Royal Holloway - Psychology

Can anyone from current students at RHUL tell me what is it really like to study
Psychology there and what is the reputation of RHUL? I've received an offer from RHUL and planning to make it as my first choice

It's a fantastic department. Really good reputation, top 10 in both of the main university league tables this year, which is really impressive.

So you'd be right to make it your first choice, haha!

If you have any more specific questions let me know, and I'd be happy to answer.

What is the actual atmosphere like ??

Err, of the university? Or of the department?

I know I'm not the OP but can you tell me what the atmosphere of the uni is like?

Err, of the university? Or of the department?

The university

I've written an answer a few posts above- sorry for not quoting you! Didn't realise two different people had asked, haha.

Haha it's fine!
But one more question and this may seem very weird but how ethnically diverse is royal holloway? I don't mean break it down as in what ethnicities, but is it quite a diverse university like say for example some of the universities in central london like SOAS for instance or UCL, or is it not ethnically diverse as some other unis which are in London or around London ?

I haven't actually been to visit many London universities unfortunately, so I've no idea how ethically diverse they are, but I'd say RHUL is probably less ethically diverse in comparison (at a guess, anyway). Most people here are white. That isn't to say there isn't any diversity at all- there's loads; I have friends from all over the world, from many different cultural and religious backgrounds, and they all love it here- but it is a white majority university. There are societies for pretty much every faith and cultural background though, so if you were keen to meet other people 'like you' then there's certainly the opportunity to do so. There's very little, if any, discrimination here though so people just tend to be friends with people they like regardless of their background (though some of the international students do seem to stick together, but that's the exception rather than the rule).

Hi,

I can't decide whether to firm RHUL or York for BSc Psychology

Can anyone advise me on how I should compare and eventually make an informed decision?

Thanks so much

^Speaking of accommodation, which hall of residence would you recommend to a new undergraduate... I initially thought I'd like Kingswood II because it was surrounded by greenland which seemed so picturesque but after reading around, I've gathered that it was quite unsociable. Any suggestions on which accommodation to choose?

Hmm, that's a tough one- they're both great departments and very similar in ranking and prestige so on that count either way you're good. It might be worth looking at the individual modules, especially third year options, to see if one of them offers more modules to your liking. Similarly, I know it's early days but if you're possibly thinking of a career in academia, look at the research areas of each department.

If you can't decide that way, then it's probably worth looking at other factors. Although Royal Holloway is comparable to York in terms of its psychology department, York is a more prestigious university as a whole. It's also worth considering where you'd prefer to live: both are campus universities, although Royal Holloway is smaller and more picturesque. Neither of them are inner city, but York is (obviously) close to York, whilst Royal Holloway has London and a few other closer places but it's still a five minute train journey to the closest shopping centre.

So although I can't tell you where to go, I hope this has given you a better idea in terms of what factors to consider. I'm obviously a student at Holloway and love it here but I applied to York for both undergraduate and postgraduate because they really do have a great department, so either way you will be going to a fantastic university and department.