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I can't decide which university to choose
Hi everyone 
I'm currently faced with something of a dilemma, and I was hoping I could ask you guys for some advice 
Originally I had applied to LSE to read for History, as the course sounded very interesting, and they only required ABB (which seemed strange considering that it's LSE) which was easily within my capabilities. Basically, I didn't really consider that they'll most likely get thousands of applications, and that the actual requirements would probably be more like AAAA XD But yeah, I was naively optimistic about getting in, and sort of planned my future around that (I have a sort of psychological necessity to plan my entire life :P ).
I got rejected and was a bit upset, so I applied for SOAS and Royal Holloway (I had previously applied for Essex). Much to my suprise I was accepted for RHUL (and Essex too). At that moment I pretty much decided I would like to try and get into RHUL.
Well, that was until the open day visits. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the campus at RHUL, but fell in love with the campus at Essex. The whole atmosphere at Royal Holloway seemed a little flat, pretentious and, well, frigid, for lack of a better word (as though the actual institution had a metaphorical stick up its arse, although I'm sure the people there are really nice). Also Egham sucks.
Since those visits (about two months ago) I have been paralyzed with indecision.
Royal Holloway:
Academically speaking, I think this university is probably better than Essex. It is higher on the league table thingies and is part of UoL (meaning I could take modules at other institutions). Also, the topics available on the course seem much, much more interesting than those available at Essex. In addition to this, RHUL is also quite close to Twickenham, where my best friend goes to uni :P Although this probably is a bad reason to include in my decision.
However, the gym apparently sucks, the campus didn't seem very nice, Egham is dull, there doesn't seem to be anywhere to go or anything to do, the accommodation is both really expensive and not-that-amazing (for self-catered), and the whole place seemed a little boring.
Essex:
The campus is amazing, it's like a self-contained world inside a bubble. There seems to be a lot of options for socialising, such as a lot of societies and sports activities, a couple of bars, a night club, an arcade (with pool tables > ), a book shop, and an absolutely awesome lift in the library. Also it's in Colchester, which I know my way around pretty well, and seems like a decent day/night out. Also the gym looks fantastic, and the whole thing would work out being much cheaper.
However, the course can't hold a candle to that offered by RHUL in terms of interest. I do like the fact that you can do modules from other courses, which is something I don't think can be done at Royal Holloway. I've also been told that Essex is like Romford, only everyone has four grand in their pockets.
Basically, it boils down to a choice between which is more important to me -- studying, being interested, learning and developing my mind and writing skills, or socialising, meeting new people and partying (obviously I would still try to take my degree seriously at Essex). The problem is that I'd like to do both, and I can't figure out which is most important to me.
Considering these factors, what would you advise? I'd be so grateful for any advice anyone could give me.
Thanks for reading
I'm currently faced with something of a dilemma, and I was hoping I could ask you guys for some advice Originally I had applied to LSE to read for History, as the course sounded very interesting, and they only required ABB (which seemed strange considering that it's LSE) which was easily within my capabilities. Basically, I didn't really consider that they'll most likely get thousands of applications, and that the actual requirements would probably be more like AAAA XD But yeah, I was naively optimistic about getting in, and sort of planned my future around that (I have a sort of psychological necessity to plan my entire life :P ).
I got rejected and was a bit upset, so I applied for SOAS and Royal Holloway (I had previously applied for Essex). Much to my suprise I was accepted for RHUL (and Essex too). At that moment I pretty much decided I would like to try and get into RHUL.
Well, that was until the open day visits. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the campus at RHUL, but fell in love with the campus at Essex. The whole atmosphere at Royal Holloway seemed a little flat, pretentious and, well, frigid, for lack of a better word (as though the actual institution had a metaphorical stick up its arse, although I'm sure the people there are really nice). Also Egham sucks.
Since those visits (about two months ago) I have been paralyzed with indecision.
Royal Holloway:
Academically speaking, I think this university is probably better than Essex. It is higher on the league table thingies and is part of UoL (meaning I could take modules at other institutions). Also, the topics available on the course seem much, much more interesting than those available at Essex. In addition to this, RHUL is also quite close to Twickenham, where my best friend goes to uni :P Although this probably is a bad reason to include in my decision.
