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Royal Holloway, University of London
From The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Royal Holloway, University of London
 Royal Holloway is a part of the University of London and though it's technically in Greater London, it has a rather rural setting near Egham in Surrey. It's a small university having just over 7,500 students but is regarded as one of the better unis in the UK. FacilitiesLibrariesRoyal Holloway has three libraries:
The Bedford and Founders libraries are located on campus, and the Music library is located with the rest of the Music department across the A30 from the main campus. The Bedford Library contains most of the science, social science, and history publications, and Founders Library covers mainly English, languages and the arts. Both these libraries have desks and computers for students to use, as well as photocopiers and printers. As well as the Royal Holloway libraries students also have free access to the University of London library in Senate House, which is in central London close to Russell Square. Undergraduates can have 10 books from Royal Holloway libraries on loan, as well as 8 from Senate House, at any one time. Fines are charged for overdue items, generally about 40p per day, although it is a lot more for items with short loan periods. Items can be renewed online. Founders and Bedford libraries are open daily during term time, whereas Senate House and the Music library are shut on sundays. All the libraries have shorter opening hours on friday evening and at the weekend, which can be annoying if you want to do some work at the weekend and like to work later in the day. Royal Holloway also has a lot of journals, and subscriptions to various online collections, including JSTOR, which can be accessed from any computer connected to the college network, or from any computer via the library website.  IT and ComputingSportsSwimming: Although Royal Holloway has a swimming pool, it is currently occupied as a lecture theatre of sorts (?) and is also taken up by the Geology department's rock collection. There is however a Swimming Society that organises trips to local swimming pools. There is a swimming pool in Staines. Welfare
HealthcareThe university has a Heath Centre in Founders. It's open 9 - 5 Monday to Friday. Students need to register, but once they have they can see the doctor by appointment, or a nurse without an appointment. There are also surgeries in Englefield Green and Egham which students who are living in private sector accommodation can register at, or they can remain registered at the college health centre if they live close enough to campus. ShopsRoyal Holloway has a campus shop that stocks a variety of things from stationary to clothes to food. The range of food is not huge - fine for grabbing something for lunch, but you'd find it hard to live off it if you're on campus. Essentials like milk are available though. The nearest large shop is Tesco in Egham which is pleasant 15-20 minute walk away. Many students walk there and get a taxi or bus back, though many walk both ways too. Although the Tesco is designated a Tesco Metro, it is pretty large and has almost everything you could want! Egham also has a number of other shops:
Staines is the nearest place with a shopping centre. 5 minutes by train (and £1.70 off-peak return with a student railcard) away from Egham it has every shop you could want (M&S, Waitrose, Debenhams, GAP, etc...), many restaurants (Nandos, Pizza Hut, ASK) and a large VUE cinema. London is 40 minutes to an hour away by train, and there are usually four trains an hour. Fast trains leave at 23 and 53 past the hour, and slower ones at 27 and 57 minutes past the hour. Tickets cost about £8/£11 for a return/travelcard, or £5.30/£7.05 with a railcard. At peak time a return travelcard will cost £19.40. In Englefield Green (where many students live after they leave halls) there are several 'corner shop' type shops, including a Londis and a Spar, as well as a post office, a few restaurants and a couple of hairdressers. RestaurantsOn campus:
In Egham and Englefield Green there are many restaurants and takeaways, including numerous pizza places that will deliver food to campus or students living in the local area until late into the night. BanksThere is a mini branch of Natwest on campus, close to Founders. It has cashpoints that can be accessed 24 hours a day, and are free to use. There are other cash machines on campus, in the Students' Union and Medicine, but they charge. In Egham there are branches of many of the major banks, including Halifax, Abbey, Barclays, Natwest and HSBC. TransportTrains are the main transport to and from Royal Holloway. The nearest station is Egham, which is about a 15 minute walk from the campus. Trains depart from Egham at 23, 27, 53 and 57 minutes past each hour towards London. The 23 and 53 minute past trains are fast trains via Richmond, while the 27 and 57 trains are slower (about 20 minutes longer to Waterloo) and go via Hounslow/Kew. There is a college bus that runs throughout the day linking the station to the campus. This takes about 10 minutes and the buses are timed to meet the trains into and returning from London. There are also public buses which stop outside the main gates as well as Egham and Englefield Green and go to Staines, Windsor and Heathrow Airport. There are also a number of Taxi companies - Gemini Cars being the most well known and used. These frequently take students from the station to the campus as well as to Staines and Egham. Careers servicePart-time jobsJobs at the actual university seem to be highly contended, especially bar jobs. There is work to be had helping run events or 'ents' for short. Part-time work can be sought in Egham, a few on the forum have mentioned working for Tesco or Budgens whilst others have done administration work. Religous facilitiesThe college has a Chapel in Founders building, and a number of Chaplains. There is also a Muslim prayer room on campus. SocialBars, Pubs and clubsOn campus:
