Geology at Royal Holloway (RHUL)

Hey everyone
I've applied for geology to RHUL. I really like the uni, very pretty campus and not far from london. But i want to know how good it is actually AT geology, is department very nice, are the facilities really up-to-date and so on. Basically how good it is for me academically.
Can you help me out, please?
thank you

Reply 1

lilac spooge

12

Probably rubish...

most of the best academics cant teach...but you read a degree rather than it being taught to you

RHUL has a good reputation so your going to get a well resected degree

you like the place...all good there

Just make sure you like the modules they teach...if you dont, it doesnt matter how amazing the course is yur not going to like it...

and if the modules are good i would go to the uni...

sorry for the less than helpful comment, but if you like the place and it teaches the stuff your interested in, then go to it....as i said at the start its what you read that makes your degree...

Reply 2

Apricott

OP

thanks for the advice

Reply 3

Minardi

12

A good mate seems to love the place...

Reply 4

Apricott

OP

Basically the uni is good but the department isn't, right?

Reply 5

lilac spooge

12

You wont understand what im on about until you go to university....

RHUL is a very good uni....your degree will have a lot of respect...

most likely the people that teach geology at the uni are extremely well respected in the field....so again you will have a well respected degree...

However the people that are well respected in the academic field cant really teach very well....

At Aberystwyth we have some fantastic Dr's who are at the cutting edge of their research and you will probably read their work whilst doing your degree at RHUL...(if you go there) however these Dr's are very bad teachers....and your better off reading their work....

This is why im saying find out what the modules are, see if you will enjoy them enough to read them if the teaching is crap....that means you will have a degree you will enjoy even if the teaching isnt great...

This is the case at all uni's not just RHUL....

Of course theres some fantastic Dr's who are fantastic teachers...but you dont find those very often...

Reply 6

Sanity Panda

I've heard good things about RHUL from graduates who I've worked with in an oil company. From my understanding, their course is pretty decent and well rounded for geology...

It's gotta be though, I mean... one undergraduate decided to reject Imperial for it... the actual university might not be to your taste however.

Reply 7

Apricott

OP

2 lilac spooge
I see what you mean. Yeah, I looked at the course and I found it pretty good, the fields of geology which i quite fancy.. But yeah, I have other choices, too (got offers from every single uni). Just wanted to know specifically about RHUL because i like the campus and the uni in general.

2 Sanity Panda

OMG rejecting Imperial for RHUL? that's really crazy.. I know this guy who rejected Imperial for City Uni... such a joke.

Reply 8

lilac spooge

12

Its all subjective...only you will know if you like it or not...

Theres always an element of risk in going to uni...what other people say may not be what you think...

Seeing you like the place and the course i reconmend you put it down...

Reply 9

Minardi

12

Keele is good :p:

I based my choice on the fact I liked the Uni and I really liked the course. Theres no point going if your not going to like the course or the place as you'll likely drop out (as a couple of my friends have found out).

Reply 10

trm90

12

Apricott

2 lilac spooge
I see what you mean. Yeah, I looked at the course and I found it pretty good, the fields of geology which i quite fancy.. But yeah, I have other choices, too (got offers from every single uni). Just wanted to know specifically about RHUL because i like the campus and the uni in general.

2 Sanity Panda

OMG rejecting Imperial for RHUL? that's really crazy.. I know this guy who rejected Imperial for City Uni... such a joke.

Geology and Earth Science degrees are just so different at every university. Take Oxbridge + Imperial for example, they have a pretty specific emphasis on university level maths, physics and chemistry (obviously it doesn't go that in depth) which can sometimes deter earth science students who do not feel comfortable with going so in depth in such subjects.

Re: RHUL, I've heard it was pretty good university for geoscience in general. It has a very focussed, solid geology degree which I would definitely consider if I were you. EDIT: And don't worry, I can assure you it is academically sound.

Reply 11

Sanity Panda

TRM, where do you get such insight into the courses from. Is this purely from reading the prospectus and all that?

Reply 12

trm90

12

Well, I guess so, though I usually spend a little extra time digging into the actual course content of module names. Normally if you see courses called 'mineralogy' or 'minerals' or 'earth materials' etc it's pretty self-explanatory but when you run into courses called 'Geology 1' or 'Environmental Chem/Phys/Maths' or 'Maths/Phys/Chem for geologists' it's just a little too vague to really give the applicant a clear idea of what the course content actually consists of.

Generally I either just slap it into the uni's search engine to find more about the course (sometimes you can find lecture notes or past exam papers as well) or sometimes I'll just e-mail the lecturer teaching the course for more specifics. Unfortunately earth science is a bit of an alien science to pre-university students -- even the ones with A-level Geology -- so it really makes more sense to see what you're getting into, regardless of the fact the course starts with assuming that students have no prior knowledge.

But um, I guess I sound a little silly saying all this anyway :s-smilie:

Don't hesitate to ignore or refute what I say as I haven't actually started my degree!

Reply 13

Apricott

OP

Thanks a lot. It was actually helpful! yeah i looked through prospectus and the course structure very carefully - which I liked the most about it that there are plenty of options which you can choose from e.g. volcanology, geotectonics or palaentology. So I guess I will accept it as my insurance choice :smile:

thanks to everyone!

Reply 14

Shortarse

11

Hey, maybe I can help you a bit :smile:

I'm a second year at Holloway, doing the environmental course. I would agree with what people above have said about lecturers being very good at research in their field, and less impressive in lectures, but then that's what they get employed for. Plus at RHUL we sometimes get postgrads teaching us when the lecturers are off (they're quite capable, trust me).

The department is nice, it's really friendly and quite informal. Plus we have a great society called New Lyell that organises events throughout the year :smile:

If you want to know anything else let me know!
Kt x

Geology at Royal Holloway (RHUL)

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