However, the gym apparently sucks, the campus didn't seem very nice, Egham is dull, there doesn't seem to be anywhere to go or anything to do, the accommodation is both really expensive and not-that-amazing (for self-catered), and the whole place seemed a little boring.
Essex:
The campus is amazing, it's like a self-contained world inside a bubble. There seems to be a lot of options for socialising, such as a lot of societies and sports activities, a couple of bars, a night club, an arcade (with pool tables >
), a book shop, and an absolutely awesome lift in the library. Also it's in Colchester, which I know my way around pretty well, and seems like a decent day/night out. Also the gym looks fantastic, and the whole thing would work out being much cheaper.However, the course can't hold a candle to that offered by RHUL in terms of interest. I do like the fact that you can do modules from other courses, which is something I don't think can be done at Royal Holloway. I've also been told that Essex is like Romford, only everyone has four grand in their pockets.
Basically, it boils down to a choice between which is more important to me -- studying, being interested, learning and developing my mind and writing skills, or socialising, meeting new people and partying (obviously I would still try to take my degree seriously at Essex). The problem is that I'd like to do both, and I can't figure out which is most important to me.
Considering these factors, what would you advise? I'd be so grateful for any advice anyone could give me.
Thanks for reading
Empyreal Rhapsody
Hi everyone I'm currently faced with something of a dilemma, and I was hoping I could ask you guys for some advice
Originally I had applied to LSE to read for History, as the course sounded very interesting, and they only required ABB (which seemed strange considering that it's LSE) which was easily within my capabilities. Basically, I didn't really consider that they'll most likely get thousands of applications, and that the actual requirements would probably be more like AAAA XD But yeah, I was naively optimistic about getting in, and sort of planned my future around that (I have a sort of psychological necessity to plan my entire life :P ).
I got rejected and was a bit upset, so I applied for SOAS and Royal Holloway (I had previously applied for Essex). Much to my suprise I was accepted for RHUL (and Essex too). At that moment I pretty much decided I would like to try and get into RHUL.
Well, that was until the open day visits. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the campus at RHUL, but fell in love with the campus at Essex. The whole atmosphere at Royal Holloway seemed a little flat, pretentious and, well, frigid, for lack of a better word (as though the actual institution had a metaphorical stick up its arse, although I'm sure the people there are really nice). Also Egham sucks.
Since those visits (about two months ago) I have been paralyzed with indecision.
Royal Holloway:
Academically speaking, I think this university is probably better than Essex. It is higher on the league table thingies and is part of UoL (meaning I could take modules at other institutions). Also, the topics available on the course seem much, much more interesting than those available at Essex. In addition to this, RHUL is also quite close to Twickenham, where my best friend goes to uni :P Although this probably is a bad reason to include in my decision.
However, the gym apparently sucks, the campus didn't seem very nice, Egham is dull, there doesn't seem to be anywhere to go or anything to do, the accommodation is both really expensive and not-that-amazing (for self-catered), and the whole place seemed a little boring.
Essex:
The campus is amazing, it's like a self-contained world inside a bubble. There seems to be a lot of options for socialising, such as a lot of societies and sports activities, a couple of bars, a night club, an arcade (with pool tables > ), a book shop, and an absolutely awesome lift in the library. Also it's in Colchester, which I know my way around pretty well, and seems like a decent day/night out. Also the gym looks fantastic, and the whole thing would work out being much cheaper.
However, the course can't hold a candle to that offered by RHUL in terms of interest. I do like the fact that you can do modules from other courses, which is something I don't think can be done at Royal Holloway. I've also been told that Essex is like Romford, only everyone has four grand in their pockets.
Basically, it boils down to a choice between which is more important to me -- studying, being interested, learning and developing my mind and writing skills, or socialising, meeting new people and partying (obviously I would still try to take my degree seriously at Essex). The problem is that I'd like to do both, and I can't figure out which is most important to me.
Considering these factors, what would you advise? I'd be so grateful for any advice anyone could give me.