Near the campus (Englefield Green and Egham):
(many others) EventsThe students union organizes various events during the week. There is usually at least one event per day, and the SU publishes a Comm card every 3 weeks which lists all events, and it can be found on the SU website, inside the SU's Orbital magazine, or from the SU itself. This year (2007/08) we had Amerie and Scissor Sisters singing for us. There are many plays starring students from drama school and some others from auditions. Students also organize a fashion show where people can take place as models, make up artists, hair stylists etc. Clubs and societiesThere are a wide selection of societies covering every imaginable interest. Some, such as the ones listed, have their own websites which should give you an idea of what they involve. A full list can be found on the SU website. The oldest society is IFIS (Sci-Fi and Fantasy society) which was first formed in the late 1970s. More recently an Anime and Manga society has splintered off and become succcessful in it's own right. There are also several sports clubs which also has a list. Several of which compete nationally and win competitions. AccommodationAccommodation PolicyAs is apparently common amongst UK universities. Guests are strictly not allowed in accommodation. Although the general consensus on the forum seems to show that nobody takes much notice, although disciplinary action has been taken against some. FacilitiesResidencesRoyal Holloway has several halls of residence. Some are undergraduate only, some are postgraduate only, and some are a mix of the two. Generally the principle is (like with most universities) that the newer the better and the more you pay. You can save considerable money by going for cheaper accommodation, and often the cheaper accommodation is found to have a more lively atmosphere. The new '21st century' accommodation can have an 'isolated' feel where you can easily avoid seeing anyone else. Don't worry if you end up without the accommodation you wanted - you'll have a great time wherever you are! Founders Hall - This is the big red brick "castle" that is on so many pictures of Royal Holloway. It houses undergraduates only and is a catered hall. The corridors are single sex, the 2nd floor is male only while the 3rd and 4th floors are female only. The fifth floor houses final year students, one side (East or West) for female students, the other for male. Meals are severed in the dining hall and can be bought with money put on an "RCS card" to get the cheapest prices (also used for unlocking doors around campus, including the computer center and for proving your identity in exams). Reid Hall - Another catered undergraduate only hall. Meals are eaten in Founders dining hall, except when it is closed on saturdays, when the discount is applied to the hub's dining hall instead. Walking up to Founders can be a drag, especially when it's cold or rainy, but the alternative is to pay more for food at the hub or to cook for yourself using the kitchen's toaster, microwave or kettle. Runnymede I & II - Built in 1992 and 1997 respectively, these are a bit dated but still reasonably smart. Arranged in a similar way as Gowar & Wedderburn (below), made up of flats of 6 or 8 students with en-suite bathrooms and shared kitchens. Single beds in the rooms though, unlikely the newer accommodation, and smaller rooms overall. Gowar & Wedderburn - Built for September 2004, smart self-catering hall with a mixture of undergrad and postgrad students. Rooms are en-suite and in flats of 8, each flat with it's own kitchen. Flats are generally mixed-sex with half male and half female (normally split with female rooms at the front and male rooms at the back). Cards have to be used three times to get into your room - once to get into the building, once to get into the flat and a third time to get into your room. This isn't generally an issue in itself, but unlike some of the older accommodation, limits who 'passes through'. This can be a good thing of course, but it limits you meeting new people! Rooms are reasonably sized with double beds and en-suite bathrooms. Beds are comfortable and shower works probably too well (the water pressure is high!) Kitchens are all different shapes due to the way the blocks are laid out, but are generally long and narrow, front to back, with a public view at one end and a more private view at the other. Kitchens are equipped with a pair of cupboards each (normally one high one and one low one, but you could fight over this!), two tall fridges with freezers, a hob and electric oven. They also have a large table, the appropriate number of chairs and a pin board. The halls themselves are set around a lozenge shaped area of grass which is enjoyable in the summer and very close to the sports hall and other sports facilities. It's also close to Medicine (bar), The Stumble Inn (pub) and The Hub (hot food). It's about as far away as possible from everything academic (which may be a good thing!), especially drama and music (the other side of the main road, a 10 minute walk up hill(!) across campus). Butler, Tuke and Williamson - newly built for September 2007, and in the same style as Gowar and Wedderburn. These are essentially identical to Gowar & Wedderburn, but newer and closer to the rest of the main campus (by about a minute). There is not much to choose between any of these, the fitting out is identical, though the external appearance of the buildings is different. Kingswood I & II - The only off-campus accommodation. 