't. I can't say that I know of any on my course. I'm sure there are deaf students, I just don't know them!

-As easy as with any other place, I don't think the university inherently affects your ability to make friends

-Just sometimes I feel a bit like people don't care about you as much as if you were at a collegiate uni for example. eg. my personal tutor has pretty much no idea who I am, despite me seeing him a lot.

-varies depending on lecture theatres, the acoustics in one of the law rooms are terrible. I do a spanish module and really strain to hear some of the listening exercises (my hearing is not fantastic). The vast majority of the time I'm able to hear the lecturers, as a deaf student the university will be accommodating towards you, and will make arrangements to ensure you know what's going on in the lectures.

-my lectures tend to be in the same place each week, but locations differ between lectures.

Hope that's helped, feel free to ask any more questions

[HotfireLegend]

(Original post by Witty Username)
-Just sometimes I feel a bit like people don't care about you as much as if you were at a collegiate uni for example. eg. my personal tutor has pretty much no idea who I am, despite me seeing him a lot.

-varies depending on lecture theatres, the acoustics in one of the law rooms are terrible. I do a spanish module and really strain to hear some of the listening exercises (my hearing is not fantastic). The vast majority of the time I'm able to hear the lecturers, as a deaf student the university will be accommodating towards you, and will make arrangements to ensure you know what's going on in the lectures.

These two are the main reasons why I'm edging on Royal Holloway a bit. I went into the Geography room, and it was quite easy to hear. The acoustics were quite good (though the chairs are a bit close to each other!) and the room was quite small. The front is very close to where the lecturer stands too, so I would most likely be able to hear (him) well. I wouldn't want to have to rely completely on notetakers, as it would kind of defeat the purpose of going to the lecture, since you'll end up sitting there for about an hour doing nothing since you can't hear the guy, and you probably can't read the notes while the notetaker is writing them very easily :/
The other good thing about Royal Holloway is that they print off the powerpoints. On both the open days I went, the powerpoints were printed. Not very useful during the lecture, granted, but after, it would be quite invaluable. Most other places have their lectures online too. Royal Holloway hasn't quite got around to recording the lectures and putting anything past slides online, whilst Aberystwyth has. [example]

What I find in favour of Birmingham is their support - they'll know what they're doing. They're brisk, efficient and fast. They accepted me within a week of me sending my application, Aber 2 weeks, Exeter 3 weeks and Holloway about a month. They also have more money to spend, meaning that if I had an issue, it would most likely be resolved much faster than at Holloway.

As of now, with other things like nightlife, accommodation etc to consider, it's very very very very even.

Thanks for your help so far! I'll think of any more questions I can ask.

EDIT: QUESTION!
Is it possible to do 3 years at Royal Holloway then do a Masters in Birmingham?

[Witty Username]

(Original post by HotfireLegend)
These two are the main reasons why I'm edging on Royal Holloway a bit. I went into the Geography room, and it was quite easy to hear. The acoustics were quite good (though the chairs are a bit close to each other!) and the room was quite small. The front is very close to where the lecturer stands too, so I would most likely be able to hear (him) well. I wouldn't want to have to rely completely on notetakers, as it would kind of defeat the purpose of going to the lecture, since you'll end up sitting there for about an hour doing nothing since you can't hear the guy, and you probably can't read the notes while the notetaker is writing them very easily :/
The other good thing about Royal Holloway is that they print off the powerpoints. On both the open days I went, the powerpoints were printed. Not very useful during the lecture, granted, but after, it would be quite invaluable. Most other places have their lectures online too. Royal Holloway hasn't quite got around to recording the lectures and putting anything past slides online, whilst Aberystwyth has. [example]

What I find in favour of Birmingham is their support - they'll know what they're doing. They're brisk, efficient and fast. They accepted me within a week of me sending my application, Aber 2 weeks, Exeter 3 weeks and Holloway about a month. They also have more money to spend, meaning that if I had an issue, it would most likely be resolved much faster than at Holloway.

As of now, with other things like nightlife, accommodation etc to consider, it's very very very very even.

Thanks for your help so far! I'll think of any more questions I can ask.

EDIT: QUESTION!
Is it possible to do 3 years at Royal Holloway then do a Masters in Birmingham?

I'll address the last bit first so I don't forget- yep, I can't see why you wouldn't be able to do your undergrad at RHUL then a Masters at Birmingham.

In terms of understanding, I recall from another thread that you have a cochlear implant? I don't really know that much about them, but I remember at school one of my friends was deaf (a hearing aid user) and the teachers used a radio microphone system so she could understand what they were saying more easily. Do these only work with hearing aids? Apologies if they do, like I said I don't know a lot about cochlear implants.

I'd imagine the university would allow you to have transcripts of the lecture/ record the lectures if you didn't want a note-taker.

[HotfireLegend]

(Original post by Witty Username)
I'll address the last bit first so I don't forget- yep, I can't see why you wouldn't be able to do your undergrad at RHUL then a Masters at Birmingham.

In terms of understanding, I recall from another thread that you have a cochlear implant? I don't really know that much about them, but I remember at school one of my friends was deaf (a hearing aid user) and the teachers used a radio microphone system so she could understand what they were saying more easily. Do these only work with hearing aids? Apologies if they do, like I said I don't know a lot about cochlear implants.

I'd imagine the university would allow you to have transcripts of the lecture/ record the lectures if you didn't want a note-taker.

Oh, yes! I do have a Cochlear Implant. Radio-aids work just fine with them, though I have had experience of using the radio-aid in the past. The technology hasn't quite caught up with Implant technology, so there are often annoyances such as static and clothes rubbing against the microphone, however. This makes it hard to hear and often more annoying to have them on than not.