Thanks for reading
I'm currently faced with something of a dilemma, and I was hoping I could ask you guys for some advice Originally I had applied to LSE to read for History, as the course sounded very interesting, and they only required ABB (which seemed strange considering that it's LSE) which was easily within my capabilities. Basically, I didn't really consider that they'll most likely get thousands of applications, and that the actual requirements would probably be more like AAAA XD But yeah, I was naively optimistic about getting in, and sort of planned my future around that (I have a sort of psychological necessity to plan my entire life :P ).
I got rejected and was a bit upset, so I applied for SOAS and Royal Holloway (I had previously applied for Essex). Much to my suprise I was accepted for RHUL (and Essex too). At that moment I pretty much decided I would like to try and get into RHUL.
Well, that was until the open day visits. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the campus at RHUL, but fell in love with the campus at Essex. The whole atmosphere at Royal Holloway seemed a little flat, pretentious and, well, frigid, for lack of a better word (as though the actual institution had a metaphorical stick up its arse, although I'm sure the people there are really nice). Also Egham sucks.
Since those visits (about two months ago) I have been paralyzed with indecision.
Royal Holloway:
Academically speaking, I think this university is probably better than Essex. It is higher on the league table thingies and is part of UoL (meaning I could take modules at other institutions). Also, the topics available on the course seem much, much more interesting than those available at Essex. In addition to this, RHUL is also quite close to Twickenham, where my best friend goes to uni :P Although this probably is a bad reason to include in my decision.
However, the gym apparently sucks, the campus didn't seem very nice, Egham is dull, there doesn't seem to be anywhere to go or anything to do, the accommodation is both really expensive and not-that-amazing (for self-catered), and the whole place seemed a little boring.
Essex:
The campus is amazing, it's like a self-contained world inside a bubble. There seems to be a lot of options for socialising, such as a lot of societies and sports activities, a couple of bars, a night club, an arcade (with pool tables >
), a book shop, and an absolutely awesome lift in the library. Also it's in Colchester, which I know my way around pretty well, and seems like a decent day/night out. Also the gym looks fantastic, and the whole thing would work out being much cheaper.However, the course can't hold a candle to that offered by RHUL in terms of interest. I do like the fact that you can do modules from other courses, which is something I don't think can be done at Royal Holloway. I've also been told that Essex is like Romford, only everyone has four grand in their pockets.
Basically, it boils down to a choice between which is more important to me -- studying, being interested, learning and developing my mind and writing skills, or socialising, meeting new people and partying (obviously I would still try to take my degree seriously at Essex). The problem is that I'd like to do both, and I can't figure out which is most important to me.
Considering these factors, what would you advise? I'd be so grateful for any advice anyone could give me.
Thanks for reading
If that all sounds far too risky etc, are you really sure that the Essex course and the options for doing modules in other departments offers you less than the RHUL course? My sense is that you know you would rather be in Essex than Egham!
Thanks for your reply! 
I don't know anything about UCAS Extra. Is that for trying to gain entry into courses that are under-subscribed?
Unfortunately all of my UCAS slots are filled
I stupidly applied to study psychology at two other universities, which not only wasted two spots, but probably made my application a lot weaker overall.
I've just been browsing the KCL web site, and now I wished I'd applied there. I think I rushed my UCAS application, as I missed some time at the start of the academic year, and when I came back I found my college was pressuring everyone to have their apps submitted by the October half term (six weeks isn't really long enough to think about such a decision in my opinion). Oh well, what's done is done, and there's nothing I can do about it now. I already had to repeat a year at college, so applying for 2008 entry is not an option! XD
Thank you very much for your advice. I suppose it does seem as though Essex would be the best place to go, especially when I consider that I really can't afford the prices of RHUL (my parents earn above the cut-off point for the extended loan, but are unwilling to support me, so I'm somewhat boned). While the vibrant and active life of Essex appeals to me, there is also part of me that would like to live in tranquil, isolated Egham XD
I don't know anything about UCAS Extra. Is that for trying to gain entry into courses that are under-subscribed?
