Royal Holloway University of London Admission Requirements and Open Day Information, Summaries of Philosophy

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Applying to Royal Holloway

University degrees involve at least three years of academic study, so you need to be sure that you are making the right decisions. Once you have read a number of prospectuses, you will probably have a good idea about what you want to study and where. Of course, we hope you will choose Royal Holloway, but before you make an application – and certainly before you accept a place – it is advisable to find out more.

Further information

Many of Royal Holloway’s departments produce brochures which give detailed information about their programmes, staff, facilities and activities. We advise all potential applicants to read these brochures. You can also find out more on our website: www.rhul.ac.uk

Open Days

You will find details of our Open Days on page 120. An Open Day at Royal Holloway offers the ideal opportunity to come and see the College for yourself. You will have the chance to meet our students and teaching staff, and get a taste of what university life is really like. You are welcome to visit the College at any time, but we can only guarantee that you will be able to meet with staff from the academic departments on an Open Day.

Taster days

A number of departments offer ‘Taster Courses’ for Year 12 students. Students can choose a course they wish to attend from a wide variety of subject areas. Through their chosen course they will not only experience the different teaching methods used by university academics, but also gain an insight into the additional facilities available and meet students from across the UK. In addition to experiencing lectures, students will also participate in practical activities as well as meeting both staff and current students. All courses are non residential and provided free of charge. For more information and to download a brochure and application form, visit: www.london.ac.uk/Tasters/

How to apply

Applications for entry to all our full-time undergraduate degrees must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Applications for any other degree (including postgraduate degrees, part-time degrees, Visiting Student programmes and the International Foundation Programme) should be made directly to the College.

In recent years a shift has seen most applications to UCAS being made online through the UCAS ‘apply’ system. If your school or college has this facility, you should submit your application through ‘apply’ using the school/college’s ‘buzzword’. If you are not at school, you can use one of the non-school buzzwords. For further information, call the UCAS Customer Service Unit on: +44 (0)870 1122211, or visit the UCAS website at: www.ucas.com

Deadlines

UCAS can accept applications for 2011 entry after 1 September 2010 and you should aim to submit your form by 15 January 2011. It is left to universities’ discretion whether to consider applications received after this date. At Royal Holloway we try to consider applications which arrive later, but pressure on places is high in many departments and it is in your best interests to submit your application as early as possible.

The UCAS Directory

You will find all our undergraduate degrees listed on the UCAS website or in the UCAS Directory. Alongside each programme is the course code to enter on the UCAS form. The form also requires an institution code for each choice. The code for Royal Holloway, University of London is R72, RHUL.

The UCAS application

You can make up to five choices of institution and degree, but you should not feel that you have to use all five. Your choices should be listed in the order in which they appear in the Directory – there is no facility for an order of preference. Make sure you enter the codes for the institution and degree carefully since errors will lead to delays. Up-to-date course information can be found on the UCAS website.

What happens next?

Copies of your application are printed and forwarded by UCAS to the universities to which you have applied; any errors or omissions can cause considerable delays at this stage and may prevent proper consideration of your application.

Royal Holloway reserves the right to ask applicants to provide further information relating to any aspect of their application. This may include information concerning entrance requirements, fee status or criminal convictions, for example. If additional information is not provided when requested there may be a delay in the consideration of your application. However, under the Data Protection Act, you may request to see any of the information on your file, which is strictly confidential and will not be passed to third parties without your permission.

UCAS Days and interviews

If it seems likely that you will meet the entrance requirements for a degree, you may be invited for an interview or to a Royal Holloway UCAS Day. In some cases, for example for international students, you may be asked to submit an example of academic work or other exercise; however, wherever possible, we prefer you to visit the campus. Interviews are not intended to be nerve-wracking or daunting, but rather a chance for a department to assess whether you have the potential to get the most from their programmes. It should be a two- way process and you should also ask questions. Of course there will be some academic questions, in Music there may be an audition, in Drama a workshop session, and in the Modern Languages some conversation in the appropriate language, but there will be no attempt to catch you out or surprise you.

Even if you have visited before, the interview or UCAS Day provides an opportunity to have a closer look at the College and your chosen department. In most cases the day will include student-led campus tours, departmental tours and presentations about the department. You will have a far better idea about what you are looking for at this stage. This is the time when you will be seriously comparing institutions – course content, academic standards, environment, atmosphere, accommodation, social life and so on – so you should find out all you need to know.

Royal Holloway has plenty to offer and we are confident that we will stand up well to any comparison.

