The Student Room Group

Anyone regret Royal Holloway?

Any current students of Royal Holloway regret choosing to study there? What is your opinion on the halls, different services (security, advisors, etc), different departments you have studied under and the students/student life there in general?

P.S. Use this thread to vent your frustration about the place if you wish. That's kind of what it's for :thumbsup:

Over to you.

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Reply 1
I thought they all lived in a castle. WHAT'S TO REGRET!?
Hoody555
I thought they all lived in a castle. WHAT'S TO REGRET!?


Many students I've talked to regret it. As for Founders ('the castle', as you call it), it's unhygenic, high noise levels for much of the time, alot of theft goes on pretty much everyday and the security team there are a shambles.
Btw, not 'all' students under Royal Holloway live in Founders.
Reply 3
god me ive never felt so uncomfortable anywhere in my life
all the people that go there appear to be from a 5 miles radius around the campus, and theyre all miserable sods who showed me around :frown:

and i didnt see the accomodation, but you dont live in the castle unless youre loaded!
Reply 4
Founders looks like a hotel on the inside. I wouldn't like to live there
I'm in Founder's, 'the castle', actually. Trust me, guys, it's really not that pleasant.
bamsmybaby
god me ive never felt so uncomfortable anywhere in my life
all the people that go there appear to be from a 5 miles radius around the campus, and theyre all miserable sods who showed me around :frown:

and i didnt see the accomodation, but you dont live in the castle unless youre loaded!


Yes, this place kind of makes people miserable after a while. My depression has definitely got a lot worse since I came here. Personally, I would not recommend it. I just wanted to see if others felt the same.
Reply 7
Touched With Fire
Yes, this place kind of makes people miserable after a while. My depression has definitely got a lot worse since I came here. Personally, I would not recommend it. I just wanted to see if others felt the same.


i would suggest you take charge young sir/madam and talk to someone about transferring maybe? theres no point being unhappy somewhere when you should be having the best 3 years of your life!!
bamsmybaby
but you dont live in the castle unless youre loaded!


completely the opposite actually, they're the cheapest rooms on campus
Reply 9
toastehmonstah
completely the opposite actually, they're the cheapest rooms on campus


:eek:
I was going to say...aren't Founders like one of/the cheapest accommodation available? Also, doesn't RHUL have awards for their Student Welfare Service? Egham doesn't seem to me like a particularly dangerous place...x x
toastehmonstah
completely the opposite actually, they're the cheapest rooms on campus


That's true for the most part, yes.
I'll be a Finalist next year and I'll be on the top floor again (which is usually more expensive since it's usually for Finalists and Postgrads) to the North side near the tower and that's going to be £3,800. You're only allowed to live in Founders during term times, too. Which means everything must be moved out each vacation.
samanthachan03
I was going to say...aren't Founders like one of/the cheapest accommodation available? Also, doesn't RHUL have awards for their Student Welfare Service? Egham doesn't seem to me like a particularly dangerous place...x x


There are racially-motivated attacks, sexually-motivated attacks and alot of theft, actually. A year ago, a student was attacked in the laundrette that belongs to Founders because of their ethnic background. And quite a number of female students in the past year have been sexually assaulted in the area during nights-out.
Furthermore, if you report theft, which a number of us per corridor have to do every week, the warden says, 'we shall put up posters notifying students about this, but there is nothing else we can do'. So, basically, you aren't allowed to have fridges in your room - so you have to use the pantry fridge. And, when you do that, your food gets stolen almost on a daily basis.
Reply 14
Still waiting on a reply from RHUL, this information is useful, and very enlightening O_O

/subscribe
Touched With Fire
Furthermore, if you report theft, which a number of us per corridor have to do every week, the warden says, 'we shall put up posters notifying students about this, but there is nothing else we can do'. So, basically, you aren't allowed to have fridges in your room - so you have to use the pantry fridge. And, when you do that, your food gets stolen almost on a daily basis.


So get a mini-fridge in your room. I'm not supposed to have this sub in my room, but I do. My mates have a toaster and a kettle in their room.
James4d
Still waiting on a reply from RHUL, this information is useful, and very enlightening O_O

/subscribe


What department have you applied to? Which accomodating building were you hoping to live in if you did come here?
Touched With Fire
Any current students of Royal Holloway regret choosing to study there? What is your opinion on the halls, different services (security, advisors, etc), different departments you have studied under and the students/student life there in general?

P.S. Use this thread to vent your frustration about the place if you wish. That's kind of what it's for :thumbsup:

Over to you.


I had a love hate relationship with RHUL (but the love was enough for my apply again for my PhD).

I was in Runnymede halls wise which was fine diddly - we were left alone bar the annoying house keeper. Social side was fine too. Egham grows on you and you just realise that you have to make the most of Windsor and Staines for day to day life. Security - can't say we personally ever had a problem but heard lots of stuff regarding Founder's etc. None of us ever went out alone at night though - says something? And there were masses of laptop theft from the ground floors of all halls in the year I was there.

I guess what I and actually most of my flatmates found were the difficulties we faced on the academic side. We were all arts based MA students and just couldn't believe how bad the libraries were (we had all studied elsewhere previously), attitudes of teaching staff etc etc etc. And when your MA is costing you £10/£12 K - you start getting annoyed! Oh and given we were there over the summer (50 week halls contract) nothing was open on campus unless it was for about 3hrs a week which was not fair. There were times when we couldn't even get a cup of coffee!

Some people love RHUL and I can see why but having studied elsewhere, it has some major problems which for a university of its size and supposed reputation shouldn't be happening.
Touched With Fire
Furthermore, if you report theft, which a number of us per corridor have to do every week, the warden says, 'we shall put up posters notifying students about this, but there is nothing else we can do'. So, basically, you aren't allowed to have fridges in your room - so you have to use the pantry fridge. And, when you do that, your food gets stolen almost on a daily basis.


I think that's fairly common sort of thing at most universities.

I went to stay with a friend in the Founders building for a weekend, and she seemed to love it there. She'd made friends with other people in the corridors, and definately was having a brilliant time. The toilets and shower facilities were a bit naff and badly maintained, but you can always go to a different floor. The place does seem to have a few negatives, which have been mentioned, but it's not bad enough to be completely put off.

Wish I'd applied there, actually.
toastehmonstah
So get a mini-fridge in your room. I'm not supposed to have this sub in my room, but I do. My mates have a toaster and a kettle in their room.



That's not really the point. Nobody should have to do that. When you move in here you don't expect your things to get stolen. And by the way, if you live here, you probably have been told how flammable Founder's is. If those items are found, you won't be fined, you'll be evicted.

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