Unfortunately all of my UCAS slots are filled
I stupidly applied to study psychology at two other universities, which not only wasted two spots, but probably made my application a lot weaker overall.I've just been browsing the KCL web site, and now I wished I'd applied there. I think I rushed my UCAS application, as I missed some time at the start of the academic year, and when I came back I found my college was pressuring everyone to have their apps submitted by the October half term (six weeks isn't really long enough to think about such a decision in my opinion). Oh well, what's done is done, and there's nothing I can do about it now. I already had to repeat a year at college, so applying for 2008 entry is not an option! XD
Thank you very much for your advice. I suppose it does seem as though Essex would be the best place to go, especially when I consider that I really can't afford the prices of RHUL (my parents earn above the cut-off point for the extended loan, but are unwilling to support me, so I'm somewhat boned). While the vibrant and active life of Essex appeals to me, there is also part of me that would like to live in tranquil, isolated Egham XD
I rushed my UCAS application and applied for uni when deep down I wasn't sure what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go, I was just hellbent on getting away from home. I was lazy too, I sold myself short and went for the safe option of applying somewhere that I got into without trying.
Anyways, halfway through my second year I dropped out, I couldn't carry on doing a course that didn't stimulate me at all, it was boring and I didn't feel like I was learning anything at all. Probably because I wasn't. I guess the point I'm trying to make is don't underestimate the importance of picking the right degree. At the right uni too - the uni I went to has a crap reputation for a reason I'm all too aware of now to be honest...
Hopefully I'm gonna apply for entry in 2008 (the year I was originally supposed to graduate) to do something totally different so another point I'm trying to make is that rushing into your decision and making do could end up setting you further back than taking a year out to decide where you really want to go would.
As far as I know Extra is there to fill the spots on courses that haven't been taken but that rules out the really competitive courses at competitive unis, but it's someting you should definately at least look into - 3 years is a long time if it's spent somewhere you don't like or doing something you don't enjoy.
Anyways, halfway through my second year I dropped out, I couldn't carry on doing a course that didn't stimulate me at all, it was boring and I didn't feel like I was learning anything at all. Probably because I wasn't. I guess the point I'm trying to make is don't underestimate the importance of picking the right degree. At the right uni too - the uni I went to has a crap reputation for a reason I'm all too aware of now to be honest...
Hopefully I'm gonna apply for entry in 2008 (the year I was originally supposed to graduate) to do something totally different so another point I'm trying to make is that rushing into your decision and making do could end up setting you further back than taking a year out to decide where you really want to go would.
As far as I know Extra is there to fill the spots on courses that haven't been taken but that rules out the really competitive courses at competitive unis, but it's someting you should definately at least look into - 3 years is a long time if it's spent somewhere you don't like or doing something you don't enjoy.
Empyreal Rhapsody
Thanks for your reply!
I don't know anything about UCAS Extra. Is that for trying to gain entry into courses that are under-subscribed?
Unfortunately all of my UCAS slots are filled I stupidly applied to study psychology at two other universities, which not only wasted two spots, but probably made my application a lot weaker overall.
I've just been browsing the KCL web site, and now I wished I'd applied there. I think I rushed my UCAS application, as I missed some time at the start of the academic year, and when I came back I found my college was pressuring everyone to have their apps submitted by the October half term (six weeks isn't really long enough to think about such a decision in my opinion). Oh well, what's done is done, and there's nothing I can do about it now. I already had to repeat a year at college, so applying for 2008 entry is not an option! XD
Thank you very much for your advice. I suppose it does seem as though Essex would be the best place to go, especially when I consider that I really can't afford the prices of RHUL (my parents earn above the cut-off point for the extended loan, but are unwilling to support me, so I'm somewhat boned). While the vibrant and active life of Essex appeals to me, there is also part of me that would like to live in tranquil, isolated Egham XD
I don't know anything about UCAS Extra. Is that for trying to gain entry into courses that are under-subscribed?