The admissions process

General entrance requirements

All candidates applying to Royal Holloway are considered carefully on their individual merits. The general entrance requirements listed below set the minimum academic requirements for admission to Royal Holloway. In most cases, departmental requirements will be much higher, and you should refer to the admissions section of the departmental entries for this information.

GCE A and Advanced Supplementary

Passes in two subjects at A-level or one subject at A-level and two subjects at AS-level or four subjects at AS-level. Most subjects are acceptable, but there are restrictions on certain overlapping subjects. There is no general requirement that subjects must have been passed at the same time or on a specified number of occasions.

International Baccalaureate

28 points with at least three subjects at Higher Level.

Scottish Advanced Higher Certificate

Three passes at not less than grade C.

Irish Leaving Certificate (Established)

Passes in 5 subjects at the Higher Level, at not less than grade C.

BTEC Nationals

A National Certificate or Diploma awarded by Edexcel Foundation (formerly BTEC) at not less than merit standard.

OCR Nationals A Diploma or Extended Diploma at not less than a merit standard.

Other qualifications

Applicants to Royal Holloway come from a diverse range of backgrounds and bring with them many different kinds of qualification. We accept other qualifications which we consider meet the academic requirements for admission to Royal Holloway including professional qualifications, QAA-recognised Access to Higher Education Certificate or Diploma, European Baccalaureate, Welsh Baccalaureate, and overseas qualifications.

Royal Holloway recognises the importance of the UK government’s 14-19 curriculum and qualification reforms, including the new Advanced Diploma, and has a strong commitment to recognising the achievements of students.

If you have any questions about entrance requirements or alternative qualifications, the Undergraduate Admissions Office or departmental Admissions Tutors will always be happy to give advice.

Remember that the general entrance requirements represent a minimum level of qualification: most offers of admission are made significantly above this level.

Access to Higher Education courses

Royal Holloway welcomes applications from students returning to study after time in the work place or raising a family.

We encourage some applicants returning to study to take a QAA- recognised Access to Higher Education course. The QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education) is the national body concerned with monitoring standards in Higher Education. Access programmes are specifically designed to prepare students for entry into Higher Education and provide the underpinning knowledge and skills needed to progress to a degree course.

When looking for an Access course, you should find out about its academic content and the teaching, study and assessment methods used. The most appropriate Access to Higher Education courses prepare students in all areas – so ask about preparation for essay-writing, seminar presentations and written examinations as well as about the academic content of a course. A national database listing over 1,000 Access to Higher Education courses in the country is maintained by QAA and can be accessed at: www.accesstohe.ac.uk

Credit transfer

In some departments it may be possible for students who have completed (or started but not completed) degrees at other universities to gain admission with advanced standing to the second or, in some cases, the final year of a degree programme. In all cases our departments will need to be sure that the work completed is equivalent to that covered at Royal Holloway, both in terms of the standard and the content. Since many courses are prerequisites for progression to subsequent courses, the syllabus followed previously will be examined carefully. The Admissions Office will be able to give more information on credit transfer. In all cases, to be formally considered you must apply through UCAS.

International applicants

We welcome applications from international students whose qualifications are equivalent to our entrance requirements. We are familiar with a variety of international qualifications and consider applicants on an individual basis. All overseas applicants, except those for the International Foundation Programme, should submit applications through UCAS. Royal Holloway International or the Undergraduate Admissions Office are happy to provide advice in advance of making an application.

English language requirements In addition to your academic qualifications, we also expect you to have a level of English language which will enable you to cope with the linguistic demands of a degree programme if your first language is not English. Our minimum requirements are usually:

Entrance requirements

Visiting and Study Abroad students

We welcome applications from Visiting and Study Abroad students who wish to study with us as part of their degree studies at another university. Direct applications from visiting students should be made online through embark. To access the online application form visit: www.rhul.ac.uk/Registry/Admissions/ and select Online Application Process. Visiting Students should not apply through UCAS.

Visiting Students who wish to spend time improving their language skills alongside academic work may be interested in the programmes listed on page 48.

IELTS

Whilst 6.5 overall is the standard, some departments accept a 6 overall though other departments require a 7 overall. In addition to the overall score some departments ask for a 7 in writing.

TOEFL

Paper Based 570 or 600 and some departments ask for a TWE score of 5 or above. 88-100 in the internet based test and some departments require a writing score of at least 25.

UCLES

Grade C.

Royal Holloway International is able to give more detailed advice about English language requirements.

