Bad things about Royal Holloway?

Oh English A-level. I used to write the stupidest crap and get more marks for it than what I really tried on. Word vomit your half-formed opinions on paper? Full marks. No lie. I even did it on a book that wasn't in the course! (well, one was, other wasn't). English a-level is so unpredictable. I suppose being unable to take my own side in an argument makes me good at writing both sides of an argument.

Like Omg(osh), that is exactly it! I never even finished the damn questions on the paper and i still got top marks. Unpredictable does not even begin to describe.
I genuinely thought i would have to beg my way into A2, and the next thing i know i get the grades, by writing complete and utter ****e.
If this is A-level i can't wait to start the degree

I'm aware that it's his 'friend' that made the comment. Maybe I should put 'themselves' to make it clearer.

Maybe rather then looking at it directly like a 16 year old and being emotional about it, this person might be referring to their department? Although this person didn't make it clear, one could assume it that way. However, assuming that they are attacking the entire Uni is rather brash itself won't you say?

And why is that wrong to attack RH as a whole? A department is a part of the Uni. Although it's a bit unfair, but that's the reality of it. It's not; BA of X from Department of X. It's BA of X from Royal Holloway, UoL. So RH as a whole can be responsible for one negative department. From my experience, it's a red flag for the Uni if I heard such criticism. Rectors, Deans and Heads of RH better fry the HOD asses off if if one of their departments is one lousy crap hole.

I believe the degree has a lot less freewheeling. More requirement of bringing in critics and stuff. I say this because my english teachers, being english teachers, were adamant I should do an English degree and how I would be amazing at it. This was after they just assumed I was going to and I had to correct them. Strange bunch.

I love it when teachers try to predict what you are going to do. I got really good politics grades for As, nearly full ums. The teacher was like, okay, i need you to join the Washington Times newspaper online. The look on his face when i said i was dropping it was completely priceless. At first it was like then...

You must have been really good at english for your teachers to encourage you to do a degree... mine are trying to deter the whole class from even thinking about it

Mine were enthusiastic and kind. Grammar school - good teaching standard. People want to teach smart kids, just how it is. Especially Ms. Ashby. You should really do it. You're a maverick I think you'd do well. 'I would, but I think I'm going to do biology.' 'oooohhh. : ('

Yh its so sad when you let them down like that, but at the end of the day you have to do what you want to, not other people.

Grammar school? That explains soooo much lol. Haha. ha.
Damn, realization of how fierce competition is I really hope my personal statement is good enough

Competition? I'm a fresher.

Explains what now? D: Am I pretentious?

Yes i know that but i'm sure your not the only person from your school who would be applying RH (all the failed ones) Lol i joke!!!

I mean, if biology students are quoting Oscar Wilde what will the English students be doing ??

no not pretentious just it makes more sense now... stereotypically people from 'up there' tend to be more... umm.. into things. Thats why when i asked about the food you wrote some long up paragraph describing it! not that thats a bad thing in any way.

Morally wrong? Maybe not. But if you want to have an accurate judgement of a place, you don't base it on a single (as yet still unknown) department. To do so would be foolish. Are you saying you'd quite happily reject a university on the basis that a department unrelated to yours is poorly performing? If you are, you're perhaps not entirely aware of the level of autonomy granted by the university to departments. Plus, it's just a bit strange. When I applied to do psychology, I wasn't looking at the league tables wondering how Royal Holloway was doing for geology...

I am always happy to invite criticisms of Royal Holloway. I know very well myself that it isn't perfect in many of its aspects. But such broad statements are usually untrue, dangerous to the perceptions of those who perhaps do not know much about the university, and are, to be quite frank, plain irritating.

Might I suggest you two sit down and have a cuppa? It comes to my attention that you are fighting quite vehemently over not much, and thus a cup of cyber-tea would be an excellent remedy to your predicament and your souls. It always is.

There must have been some, but I only know one other from my year going to RH. Now I think about it that's weird. RH isn't exactly exclusive in comparison to some.

I am both offended and overjoyed! But nah I kid. It's not a grammar school thing, I am just far too loquacious and enjoy the look of my own text, apparently.

You're probably right (though I'd rather go for some hot chocolate in this cold house!) However, I just can't stand it when people make generalisations about universities...I guess because it does happen to Royal Holloway a lot. You do get people saying, "there's no nightlife!" and such statements are just so unnecessary and should be better defined. It's like people are willing to take the time to broadly criticise but not to explain their criticisms. And then you get potential applicants reading these criticisms and they go away with a false impression. But I guess that can't be helped a lot of the time, anyway.

Mmm, hot chocolate...

There are bad things about every university; I wouldn't consider the room size as a good enough reason to not go to a particular institution.

That is true without a shadow of a doubt
OOooo a new word! How exciting. An excuse to bring out that rusty thesaurus from under my bed.
Actually, Dictionary.com will do it...
anyways, if only one person from your school is trying for RH that can only be a good thing. My mum won't let me go to uni unless its one she likes. This is the only one she's seen

There are bad things about every university; I wouldn't consider the room size as a good enough reason to not go to a particular institution.

Nope, now you're generalizing. I'm saying that if the department has negative criticism, one would wonder how the other departments are doing.

I'm aware. I was a tutor before so I do know the politics of Uni administration. Although they are practically autonomous, they steel need the approval of various Assistant Deans and subsequently the Dean to do what ever they have planned for.

From my view, you seemed to be unwilling to receive criticism from a student that's left the Uni, hence that's why I responded to the post. I know you're, in a way, trying to defend the uni, as I would as well but I'd rather take it positively and counter it back politely if somebody criticize it. And this will help my Uni's image as well rather then painting it in a rather obnoxious and arrogant picture.

That's true enough, but by now that's been said and arguing on is just going to get in the way of having delicious hot chocolate.

Nah probably some tried. A close friend of mine also went. I got in on insurance so it wasn't that we deliberately picked the same uni. The very opposite in fact. I think that worked out for the best, actually. I genuinely think that.

By the way: Pardon my language but tell her to **** off.

I was just picturing that scene and the outcome ...
anyways i'm not complaining i'm lucky she's letting me go in the first place.
My family is slightly different to the stereo- typical TSR member.

Besides this , i have found myself to be more loquacious than usual and will leave RH members to battle it out against themselves...

Unfortunately, as a committee member of the Debating Soc., I can't help but get my teeth into such things.

I think the only hot chocolate that would stop me would have to be topped with marshmallows and whipped cream...