Unfortunately all of my UCAS slots are filled
I stupidly applied to study psychology at two other universities, which not only wasted two spots, but probably made my application a lot weaker overall.I've just been browsing the KCL web site, and now I wished I'd applied there. I think I rushed my UCAS application, as I missed some time at the start of the academic year, and when I came back I found my college was pressuring everyone to have their apps submitted by the October half term (six weeks isn't really long enough to think about such a decision in my opinion). Oh well, what's done is done, and there's nothing I can do about it now. I already had to repeat a year at college, so applying for 2008 entry is not an option! XD
Thank you very much for your advice. I suppose it does seem as though Essex would be the best place to go, especially when I consider that I really can't afford the prices of RHUL (my parents earn above the cut-off point for the extended loan, but are unwilling to support me, so I'm somewhat boned). While the vibrant and active life of Essex appeals to me, there is also part of me that would like to live in tranquil, isolated Egham XD
Don't torment yourself thinking about what you might have applied for! KCL is pretty competitive too so you might have been no better off. The problem with "typical" offers is that at the more popular outfits you still need to be predicted AAA at least (unless you have special circumstances or something) even if the entry requirements are pitched lower.
If unis haven't filled all their places by March, their courses with vacancies are listed on Extra. Some surprisingly good universities have places for V100. The deal is that you have to decline the offers you have, you can only apply to one uni at a time, and you only hold one offer - so no insurance. Might be worth a look - go to the Course Search page on UCAS and look for the "x" beside the course listing. You should always ring places up and see if they would be interested in your application (not sure what grades you've got to play with) and you're going to need to be quick as your deadline for choosing your firm is presumably 4 May.
And, you don't have to go to university right now or not at all. If you really aren't convinced by the choices you have now, consider whether to go and work for a couple of years and then see. If you wait until you are 21 you count as a mature student and your parents' income has nothing to do with it.
A final thought - one of the things that Essex is particularly known for is its politics department. As you applied for LSE in the first place, I wonder whether that might interest you as a possibility for non-history modules?
kw2005
If you wait until you are 21 you count as a mature student and your parents' income has nothing to do with it.
Just butting in here, the actual limit is 25 for being seperated from your parents income for student finance unless you've supported yourself (and can prove it) and met your costs of living since you were 18. Didn't want any inaccurate information affecting the OP's choice, because I thought i'd be an independent student and we're having to fight all the way to see if I am.
I can't really give you much advice on your situation, I know i'm in it myself. Distinctly underwhelmed by one universities campus, fell in love with another but don't actually like the course there, and the other two I like because they're 'older' and more established, but the accommodation is quite far from campus. In all probability i've made my decision but I keep going back on it every now and then.
What about the cost of living? It'll be somewhat higher in Royal Holloway I would have thought, that might be a factor (it is for me. One of the 'older' universities is offering me £1000 a year and their accommodation is very affordable)
Take a look in UCAS extra, there are better history courses out the then those two, RHUL is great academically, but I would share your concerns about the place, and Essex is great for political history, but not as strong in other areas. I take it if you wanted to go to LSE then your interested in international history? Obligatory own university plug: take a look at Leicesters course(or Lancasters) , one of the biggest departments with one of the best history courses in the country and a really nice place not too far from London, but much cheaper then alot of places.
http://www.le.ac.uk/history/ug/v100.html
http://www.le.ac.uk/history/ug/v100.html
It's a very difficult decision to be in because you really need to like both the uni/area and the course to be happy, and as you're finding out, it's also very difficult to prioritise them. I'd agree with what the others have said and advise you to take a look on Extra just to see if there are any unis where you like both the area and the course, but obviously it's a risk, not only because you have to decline all your offers and can't have an insurance, but also because you won't have time to visit the new uni. Email the admissions tutor with your details before you do anything to see whether they're likely to accept you. But really, I think the best thing for you to do would be to take another gap year and reapply. I know you said that wasn't an option, but if you can find something useful to do like working or travelling, that combined with the fact that you'll already have your grades could make your application stronger anyway. You said you regret your application because it was rushed- well, this is your chance to take your time over it and make it the best it can be. You know you don't want to waste 2 spots on psychology this time and you have a much better idea of where you can realistically aim. By the way, you'll only be able to apply to 5 unis next year instead of 6 and you should check each uni's policy on resitting a year because I've heard some, like LSE and KCL, can be a bit funny about it, especially for competitive courses like history. It's a really important decision, so taking your time over it now will definitely be worth it in the long run, rather than going somewhere you hate and dropping out.
Ironic_
Just butting in here, the actual limit is 25 for being seperated from your parents income for student finance unless you've supported yourself (and can prove it) and met your costs of living since you were 18. Didn't want any inaccurate information affecting the OP's choice, because I thought i'd be an independent student and we're having to fight all the way to see if I am.
