Founders Accommodation

Hi,

I've got an unconditional offer from Royal Holloway, which I'll probably accept, but I have some questions about accommodation. Firstly, I realise that accommodation application is now open for those who firm this RHUL, but I'm still not sure if I'll do so. I might not make this decision for some time, so I'm wondering if it makes a difference when you submit your application concerning the odds of getting your first choice accommodation? i.e. If I submit an application earlier am I more likely to get my first choice (Founders), or does the date of application submission not make a difference? And regarding Founders, how likely is it that I'll actually get a room here? It's a beautiful building, it's catered, AND it's the cheapest option, so I imagine this is many people's first choice - so is it difficult to actually get a room there? Also, if all three of my first choices are Founders rooms (one of each band), and I still don't get one, how will my accommodation be allocated? Any input would be really helpful - I'm pretty much hell-bent on getting a Founders room because I love the building and I doubt I'd ever see much of it on the psychology course!

Thanks!

They cannot allocate accommodation till after results day when they know who is coming unless you already have your results so if you're unsure do take your time to make your decision. Yes they try and accommodate your prefs but also have to allocate based on needs for example.

I see, thanks for the info! But now that you mention them waiting to decide until they know who's coming, I'm wondering about my unconditional offer. If I firm RHUL, that means they know that I'll definitely be attending - does this mean that they would be able to offer me accommodation earlier, or would I need to wait like everyone else (I imagine this would be the fairer thing to do)?

Unless you already have your grades you still have to pass your exams so they don't know you are coming till after results day.

That makes sense. So basically my chances of getting my preferred accommodation aren't affected by when I submit my application (as long as I do so before the deadline)?

Exactly

Great, thanks for your help! Now about the Founders accommodation itself, do you know if it's particularly competitive (I'm assuming you attended or worked at RHUL at some point)? And if I don't get any of my preferred rooms (which I know is unlikely as I get five choices), how is the one I end up with allocated? Is it random / a ballot / another sort of system?

Hi,

I've got an unconditional offer from Royal Holloway, which I'll probably accept, but I have some questions about accommodation. Firstly, I realise that accommodation application is now open for those who firm this RHUL, but I'm still not sure if I'll do so. I might not make this decision for some time, so I'm wondering if it makes a difference when you submit your application concerning the odds of getting your first choice accommodation? i.e. If I submit an application earlier am I more likely to get my first choice (Founders), or does the date of application submission not make a difference? And regarding Founders, how likely is it that I'll actually get a room here? It's a beautiful building, it's catered, AND it's the cheapest option, so I imagine this is many people's first choice - so is it difficult to actually get a room there? Also, if all three of my first choices are Founders rooms (one of each band), and I still don't get one, how will my accommodation be allocated? Any input would be really helpful - I'm pretty much hell-bent on getting a Founders room because I love the building and I doubt I'd ever see much of it on the psychology course!

Thanks!

Hey Ayylmao100!

Congrats on the unconditional offer, that's great news! In terms of applying for accommodation, once you've firmed your offer, you'll need to apply for accommodation by Wednesday 6 June. All applications received by this time are then randomly allocated a number and applications are processed in this order (rather than the order in which you applied). We find this to be the fairest way of doing things! When applying, you'll be asked to rank our halls in order of preference, so you can absolutely put all of the Founder's bands at the top, followed by other bands after, and we'll do our best to match you to your highest preference. Worth noting that students have preferences for all types of halls with some preferring en suites or self catered, so don't worry too much about everyone wanting the same hall - we find that this balances itself out!

Founder's is an awesome place to live though so I don't blame you for loving it! Have you had a chance to visit our campus?

Camilla

Hi Camilla, thanks for your help! That sounds fair - I was worried that I'd have to make my decision sooner because of the accommodation opening, and I'm having a very hard time choosing between RHUL and Durham, so I'm glad this isn't the case! And yes I've visited the uni twice now, once last year in June (it was so hot!) and once a couple of weeks ago for the applicant day, I loved it both times! I was just wondering (as I was asking above) if there's a lot of competition for Founders rooms (i.e. are there normally a lot of people who want one but don't get it)?

Hey Ayylmao100,

It's hard to say as it can change each year, but Founder's has space for over 500 students so I really wouldn't worry too much! If your top three bands are all in Founder's you'll be in a good position, particularly as not all students will opt for a shared room in Founder's. In any case, you'll get to spend lots of time in and around Founder's outside of living there - I lived in Wedderburn in my first year but spent a lot of time in Crosslands in Founder's, particularly in the summer months.

Glad you've had the chance to visit us and get a feel for the campus! Have you got any other questions?

