Geography BA - Which University?

Hey, i'm currently in year 12 and am currently studying Geography, Biology & Sociology.

I'm planning to study Geography BA at university because while i do favour human, there are some physical topics that are usually found in a BA that I love. Honestly I'm not too sure what i want to pursue with after university.

At the moment I'm looking at KCL, LSE, Queen Mary, Royal Holloway and Sussex. I'm mainly looking at London universities and i was wondering if anyone had any opinions on this degree at these unis or just the universities in general. Also if anyone has any other university recommendations or personal statement advice, it would be very welcomed Thanks in advance if anyone actually replies!

Reply 1

katie091000

So the only uni here I have experience with is Royal Holloway. It’s actually in Egham, (Surrey,) but still comes under the university of London group. I went to an applicant day and loved it. It’s definitely a quieter uni due to where it’s situated but it seems like there is still plenty to do. I really loved it when I went! Sussex isn’t too far from Brighton, so royal holloway is closer to London! Also with regards to personal statement I don’t know if you’re 2019 entry or 2020 but just remember to write about YOU and avoid generic statements like, ‘my passion for the subject started...’ or, ‘I love the subject because...’ as the uni will have heard it a hundred times before :smile:

Reply 2

swanseajack1

Are Reading Kent and East Anglia within distance. Exeter is good for Geography but is probably a little too far away 2 hours from Paddington.

Original post by tayyiba.c

Reply 3

swanseajack1

Looking at your choices you have 3 universities pretty much in Central London LSE, Kings and Queen Mary and 2 out of town campus universities in Royal Holloway near Windsor and Sussex which is a few miles out of Brighton. Maybe you should consider the kind of place you really want to be. Is it in the middle of a bustling city or on a campus out of town. If you are looking at a city university look at UCL in London and Bristol. It is city based less than 2 hours from London and a really good student city which is good for Geography. If you would prefer a campus based university look at the likes of Reading, Surrey, Kent and maybe East Anglia or Exeter.

You should also now be looking at booking open days which tend to take place in May/June and September/October
https://www.opendays.com/

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 4

tayyiba.c

Original post by swanseajack1

Thanks for replying! I've booked an open day at all the universities ive listed.

I was mainly looking at central London as i wanted to commute from home (I live in Surrey) and also wanted to get that city experience.

I absolutley love Royal Holloway but its not in London which is my main draw back, hense i was looking at places such as KCL & Queen Mary but they're not as good for Geography (but in no means bad)

Reply 5

tayyiba.c

Original post by swanseajack1

Are Reading Kent and East Anglia within distance. Exeter is good for Geography but is probably a little too far away 2 hours from Paddington.

Thanks for replying! Yeah unfortunatly they're all a little too far.

(With the exception of Sussex - which probably won't end up happening tbh) im basically only looking at London universities as I live in Surrey and want to commute not to mention i love the idea of being in a city (which is a big draw back with Royal Holloway)

Reply 6

swanseajack1

In terms of highly ranked central London universities you are looking at LSE and UCL then slightly lower Kings and Queen Mary. LSE, UCL and Kings are very central and Queen Mary is in the east end. Ratings can sometimes be misleading as there are only small differences between universities. LSE,UCL and Kings are all very well thought of. If you dont wish to go outside of London you will either have to go somewhere quiet like Royal Holloway or possibly Reading which is 1/2 hour by train. If you dont want that you could try Bristol as your other choice even though it is some distance away. It is very highly rated as a student city.

Reply 7

tayyiba.c

Thanks for replying! I love the look of Royal Holloway and the coarse content but always wanted a city experience and i feel like this is my one opportunity to get away from quite town which is the main reason stopping me from commuting. And an added issue is that while i live in Surrey the train lines to get to Egham are just a mess so either i'd have to learn to drive before Uni or the option im thinking about more is that I live out first year and then hopefully have my license by 2nd.

Ive booked my open day in June but was just wondering if you have any information of the accommodation or their style of teaching, it would be much appreciated. (Also i'm a 2020 applicant :smile:

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Original post by katie091000

Reply 8

swanseajack1

I dont have info on teaching try the individual university sub forums. Have you applied for UCL open day as well.

Original post by tayyiba.c

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Reply 9

katie091000

Original post by tayyiba.c

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So I’m a 2019 applicant and haven’t actually studied there myself- however I know people that do go there and I’ve been to a few applicant days. You can find the information about their accommodation types here: https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/student-life/accommodation/

They offer catered/ self catered and you will get a bigger maintenance loan as it comes under the university of London. The only accommodation that offers shared rooms is Founders. Your self catered options, (from memory,) are gower, tuke, Butler, Williamson, Wedderburn, George Elliot and Runnymede.

George Elliot and Wedderburn/ gower are your most expensive accommodation options.

George Elliot is a brand new town house that is the most recent of the accommodations to be build and you have to share a bathroom with one other person. They offer en suite rooms and shared bathrooms. The accommodation other than George Elliot is not the most modern but the likelihood is you’ll only be living on campus for a year and they have anything you would need really. If you have any more specific questions about accommodation, feel free to ask!

In regards to teaching style, I’ve been to a few practice lectures and the teachers seemed really enthusiastic and helpful. They were more than happy to take questions from people and it was partly interactive, (eg they’d ask the audience to send their answers in on their phones and they would anonymously appear on the screen.) They talk you through things step by step and have drop in sessions if there’s anything in particular you need help with :smile:

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 10

tayyiba.c

No, i don't meet the requirements because i failed GCSE Spanish, at the time didn't think it mattered so it was a tough day when i found out my dream university won't accept me because i didn't a **** about Spanish. But honestly i've moved, not salty at all.

Original post by swanseajack1

I dont have info on teaching try the individual university sub forums. Have you applied for UCL open day as well.

Reply 11

swanseajack1

Dont not apply because you dont have a gcse foreign language. Even though UCL state you have to have it they accept people without it. They have ways around it. You either have to take a language during the holidays before going or take a course during the first year in addition to your degree.
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/languages-international-education/study/modules/courses-and-applying/ucl-modern-foreign-language-requirement