Thanks for that clarification - here's the link: http://www.studentsupportdirect.co.uk/portal/page?_pageid=1647,468683&_dad=portal&_schema=PROTOCOL
The issue for the OP though is that even if his parents' income would still get taken into account at 21, having had some time to earn money and make sure of what he wants to do as well may be no bad thing.
Would second the comments about Lancaster/Leicester - especially Lancaster if you like campus universities.
Wow, thanks so much to everyone that replied. I can't convey how grateful I am
I had a discussion with my mother yesterday, and she promised that she and my father would help me out financially if I needed it, and I am reasonably confident she is being honest this time.
Ideally I think I would like to take the advice given to me here in this topic: work for a year, spend a huge amount of time researching courses and universities, go to their open days early on in the academic year, and make five solid choices -- all of them places I would be delighted to go to.
Digression: I found a course called "War Studies" at KCL, and it sounds awesome! But as kw2005 aptly pointed out, there is no point wasting time lamenting over what could have been.
However, I've already spent three years at college (and hated it), and am desperate to get out of the place I live in (most of my friends moved away from here when they went to uni, and the area itself is pretty boring during the day, and unpleasant during the night), as well as move out from my parent's house x_x I also feel that my youth is wasting away (I'm almost 19... urgh) and I don't want to spend what's left of it in a place that I'm unhappy to be in (honestly, I wish I was still 15, but... yeah, the whole story behind that is irrelevant to this topic).
So for a number of reasons, what would be ideal is not really viable, as is so often the case in life.
I'm beginning to think that I should go to RHUL, especially if I can rely on my parents to help me financially. The course interests me enough that I can imagine myself being quite excited about my next lecture. Also I think Egham is probably a quiet enough place for serious studying! Also, while it requires quite a travel to get to anywhere worth going (Staines, Richmond, Kingston, London etc.), I would only really have time for that at weekends anyway, and I'm sure the campus and local venues are adequate for spare time during the week. Also there seems to be a lot of fields around there for activities and just laying out on.
But despite this new resolution to go to RHUL, I still have my doubts. I've heard the gym at Royal Holloway is very, very poor, whereas at Essex I've seen the gym and it seems very good. Also, Essex is in Colchester, and I'm sure there must be a snooker club there, but I'd have my doubts about Egham. Essex also has a Ju Jitsu club, which is something I've recently taken up and would like to continue (although RHUL runs Mixed Martial Arts).
With regards to the course, I was thinking that if I did choose Essex, I could maybe change to a joint degree such as History and Economics or History and Politics (as pointed out in this topic their Politics department is meant to be good, and I've heard their Economics department is too). I don't know if this is generally possible to do, but it can't hurt to ask.
The deadline for accepting offers is getting dangerously close, and I have to choose very soon
Once again thank you very much for all of your replies, I really do appreciate them a lot
I had a discussion with my mother yesterday, and she promised that she and my father would help me out financially if I needed it, and I am reasonably confident she is being honest this time.
Ideally I think I would like to take the advice given to me here in this topic: work for a year, spend a huge amount of time researching courses and universities, go to their open days early on in the academic year, and make five solid choices -- all of them places I would be delighted to go to.
Digression: I found a course called "War Studies" at KCL, and it sounds awesome! But as kw2005 aptly pointed out, there is no point wasting time lamenting over what could have been.
However, I've already spent three years at college (and hated it), and am desperate to get out of the place I live in (most of my friends moved away from here when they went to uni, and the area itself is pretty boring during the day, and unpleasant during the night), as well as move out from my parent's house x_x I also feel that my youth is wasting away (I'm almost 19... urgh) and I don't want to spend what's left of it in a place that I'm unhappy to be in (honestly, I wish I was still 15, but... yeah, the whole story behind that is irrelevant to this topic).
So for a number of reasons, what would be ideal is not really viable, as is so often the case in life.