Looks like if I go to RHUL for 3 years then Birmingham for the 4th, I can get the best of both worlds... I'll have to think about that one.

[Witty Username]

(Original post by HotfireLegend)
Oh, yes! I do have a Cochlear Implant. Radio-aids work just fine with them, though I have had experience of using the radio-aid in the past. The technology hasn't quite caught up with Implant technology, so there are often annoyances such as static and clothes rubbing against the microphone, however. This makes it hard to hear and often more annoying to have them on than not.

Looks like if I go to RHUL for 3 years then Birmingham for the 4th, I can get the best of both worlds... I'll have to think about that one.

Yeah, I can imagine that would be annoying.
I hope you're happy with whatever you decide to do

[dmoorcroft]

Definitely try and visit both unis if you havent already.

Think about what aspects of geography you're most interested in. I can tell you that RHUL specialises in soils, tephrachronology, entemology and quaternary climate change. Not 100% on the human side (not proper geography imo!)

Also consider costs and bursaries available etc. If you go to RHUL and qualify for a loan you get the extra london weighting despite it being a bit further out of london.

[Bey Taco]

I vote RH

[rachelsays]

I went to Royal Holloway - a few years ago now - and while the campus can be a bit claustrophobic at times (there's no escaping last night's union mistake on your way to morning lectures!), it was fantastic to have everything so close and to feel part of a community. It's quite a unique place and I think you know when you visit whether it's going to be right for you or not - it felt like home to me from the second I stepped into the grounds and I just knew. I didn't get that anywhere else. My take on it is that you make friends quickly, everything you need is within walking distance, and if you get desperate for life outside campus, you can go to London for the day easily. It's definitely a good choice if you're looking for a more supportive, community minded experience. I didn't study Geography so I can't comment on the course but I loved my time at RHUL and though I could have gone somewhere more technically prestigious with my grades, I don't regret my choice one bit - I was intellectually challenged, made amazing friends, and had the best three years of my life in gorgeous surroundings. I got to live in Founders as well which was awesome - how many people can say they've lived in a chateau?!

On the whole uni being 'better' in the league tables issue - once you're in the real world and applying for jobs, no one really cares where your degree is from. The vast majority of employers outside of the magic circle law firms etc have no idea where universities are in league tables - they just want you to have a 2:1 from wherever, a brain and a personality.

Good luck and I hope you'll be as happy as I was at the university you choose.

[HotfireLegend]

(Original post by dmoorcroft)
Definitely try and visit both unis if you havent already.

Think about what aspects of geography you're most interested in. I can tell you that RHUL specialises in soils, tephrachronology, entemology and quaternary climate change. Not 100% on the human side (not proper geography imo!)

Also consider costs and bursaries available etc. If you go to RHUL and qualify for a loan you get the extra london weighting despite it being a bit further out of london.

Visited. What do you think Bham specialises in? I'm more of a Physical than a Human geographer anyway, if that makes a difference.

(Original post by Bey Taco)
I vote RH

Why?

(Original post by rachelsays)
I went to Royal Holloway - a few years ago now - and while the campus can be a bit claustrophobic at times (there's no escaping last night's union mistake on your way to morning lectures!), it was fantastic to have everything so close and to feel part of a community. It's quite a unique place and I think you know when you visit whether it's going to be right for you or not - it felt like home to me from the second I stepped into the grounds and I just knew. I didn't get that anywhere else. My take on it is that you make friends quickly, everything you need is within walking distance, and if you get desperate for life outside campus, you can go to London for the day easily. It's definitely a good choice if you're looking for a more supportive, community minded experience. I didn't study Geography so I can't comment on the course but I loved my time at RHUL and though I could have gone somewhere more technically prestigious with my grades, I don't regret my choice one bit - I was intellectually challenged, made amazing friends, and had the best three years of my life in gorgeous surroundings. I got to live in Founders as well which was awesome - how many people can say they've lived in a chateau?!

On the whole uni being 'better' in the league tables issue - once you're in the real world and applying for jobs, no one really cares where your degree is from. The vast majority of employers outside of the magic circle law firms etc have no idea where universities are in league tables - they just want you to have a 2:1 from wherever, a brain and a personality.

Good luck and I hope you'll be as happy as I was at the university you choose.

There's another thing to consider if you want to go down the employment route - a significantly larger proportion of graduates get a 2:1 and a first in Birmingham than Royal Holloway. I think the figure was something like 70% getting 2:1 or above? Can't remember what it was for RH - will have to recheck.

[swbp]

I was offered a place for BA Geography at RHUL, and it's now my insurance . The department is really well known, top 10 in the country, and thus the teaching standards and lecturers will obviously be impressive. However Egham, where it's located, is a tad dull.

Birmingham is traditionally better as an overall institution, however the size of Birmingham put me off. It's one of the largest universities in the country, and thus I feel you may feel like a number at some points.

All in all both are solid universities with great reputations for geography - you can't really go wrong.

[HotfireLegend]

(Original post by swbp)
I was offered a place for BA Geography at RHUL, and it's now my insurance . The department is really well known, top 10 in the country, and thus the teaching standards and lecturers will obviously be impressive. However Egham, where it's located, is a tad dull.

Birmingham is traditionally better as an overall institution, however the size of Birmingham put me off. It's one of the largest universities in the country, and thus I feel you may feel like a number at some points.

All in all both are solid universities with great reputations for geography - you can't really go wrong.

That's really where I'm at a gridlock
RHUL in my mind is winning by 2 points at the moment... Marginal, but it may make the difference. Who knows?