English language support will be available during your degree studies (see page 44), but if you currently fall below this level of proficiency you may like to consider the International Foundation Programme (see page 46).

Royal Holloway recognises the diversity of UK and overseas qualifications that provide entry to Higher Education and warmly welcomes applicants with a range of different qualifications.

For further information, contact: Admissions & UK Recruitment Office Royal Holloway, University of London Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX To request publications please contact: T: +44 (0)1784 443957 For other information: T: +44 (0)1784 443399 F: +44 (0)1784 473662 [email protected] www.rhul.ac.uk

This Prospectus is an introduction to what Royal Holloway has to offer. To find out more, we recommend that you read the departmental brochures: these contain much more detail about the content and structure of degree programmes. There are a number of additional publications which are also intended to help prospective applicants and most of these can be downloaded from our website at www.rhul.ac.uk/prospective-students

Other publications

• Undergraduate departmental brochures
• Financing your Studies: A Guide for Undergraduates
• Study Abroad
• Handbook for Students with Special Needs
• Access Guide for Disabled Students

Further information

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By air

Heathrow Airport is about seven miles from the College and the journey is quickest by taxi. Taxis are available at the airport, but you should check the fare in advance; it is cheaper to telephone one of the local taxi services. Alternatively, take bus number 441 from Heathrow Central Bus Station to the College or bus number 71 from Terminal 5.

From Gatwick Airport, take the bus to Heathrow and follow the procedure above, or telephone for a taxi.

For information on flights and airport information, visit: www.baa.com

By taxi from Egham

There is a taxi rank at the station. Otherwise, turn right out of the station onto Station Road and there is a taxi office on the left, next to the Build Center. The fare is about £5.

Some local taxi firms include Area Cars (01784 471001), Egham Cars (01784 434646), Gemini Cars (01784 471111) and Windsor Cars (01753 677677).

By road

The College is on the A30, 19 miles from central London and about a mile south-west of the town of Egham. It is two miles from Junction 13 of the M25 (London Orbital).

Directions from the M 1 After leaving the M25, follow the A30 west (signposted Bagshot and Camberley); this is the Egham by-pass 2 At the end of the Egham by-pass, continue on the A30 up Egham Hill (a petrol station is on your left)

3 The main College entrance is on the left immediately after the second footbridge

Directions from the west 1 From the west leave the M3 at Junction 3 north and follow the A towards Staines and London 2 Then follow steps two to three in the M25 section

Where to find us

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Entrance

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On foot from Egham station

The College is about a mile from the station, approximately 20 minutes’ walk. Directions from Egham station

1. Turn right out of the station along Station Road and walk about 100 yards to the junction and the traffic lights
2. Turn left at the junction and follow the road to the large roundabout; go left up Egham Hill
3. The main College entrance is on the left immediately after the second footbridge There is a slightly quicker route – but that is best tried once you are familiar with the area!

Bedford Square, Gower Street (central London)

Royal Holloway has a central London base at 2, Gower Street, WC1E 6DP. This recently restored Georgian townhouse is used as a venue for teaching and postgraduate activities. Gower Street is within a two minute walk of the British Museum and the University of London Senate House. Nearest tube stations are Euston Square, Goodge Street, Russell Square and Tottenham Court Road – all within about five minutes’ walk.

By bus

The following buses stop outside the College: Travel Surrey 441 (Heathrow to Englefield Green) and First 71 (Heathrow to Slough). For local bus information, visit Surrey County Council’s website: www.surreycc.gov.uk and select Roads and transport, Buses and trains.

There is also a College bus service, which runs between Egham railway station and the campus. The College bus, like the taxis, leaves from the main car park adjacent to the station. For more details, visit: www.rhul.ac.uk/for-students/campus/ and select Bus Service.

By train

There are frequent services from London Waterloo to Egham ( minutes); Reading to Egham (40 minutes); and Woking to Egham ( minutes; change at Weybridge). Services at weekends, especially those on Sunday, are less frequent than on weekdays.

Train links to the rest of the country are available via the London stations or Reading. Eurostar services to mainland Europe also operate into and out of London.

For local train timetables, visit South West Trains’ website: www.southwesttrains.co.uk

For national rail enquiries, visit: www.nationalrail.co.uk

One of Royal Holloway’s great strengths is its excellent national and international communication links. By road, rail or air, Royal Holloway is easy to reach – this makes life easy at the beginning and at the end of term, when you want to return home or visit friends for a weekend, and for those who commute to the College.

To Camberley ➜

To Reading