I'm beginning to think that I should go to RHUL, especially if I can rely on my parents to help me financially. The course interests me enough that I can imagine myself being quite excited about my next lecture. Also I think Egham is probably a quiet enough place for serious studying! Also, while it requires quite a travel to get to anywhere worth going (Staines, Richmond, Kingston, London etc.), I would only really have time for that at weekends anyway, and I'm sure the campus and local venues are adequate for spare time during the week. Also there seems to be a lot of fields around there for activities and just laying out on.
But despite this new resolution to go to RHUL, I still have my doubts. I've heard the gym at Royal Holloway is very, very poor, whereas at Essex I've seen the gym and it seems very good. Also, Essex is in Colchester, and I'm sure there must be a snooker club there, but I'd have my doubts about Egham. Essex also has a Ju Jitsu club, which is something I've recently taken up and would like to continue (although RHUL runs Mixed Martial Arts).
With regards to the course, I was thinking that if I did choose Essex, I could maybe change to a joint degree such as History and Economics or History and Politics (as pointed out in this topic their Politics department is meant to be good, and I've heard their Economics department is too). I don't know if this is generally possible to do, but it can't hurt to ask.
The deadline for accepting offers is getting dangerously close, and I have to choose very soon
Once again thank you very much for all of your replies, I really do appreciate them a lot
I think you should definitely ring Essex and see what the options might be. In the end, if the RHUL course itself really grabs you then the environment will matter less, but consider the possibility that your interests might change, so make sure that the RHUL course is flexible enough to compensate for the limitations of the setting!
As you said in your OP, it really boils down to whether the academic side or the social side is more important to you, especially now that the finanical side has been sorted, so that's what you need to decide. Do you think you'd be happier doing a more interesting course in a less interesting place, or a less interesting course in a more interesting place? Although if economics/politics interests you and Essex lets you swap from straight history to one of those joint degrees, you might be able to have the best of both worlds, so definitely look into that.
It's just simply not true that life at Royal Holloway is boring - it's a myth that well and truly needs exploding. Yes Egham is a bit quiet, but there's loads going on on-campus! There are tons of clubs and societies, plenty of bars to drink in, an active Union which puts on various different events/nights every week, high-standard concerts courtesy of the Music Department. Not to mention random hall kitchen parties/get-togethers etc... If you think about it, life can't really be dull when there are thousands of students all within a couple of square miles!
If you want to get an accurate insight into social life at Royal Holloway, take a look at the various threads on the subject in the RHUL sub-forum. Pretty well the majority of people who post in there seem to be loving their time at RH.
Also, in the History department it is possible to take a couple of units in a different department, over the course of your three years, so don't worry about that. http://http://www.rhul.ac.uk/History/for-students/undergrad/nonhist.html
If you want to get an accurate insight into social life at Royal Holloway, take a look at the various threads on the subject in the RHUL sub-forum. Pretty well the majority of people who post in there seem to be loving their time at RH.
Also, in the History department it is possible to take a couple of units in a different department, over the course of your three years, so don't worry about that.
http://http://www.rhul.ac.uk/History/for-students/undergrad/nonhist.html
If you took a gap year, you could live elsewhere for your job. Only problem is you wouldn't earn that much more money.
If I was you I'd look through Ucas Extra as has been said, there are unis in there with both a good academic and a good social side to things eg Leicester, Lancaster, Newcastle to name a few.
Also, take into account that RHUL has ended up in clearing for the past 2 years (no idea about Essex) so if you decline your offer and go through Extra then change your mind. You could always get that uni to release you and go through clearing for the course at RHUL.
If I was you I'd look through Ucas Extra as has been said, there are unis in there with both a good academic and a good social side to things eg Leicester, Lancaster, Newcastle to name a few.
Also, take into account that RHUL has ended up in clearing for the past 2 years (no idea about Essex) so if you decline your offer and go through Extra then change your mind. You could always get that uni to release you and go through clearing for the course at RHUL.
I'm sure if you go to RH that you'd go out in Kingston fairly often, students come from all over London to go to Oceana! York has 3 clubs and lots of pubs but ultimately it's more about what's happening on campus and the people you are with and I'm sure it's the same at RH. Once you find a few pubs you like you tend to go there and the other 350 don't matter!
Thanks very much for all the replies -- I can't tell you how helpful they've been. I really do mean it when I say how much I appreciate them. I must have read this topic through a couple of dozen times from start to finish!
