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Royal Holloway vs Bristol for my insurance choice

HI, I was just wondering what other people's opinions on Royal Holloway and Bristol are. Both unis have offered me BBB for my course and I like the courses equally, but I'm not sure which one I want to put for my insurance.
I guess i want to know which one has a better rep, nightlife etc.
Reply 1
Personally I would put down Bristol as I think it has a better overall uni reputation and from what I've heard Bristol is also very nice but posh. I think cost wise they're both in the south but London will always be a bit more expensive so I recommend bristol!
Definitely Bristol! A better global reputation and not snobby at all unless you choose a hall that is known to be100% public school which is easily avoidable if you want to.
Reply 3
thank you for your input, I was leaning more towards Bristol anyway as it is further from home (Royal Holloway is only 40 mins from where I live), and I'd like to experience a different part of the country! I think bristol also makes more sense as it has a better rep.
Original post by wellsey_
thank you for your input, I was leaning more towards Bristol anyway as it is further from home (Royal Holloway is only 40 mins from where I live), and I'd like to experience a different part of the country! I think bristol also makes more sense as it has a better rep.

My daughter is at Bristol and loves it!
Which course are you applying to?

Since they have the same grade requirements you should probably pick on the basis of which you'd actually want to study at if you don't get into your firm choice. So do consider more general things like cost of living, facilities/clubs offered by each uni, the environment in general, etc. Obviously it may be difficult with COVID but if you can attend any open days or similar outreach activities (even online) this might help you get a "feel" for each uni :smile:

That said anecdotally I started going to uni quite close to home and then moved to one further from home, and I felt I integrated better at the latter uni; for the one close to home it was just too easy to go home on the weekend so it didn't feel so much like a uni experience at the time (for whatever that is worth!).
Reply 6
Original post by artful_lounger
Which course are you applying to?

Since they have the same grade requirements you should probably pick on the basis of which you'd actually want to study at if you don't get into your firm choice. So do consider more general things like cost of living, facilities/clubs offered by each uni, the environment in general, etc. Obviously it may be difficult with COVID but if you can attend any open days or similar outreach activities (even online) this might help you get a "feel" for each uni :smile:

That said anecdotally I started going to uni quite close to home and then moved to one further from home, and I felt I integrated better at the latter uni; for the one close to home it was just too easy to go home on the weekend so it didn't feel so much like a uni experience at the time (for whatever that is worth!).

I'm applying for Classical Studies. My top choice is currently University of Manchester, which i saw in October and fell in love with the big city vibe. I assume that Bristol has a similar feeling to it, while RH is smaller.
My offer from Bristol was a contextual offer because of the College I go to (a typical offer is an AAB/ABB), while RH just has a lower entry requirement, so if I went to Bristol is that generally seen as more impressive by future employers?.
Frustratingly all the open days and guided tours for both uni's are either booked fully or on days where I am unable to attend.
I agree with you about the whole close-to-home uni, I just know that if I went to RH I would probably go home often or my parents would drive to Egham to see me.
Definitely think that Bristol will be my choice.
Original post by wellsey_
I'm applying for Classical Studies. My top choice is currently University of Manchester, which i saw in October and fell in love with the big city vibe. I assume that Bristol has a similar feeling to it, while RH is smaller.
My offer from Bristol was a contextual offer because of the College I go to (a typical offer is an AAB/ABB), while RH just has a lower entry requirement, so if I went to Bristol is that generally seen as more impressive by future employers?.
Frustratingly all the open days and guided tours for both uni's are either booked fully or on days where I am unable to attend.
I agree with you about the whole close-to-home uni, I just know that if I went to RH I would probably go home often or my parents would drive to Egham to see me.
Definitely think that Bristol will be my choice.


Ah that's sort of my area of interest :smile: I think RHUL is reasonably good for classics and related courses, although Bristol looks pretty good too, and Bristol also offers Sanskrit (sometimes anyway it seems) which gives it a big bonus in my (somewhat biased) opinion! That said I know RHUL does a fair bit of research in classics (particularly with rhetoric and oratory) so both are probably good options :biggrin:

It sounds like going a bit further from home might be a good option for you though, and Bristol is a very good uni in general and it seems for classics as well.

