Goldsmiths or Royal Holloway?

I've applied to and gotten offers to study music at both Goldsmiths and Royal Holloway. For Goldsmiths, I got on to both the Music and Popular Music courses, where as RHUL I got on to their one music course.

I'm really torn between the two. In terms of Goldsmiths, I love the feel of the campus and student body, and the seemingly intelligent hip artsy vibe everyone lets off. I like that it is very close to central London, and that it's a vibrant sort of place. I like that I have the option of studying Popular Music there, as my experience lies more in that and I've played in bands and done session work all my life. I like the atmosphere and the rep. I do however dislike New Cross as it's a bit dirty and unsafe, and I worry sometimes maybe Goldsmiths is a bit pretentious and fake?

In terms of RHUL, I love the beautiful campus and surrounding area. The course as well seems really interesting. It's more classical in nature, and while I'm worried because my experience lies less in that, I'd learn a lot and it'd be a challenge. However, I worry about being really bored and isolated in such a small town in the middle of nowhere, and the school seems a bit preppy and stuffy at times.

I myself am a mix between the two: could be considered artsy and hip, but have a preppy sort of elitist side too. hah. So I guess I could fit in either school, or location (I'm a city boy but I love the quietness and beauty of smaller more natural places).... so, I just don't really know what to do! With RHUL I'd focus more on composition, because composing for film is a huge goal of mine.. whereas at Goldsmiths I'd focus more on a music career playing in bands or for artists or songwriting, and maybe also composition where I can.

ALOT of factors. Hm. OH and I'm really indecisive which doesn't help either.

Reply 1

lionboy

woot for royal hol....seriously much better place an dont worry about being bored...just go drinking or join a society :u:

Reply 2

Maxomatosis

Original post by lionboy

woot for royal hol....seriously much better place an dont worry about being bored...just go drinking or join a society :u:

why is it much better? and is drinking like a big big thing at rhul?

Reply 3

monkeyDace

RHUL has a better rep, but Goldsmith is in londo where u can make loads of friends and do stuff like going out. the travel to and from rhul is a mission in itself.

When i had an interview for rhul it took me 4hrs!!! thanks why declined when i got the offer.

at the end of the day its up to you, cause i had other alternatives

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 4

lionboy

RHUL has such a better rep and you will be drinking beer out of your instruments the moment you get there

Reply 5

geetar

I don't do music, but apparently Royal Holloway has a really good department (in the 2008 RAE, it was rated the highest in the country).

As for the uni, it's a fairly generic campus experience. If you like the idea of living in a student bubble (which I do), then it's really good. If not, then it's probably not for you. I've only been to London once for a night out in my three years here as it's a hassle to get there and back, so bear that in mind if London is a big issue for you.

Reply 6

mrdoovde1

Original post by monkeyDace

RHUL has a better rep, but Goldsmith is in londo where u can came loads of friends and do stuff like going out. the travel to and from rhul is a mission in itself.

When i had an interview for rhul it took me 4hrs!!! thanks why declined when i got the offer.

at the end of the day its up to you, cause i had other alternatives

Were you born stupid?

Royal Holloway IS in London and how can travelling to there be a mission? It depends on where you live.

Reply 7

street.lovin'

Original post by mrdoovde1

Were you born stupid?

Royal Holloway IS in London and how can travelling to there be a mission? It depends on where you live.

No. It is not in London. It is in Egham, Surrey. 40 minutes away from Waterloo station by train. It is part of the University of London. And hey, were you born stupid???!! :s-smilie:

Traveling to London from Egham is not a mission, though. But it is annoying because the town itself has NOTHING 'cool' to do. If you want cinemas or shopping, you have to go to the next town which is 5 mins away by train.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 8

mrdoovde1

Original post by street.lovin'

No. It is not in London. It is in Egham, Surrey. 40 minutes away from Waterloo station by train. It is part of the University of London. And hey, were you born stupid???!! :s-smilie:

It's on the boundary of Greater London. When you apply to student finance you get more money because it is a part of London

Reply 9

street.lovin'

Original post by mrdoovde1

It's on the boundary of Greater London. When you apply to student finance you get more money because it is a part of London

But geographically, it is not in London. Egham is in Surrey. So you can't say it is in London.

Reply 10

Superstar6318

It is NOT in central London, it is in Egham, a boring place near Staines and Kingston.

Reply 11

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Original post by Maxomatosis

Hello

I got offers from both for my postgrad course. You can see where I ended up going in my sig :awesome:

Royal Holloway is technically speaking the better and more prestigious department: no question about that. Given your interests though, it sounds like you might be better off at Goldsmiths.

New Cross is a bit dodgy, no question. I actually really like that, since I went to school in Hounslow and they're fairly similar :biggrin:

That said, I don't feel unsafe walking around New Cross once it's dark (and that's saying something, since I'm very ill and vulnerable). It's a bit grotty, a bit shady and quite a cheap place given how close it is to Central London but like you say, it has a great and buzzing atmosphere. There's always something going on and I don't think the atmosphere is pretentious or fake. On the contrary, I'd say it's very down-to-earth. I feel very at home there, despite being a part-time student who commutes in :smile:

I guess the question is what kind of career do you see yourself doing afterwards?

Given your interest in popular music, I'd say go with Goldsmiths. That was the reason I chose Goldsmiths over Royal Holloway (I don't play pop but my academic music research interests are very pop-based) :smile:

Hope that helps a bit. Like I say, I'm part-time and don't spend much time there, so there's only so much I can tell you about Goldsmiths. Likewise I never visited the RHUL department, so no idea what that's like. If it would help to PM me at all, do feel free to :smile:

Reply 12

GodspeedGehenna

Original post by mrdoovde1

Were you born stupid?

Royal Holloway IS in London and how can travelling to there be a mission? It depends on where you live.

derp

Reply 13

wanderlust.xx

If you're not planning on doing a masters then I strongly recommend you choose RHUL, purely for reputation.

For a masters degree, it really doesn't matter where you do your normal bachelors. If you're going to do a bachelors and then go into full time work though, you'll find it more difficult finding a job with a degree from Goldsmiths than a degree from RHUL.

People may disagree on TSR, but having spoken to a wide range of academics, humanitarian degrees rely more heavily on their university reputation (since it's about how you've been taught more than what you've actually learnt; science degrees are the other way around).