Today I accepted RHUL as my firm and Essex as my insurance. I've concluded that no matter where I go it will be brilliant. Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to try and get a few Fridays at work, giving me the chance to spend a weekend with friends at Royal Holloway and another weekend with friends at Essex. I figured that this will be the best way to see if either place is really "me". From there, I can either get the grades for RHUL (hopefully!) or, if I really dislike it, try to engineer my exam responses to miss the grades for Holloway and get the ones required for Essex.
But yeah, at least now the decision is made and I can stop fretting. I'm just really excited about going now (where ever that may be :P )! I think that the years spent as an undergraduate would be best spent in a campus uni, so either way I will hopefully have fun, meet some great people, make love not war and maybe learn a thing or two!
KerriT: My aforementioned best friend who goes to St. Mary's in Twickenham is always raving about that Oceana club D: Maybe I could see him there XD
Thanks again guys, you're all awesome to have taken the time to read my posts and dispense those precious nuggets of advice ^_^
Today I accepted RHUL as my firm and Essex as my insurance. I've concluded that no matter where I go it will be brilliant. Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to try and get a few Fridays at work, giving me the chance to spend a weekend with friends at Royal Holloway and another weekend with friends at Essex. I figured that this will be the best way to see if either place is really "me". From there, I can either get the grades for RHUL (hopefully!) or, if I really dislike it, try to engineer my exam responses to miss the grades for Holloway and get the ones required for Essex.
But yeah, at least now the decision is made and I can stop fretting. I'm just really excited about going now (where ever that may be :P )! I think that the years spent as an undergraduate would be best spent in a campus uni, so either way I will hopefully have fun, meet some great people, make love not war and maybe learn a thing or two!
KerriT: My aforementioned best friend who goes to St. Mary's in Twickenham is always raving about that Oceana club D: Maybe I could see him there XD
Thanks again guys, you're all awesome to have taken the time to read my posts and dispense those precious nuggets of advice ^_^
Empyreal Rhapsody
Thanks very much for all the replies -- I can't tell you how helpful they've been. I really do mean it when I say how much I appreciate them. I must have read this topic through a couple of dozen times from start to finish!
Today I accepted RHUL as my firm and Essex as my insurance. I've concluded that no matter where I go it will be brilliant. Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to try and get a few Fridays at work, giving me the chance to spend a weekend with friends at Royal Holloway and another weekend with friends at Essex. I figured that this will be the best way to see if either place is really "me". From there, I can either get the grades for RHUL (hopefully!) or, if I really dislike it, try to engineer my exam responses to miss the grades for Holloway and get the ones required for Essex.
But yeah, at least now the decision is made and I can stop fretting. I'm just really excited about going now (where ever that may be :P )! I think that the years spent as an undergraduate would be best spent in a campus uni, so either way I will hopefully have fun, meet some great people, make love not war and maybe learn a thing or two!
KerriT: My aforementioned best friend who goes to St. Mary's in Twickenham is always raving about that Oceana club D: Maybe I could see him there XD
Thanks again guys, you're all awesome to have taken the time to read my posts and dispense those precious nuggets of advice ^_^
Today I accepted RHUL as my firm and Essex as my insurance. I've concluded that no matter where I go it will be brilliant. Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to try and get a few Fridays at work, giving me the chance to spend a weekend with friends at Royal Holloway and another weekend with friends at Essex. I figured that this will be the best way to see if either place is really "me". From there, I can either get the grades for RHUL (hopefully!) or, if I really dislike it, try to engineer my exam responses to miss the grades for Holloway and get the ones required for Essex.
But yeah, at least now the decision is made and I can stop fretting. I'm just really excited about going now (where ever that may be :P )! I think that the years spent as an undergraduate would be best spent in a campus uni, so either way I will hopefully have fun, meet some great people, make love not war and maybe learn a thing or two!
KerriT: My aforementioned best friend who goes to St. Mary's in Twickenham is always raving about that Oceana club D: Maybe I could see him there XD
Thanks again guys, you're all awesome to have taken the time to read my posts and dispense those precious nuggets of advice ^_^
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Likelihood of getting into my desired Unis for history of art
