Psychology RHUL vs Surrey for Sept 2013??

I'm so confused about choices! Any feedback appreciated!

I have been offered places at RHUL and Surrey for B Sc Psychology and am really torn... RHUL looks amazing from what I can see on the website (I am South African living in Dubai) and hoping to visit in mid-June. However I need to firm my choices by 6 June!

Surrey have the sandwich year so what I'd like to know is how important is this work experience year? Is it definitely better for employment?

Both psychology departments are very good, though I'd argue Royal Holloway has the edge and seem a little more proactive in general- our lecturers tend to be in the media spotlight a lot and although friends of mine who study psychology at Surrey enjoy it very much, they don't seem to have quite the same relationship with their lecturers that we do.

The placement year is a tough one- I can see the advantages if you manage to get a good placement relevant to whatever you want to do after your degree, but part of me feels like it's a bit of a waste of a year. It depends how good the placements they offer are, though. Thing is, it's possible to have a placement or an internship or something along those lines without taking a whole year out- for example, I had a 10 month internship last year alongside my studies and although it was hard work my marks weren't affected or anything. I guess a part of me sees the placement year as a bit of a lazy way of going about things (but that's just my personal opinion). The great thing about Holloway is that because our lecturers are so proactive about placements and volunteering opportunities and internships, it means the idea of a placement year becomes sort of pointless.

Anyway, that's just my opinion, and others may well argue in favour of a placement year. I can imagine if you get a really good placement then it could be valuable to have on your CV. I guess the question is whether Surrey offers good placements, or whether you'd be able to find something comparable and do it alongside your studies (though Holloway would of course help you in finding something).

are there many muslims at rhul?

are there many muslims at rhul?