Neither will make any particular difference to employers as what relevant work experience/internships you get during the degree will make more difference. The only exception is if you wanted to apply for investment banking or management consulting roles (yuck), in which case you need to be going to a target or semi-target uni; I think Bristol might be semi-target so that may sway your perspective.

In terms of the city I don't think Bristol is as big as Manchester but from what I've heard is pretty thriving and has a lot of student-interest activities (i.e. clubs and stuff) form what I've heard.
Reply 8
Original post by artful_lounger
Ah that's sort of my area of interest :smile: I think RHUL is reasonably good for classics and related courses, although Bristol looks pretty good too, and Bristol also offers Sanskrit (sometimes anyway it seems) which gives it a big bonus in my (somewhat biased) opinion! That said I know RHUL does a fair bit of research in classics (particularly with rhetoric and oratory) so both are probably good options :biggrin:

It sounds like going a bit further from home might be a good option for you though, and Bristol is a very good uni in general and it seems for classics as well.

Neither will make any particular difference to employers as what relevant work experience/internships you get during the degree will make more difference. The only exception is if you wanted to apply for investment banking or management consulting roles (yuck), in which case you need to be going to a target or semi-target uni; I think Bristol might be semi-target so that may sway your perspective.

In terms of the city I don't think Bristol is as big as Manchester but from what I've heard is pretty thriving and has a lot of student-interest activities (i.e. clubs and stuff) form what I've heard.

Thank you for your input, it is rare to find people who know much about classics so you're input is greatly appreciated!

Im not really interested in any banking so it won't be a big deal for me.

I think I need to visit both areas more and look at what their specialism might offer me.

Thank you so much!
Original post by wellsey_
Thank you for your input, it is rare to find people who know much about classics so you're input is greatly appreciated!

Im not really interested in any banking so it won't be a big deal for me.

I think I need to visit both areas more and look at what their specialism might offer me.

Thank you so much!


Definitely worth visiting to see if you like the vibe of the area; I've never been to Bristol but was once in the Egham area (and drove around the uni campus, but didn't get out or anything cos it wasn't an open day, we were just driving past and did a little detour), it seems like Egham is definitely a lot more of a small suburban town vibe than a city vibe from what I saw.

It's also worth seeing what they offer in different areas, classics is a pretty broad field! Usually if a course offers a variety options across the main areas (of languages, literature, history, philosophy, and archaeology) that is a good sign. Of course if you're e.g. really interested in ancient history and archaeology only then the other options might not matter so much. If you're mainly interested in the languages/linguistics then you might be looking for different things (like Sanskrit or other ancient Indo-European languages being offered)!
Bristol - its a great place to be student - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khM7tjui86Q
Original post by wellsey_
I'm applying for Classical Studies. My top choice is currently University of Manchester, which i saw in October and fell in love with the big city vibe. I assume that Bristol has a similar feeling to it, while RH is smaller.
My offer from Bristol was a contextual offer because of the College I go to (a typical offer is an AAB/ABB), while RH just has a lower entry requirement, so if I went to Bristol is that generally seen as more impressive by future employers?.
Frustratingly all the open days and guided tours for both uni's are either booked fully or on days where I am unable to attend.
I agree with you about the whole close-to-home uni, I just know that if I went to RH I would probably go home often or my parents would drive to Egham to see me.
Definitely think that Bristol will be my choice.

Hi,

I'm a classical studies graduate from RHUL! I couldn't recommend it enough - nightlife is a bit dead but you kind of make your own. The course was so varied and had so much to offer, plus the support was endless. I had never done classics before and graduated only 2% off a first. Holloway - as far as I know and have experienced is still impressive to employers but so is Bristol. I must say I don't know much about Bristol though!

They're both great uni's so personally I would focus more on your needs, if you are more independent and have prior knowledge of Bristol then maybe that would be better suited. However, if you would like support and a warmer, safe environment - Holloway is absolutely perfect.

Plus, the lecturers have some impressive backgrounds and as it is technically a London uni I did two modules that did bi-weekly trips to the British Museum (before Covid).

Hope I can help! Let me know if you have anymore questions :smile:

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