Royal Holloway - RHUL Speciality : Economics
programme: Economics, Politics and International Studies

Like most universities, my time at Royal Holloway was largely shaped by the societies I was involved in. My social life in first year was driven by the number of societies I joined and therefore the amount of people I was able to meet. My accommodation was in the main Founders building. The corridors throughout the building are separated according to gender, and bathrooms are shared on each corridor. The food was catered in this specific hall, but considerably pricy compared to perhaps a self-catered hall. This was not what I was expecting when I came to Holloway, but actually it was not as big of a problem as I thought. There are also a variety of different halls to choose from within the campus, so you are able to choose exactly what you want. Royal Holloway is a very international university. Many of my friends were living in a different country for the first time, and the university caters well for this. I thoroughly enjoyed my course – economics, politics and international relations. I felt that, especially in my second and third year, I was able to really tailor my modules according to my interests. This was mainly due to the considerable variety of modules available. The only issues I did have with the course was the amount of students in my lectures and seminars; I found it difficult to give my opinion in seminars when there were so many people who also wanted to contribute. I felt I may have got marginally different grades if there were smaller seminar groups, although I think this is a change they are implementing next year. Holloway definitely has a limited nightlife, but it definitely is fun. The only issue is there are only two clubs on campus, and after a while you can get slightly bored if you go out regularly. It didn’t bother me too much though as I went out clubbing once every few months. I would recommend Holloway to anyone who enjoys the thought of a smaller campus; it definitely felt small by the end of my degree, but I do feel my opinion changed throughout my three years there.