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RHUL Social Life help

I know this is beating a dead horse about RH being dead but I just went to the open day and am actually concerned about being bored for 3-4 years.

Anyone who is currently studying / has previously studied at Royal Holloway give some insight in what there is to do in the day / weekends and the night life.

I know most part is just getting the best of what you make of it and finding the right friend group but for people who do like to go out, do you? Do you and a few mates go London via train - uber often?
Holloway is a bubble. You either make friends or you don't. Theres so few people there that there isnt much choice. Honestly the social life at holloway is pretty dead.
Founders Building, Royal Holloway
Royal Holloway
Egham
Visit website
Reply 2
Original post by Anonymous
Holloway is a bubble. You either make friends or you don't. Theres so few people there that there isnt much choice. Honestly the social life at holloway is pretty dead.

If you don't mind me asking, are you a student there yourself?? If not then i'm kind of on the same level, viewpoint wise.

Obviously it is what you make of it in the end and i'm sure i'll find like-minded people, but the worry that'll i'll essentially be bored (outside of studies) for my time there really worries me, although i may just have to bite the bullet as the course is really, really good for what i want to study.
Original post by Anonymous
If you don't mind me asking, are you a student there yourself?? If not then i'm kind of on the same level, viewpoint wise.

Obviously it is what you make of it in the end and i'm sure i'll find like-minded people, but the worry that'll i'll essentially be bored (outside of studies) for my time there really worries me, although i may just have to bite the bullet as the course is really, really good for what i want to study.

Yes, I am a student there.

There are lots of societies, so go to taster sessions etc, find out which you like. Some are a bit cliquey others are alright. If you are in halls you'll probably do things with housemates in the first few weeks before doing things with other people you've met. If you're lucky you'll be good mates with your housemates for the year but it doesn't always work out.

Outside of the actual university you can get the train to London (takes an hour not 40 minutes like they tell you) or Windsor for shopping or whatever. Thorpe Park is a short train and bus away but is shut in the winter. Virginia water is 15 minutes walk away if you want some nature. The thing with Holloway is you're not in a city. You have to get a train or bus to go shopping or the cinema etc.

It depends, if you make friends you'll possibly spend time with them at the weekends etc. There are however quite a lot of students that commute etc which I've found tough. But the uni itself is proper dead at the weekend. There is literally nothing going on lol.
Original post by Anonymous
If you don't mind me asking, are you a student there yourself?? If not then i'm kind of on the same level, viewpoint wise.

Obviously it is what you make of it in the end and i'm sure i'll find like-minded people, but the worry that'll i'll essentially be bored (outside of studies) for my time there really worries me, although i may just have to bite the bullet as the course is really, really good for what i want to study.

I'm a first year at Royal Holloway right now staying in Founder's and honestly it's what you make of it. If the university is good for what you want to study then I'd say definitely pick it. I got into Royal Holloway through clearing this year and I'd say the social life has been really good for me. In terms of the nightlife, there have been a few good events with big names like Steel Banglez and Big Narstie but if you had to compare the nightlife here to other unis, it's pretty ****; there's only two student union clubs and they're average but you can still have a good time when around good people. There are quite a few university hosted trips to London and Windsor if you're looking for a better night scene.

There's always gonna be people that you vibe with better than others, the uni isn't small enough to not find people on your level. Granted it may be harder than other universities with considerably more students, it's definitely far from impossible. Being someone who was originally applying to more sociable unis with bigger nightlife, I was honestly very happy with Royal Holloway as a clearing option. Although I have to say that I'm lucky since the people in my halls are all pretty out-going.

The only period of the week that can be quite boring is the weekend, particularly Sunday. There aren't any SU events on when it comes to the weekend so going out basically revolves around going to London or Windsor. We usually just have hall parties when there isn't anything on. Sunday is pretty mundane, more of a relaxation and recovery day from Saturday for me.

But yeah, the basic gist is just how involved you are. Especially during the first weeks and months, just get stuck in and meet new people. They matter more than the university environment.

If you got any other questions, just hit me up. I do Computer Science btw.
Reply 5
Original post by avocado6969
I'm a first year at Royal Holloway right now staying in Founder's and honestly it's what you make of it. If the university is good for what you want to study then I'd say definitely pick it. I got into Royal Holloway through clearing this year and I'd say the social life has been really good for me. In terms of the nightlife, there have been a few good events with big names like Steel Banglez and Big Narstie but if you had to compare the nightlife here to other unis, it's pretty ****; there's only two student union clubs and they're average but you can still have a good time when around good people. There are quite a few university hosted trips to London and Windsor if you're looking for a better night scene.

There's always gonna be people that you vibe with better than others, the uni isn't small enough to not find people on your level. Granted it may be harder than other universities with considerably more students, it's definitely far from impossible. Being someone who was originally applying to more sociable unis with bigger nightlife, I was honestly very happy with Royal Holloway as a clearing option. Although I have to say that I'm lucky since the people in my halls are all pretty out-going.

The only period of the week that can be quite boring is the weekend, particularly Sunday. There aren't any SU events on when it comes to the weekend so going out basically revolves around going to London or Windsor. We usually just have hall parties when there isn't anything on. Sunday is pretty mundane, more of a relaxation and recovery day from Saturday for me.

But yeah, the basic gist is just how involved you are. Especially during the first weeks and months, just get stuck in and meet new people. They matter more than the university environment.

If you got any other questions, just hit me up. I do Computer Science btw.

Thanks for the info, really helpful. shot you a PM too.
Reply 6
So much thanks for all of the responses, really settled my fears aha.

From what I've been told, and common sense, it's really what you make of it and the friends you make. Obviously it's not Bristol so the clubs aren't there but the motive still is, so there's flat socials, SU and occasionally the RH takeover buses that go to London and that. I also know friends who train to London twice a month and uber back after nights out.

But yeah, thanks for the responses and crazy amount of messages, safe to say I was wrong.

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