1.5 miles from campus which can be walked straightforwardly (but not very quickly). A free bus service runs between the accommodation and the campus. All the accommodation is catered. Kingswood I is partly an old building and partly a newer extension, and made up of single and twin rooms with shared bathrooms. Kingswood II was built in 1995 and is similar to Runnymede I & II, with rooms with en-suite bathrooms in flats, though of course lacking proper kitchens. Kingwood is generally considered the worst accommodation to be in, mainly due to it being off campus. There have been complaints recently about the quality of the food available at Kingswood[1]. Kingwood's remote location means that shops and other amenities are not nearby. The walk to Tesco's is a good 30 minutes, unless a rather steep muddy track is used. Englefield Green's centre is 10 minutes walk. Penrose - A mixture of undergrad and postgrad students. Penrose is a self-catering Hall comprised of one block of flats, and several groups of houses. The houses are set around a small courtyard which provides parking facilities, and are each split into smaller houses consisting of 6 rooms each, with a kitchen, bathroom, and toilet. Highfield - A set of flats in the same vicinity as Penrose, for postgraduates only. The Victorian Houses - These are postgrad-only, self-catering houses on the other side of the main road from the main campus. Private sectorThere is a wide choice some people may decide to live in Egham but a large number of students choose to rent a house in the village of Englefield Green. Egham has generally better quality housing and is not really that different in price to Englefield Green, but most houses are further from campus. Much of the accommodation in Englefield Green is on 'the estate' which is made of cheap 1950's housing. Although fairly close to campus (10 minute walk) access is generally down a dark alley beside the cemetery which is not ideal at night, and some incidents have been known to happen there. The other side of Englefield Green has some better quality housing and is closer to the campus (as such it goes very quickly). Egham is made up of a variety of houses - some late Victorian houses that are very good quality and close to the campus. Egham has the main advantage of being close to both Tescos (a major benefit not to be overlooked - Englefield Green to Tescos is a good 20-30 minute walk) and the station. If you travel home at weekends (as many students do) Egham is a good location. Cycling from Egham to campus is a good option and a number of students do this - it is up hill though, but good exercise - once you're used to it, this takes about 7 minutes from the centre of Egham to the campus (up the A30). Student unionThe SU building has three bars and the building as whole is often used a huge single venue offering space for 1200 people. Medicine bar has been updated a while ago. It's got pool tables and you can also get small bits of food too. Try out Antidote there at the weekends. Tommy's bar is usually open in the day if you want to get some food or a drink - also go here if you want to use the wifi-connection. In the evenings there is often something going on too, like the cocktail nights on Friday when the bar is open from 10pm to 2pm before the place shuts around 3pm. Finally you have The Stumble Inn - a more traditional bar with events such as a pub quiz on Sundays. There is even a beer garden for when the weathers nice! Media is big at the uni with a SU run magazine (The Orbital) an radio station (Insanity) and TV station (SU TV). PricesEnvironmentArchitectureThe uni has a mix of old an new buildings, the most impressive of which is the Victorian 'Founder's Building' which is iconic of the university. More recent buildings have tended to follow the trends of the time with those build in recent years appearing very modern. The newer '21st century' accommodation is architecturally interesting, while the older accommodation is not so. The faculty buildings around the campus are mostly 20th century and vary considerably. Most are reasonable, but some such as the Bourne building are rather ugly to most eyes, being made out of concrete and glass sometime in the 1960s. This building has recently had an extensive internal refurbishment (to remove asbestos mostly!) and is now quite pleasant (if confusing) to be in. Two new buildings have recently been built on campus - the Windsor building (essentially a conference centre so the university can actually make some money) and the management building extension. The former is not a particularly exciting building, though plesant and airy. If visiting the campus you are sure to be shown it as the administration are rather pleased with it. The management building is a somewhat odd toadstool of a building that appears to be a piece of 'ground-breaking' architecture that didn't quite get there. It's clad in a metal skin that doesn't quite look as good as the mock up photos originally done of it and instead can vary between odd and downright ugly, depending on the weather. This author has not had the pleasure of seeing the inside, so this is purely an superficial exterior judgement. Local areaThe Uni is located less than 20 miles from the centre of London, meaning a trip in there is very easily made. It's sat right next to Windsor Great Park too which is an amazing area of open spaces, parks and gardens. The town of Egham is also close buy and can provide many of the facilities you'll need. Teaching qualityRoyal Holloway is known to have a very high standard of research quality. This arguably filters down in to the teaching and the departments of: English, Psychology and History amongst others are well respected. Applying to Royal HollowayThinking of applying to Royal Holloway? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here? Other Royal Holloway ArticlesWhy not read these other Royal Holloway Articles?
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