Camilla

Thanks for the info! Yeah...I guess I also wanted to ask about the uni's infamous reputation of having pretty much nothing fun to do within a 20 mile radius (which I know is an exaggeration!), how much truth do you think there is in this prejudice that lots of people seem to have? And also about the campus, I realise that it's quite small (though very beautiful!), but I've also heard that sometimes it can feel a little like a bubble, and that students rarely have any reason to leave it unless they're going home at the weekend - is this true? And speaking of weekends, apparently campus is extremely quiet at this time, (but as a very shy person this doesn't bother me much!) is this a relaxing / peaceful sort of quiet? Or does it feel more eerie / awkward? Finally, I wanted to ask about RHUL's reputation - very few people I speak to have heard of the uni, which worries me slightly as I wouldn't want to spend three years getting a degree from a uni that won't impress many employers. Apologies if any of this is offensive - I don't really believe much of it myself but it's just what I've heard!

Thanks again!

Hey again!

I studied here for four years and was honestly never short of things to do! I think the main thing about being a campus university is that there's a real sense of community; you'll find that your lecturers know you by name, that you bump into friends as you walk across campus and that there's just a general sense of belonging. With that community comes a whole host of things to get involved with. I was quite active in the performing arts societies, getting involved in both the performance and technical side of things. I also liked spending time at the sports centre, doing gym classes or watching sports matches. I helped with my friend's radio show on Saturday mornings and also spent time at my part-time job. The SU organise club nights and there are also local pub quizzes to do. More locally, I did a colour run with my friends, would go shopping Staines and Windsor and visited home around once or twice a term.

In terms of size, we're around a medium sized institution. I found that it was small enough to feel recognised but big enough that it didn't feel like a bubble. You can stay on campus as much as you like but many students also like to visit the local area or pop into London. You can get involved in as little or as much as you like, and I was never short of things to do! Weekends are slightly quieter around campus, as at any uni. This is more because there is less of a buzz of students moving between lectures.

In terms of reputation, we're lucky to be part of the University of London, which is world recognised. Our Psychology dept has a 93% graduate employability (DLHE) rate within 6 months of graduating, which is a great position to be in.

Happy to answer any more questions!

Camilla

Hi Camilla, thank so much for the reply - it's very reassuring to hear that these rumours are just rumours after all! It's also great to hear about the employability rate in psychology because this is actually what I'll be studying! You mentioned that students often pop into London and I've heard that the train link is very quick and easy - but how much of an impact would a day trip to London have on a student's wallet? Is a day in town as casual as it sounds, or is it more of a special treat than a frequent occurrence? I don't really mind, since I live in a rural area and am used to a quieter life, but I'd just like to know how students like to spend their free time. Thanks!

Hey Ayylmao100,

It's around £12 for a return ticket to Waterloo if you have a 16-25 railcard. It's around a 40 min journey, so close enough if you want to pop in just for a couple of hours. I quite liked going to London for the theatre and found it to be really easy to do so. It's up to you how often you go, some people will go more frequently than others, and some students even commute to Royal Holloway from London. I generally found that Egham has most things you need on a day to day basis, and spent much of my free time with different societies on campus. I'd go to the cinema in Staines with my flatmates and for walks/shopping in Windsor too.

Where abouts do you live at the moment? It sounds like this will be a completely new area for you which is really exciting!

Camilla

Just to clarify a couple of things - you will find out your accommodation allocation before results day (the exact date depends on when you apply - there's a table here). Also be aware that although you have right up till June to apply, you need to do it by 30th April to be in the first allocation round and therefore have the best chance of getting into Founders.

And unlike lots of universities, an unconditional offer from RHUL has no minimum grade requirements.

Hi there, thanks so much for the info - can't believe nobody told me this! You mentioned that I need to apply by the 30th of April to have the best chance of getting into founders, but do you think this would actually be necessary? i.e. Would I still stand a chance if I entered into the next round of allocation - I've heard that founders isn't normally oversubscribed anyway? I was also wondering what happens if I put RHUL as my insurance choice, will I still need to go through the same process? And if not, would I have any chance of getting a room in my preferred hall or does allocation become random at this point? Thanks again for your help!

Hi ayylmao100,

As each year is different, it's difficult to say whether a hall will be full during the first accommodation allocation round or not. As my colleague mentioned, there are around 500 rooms in Founder's so by choosing all Founder's bands as your preferred choices, you're in a good position as not everyone has the same list of preferences. You will be guaranteed accommodation as long as you apply before 6 June 2018 so you don't need to worry about being without a room either.

In order to apply for accommodation, you will need to be holding either a Conditional Firm or Unconditional Firm offer first.

I hope this helps, but please let me know if you need any additional information!

Susana