Support and Orientation

Study Abroad Support

In addition to the teaching and pastoral support provided by academic departments, the College has staff who are dedicated to meet the needs of Study Abroad Programme students. The International Officer(Study Abroad), the International Programmes Co-ordinator & staff in Support & Advisory Services work closely together to manage recruitment, admissions, enrolment, induction and transcripts. The services of these members of staff are available to Study Abroad students at all times.

Orientation

At the start of the autumn and the spring semsters, a special induction programme is organised for Study Abroad students. The programme runs over a number of days and includes registration, information sessions on various aspects of academic and social life and a campus tour. The purpose is to give students the opportunity to settle in to a comfortable daily routine and to gain familiarity with the College and with life in England.

Learning environment

The style of university-level teaching in the UK places especial emphasis on the role of independent study. This means that students spend much time preparing for coursework and researching for assignments, either individually or in small groups, outside of their formal lectures and seminars. It is important to recognise this feature of learning in order to benefit fully from your study at Royal Holloway.

Teaching methods vary across subjects, but an important component is the tutorial system. This style of teaching encourages self-discipline and self-reliance, showing that education is not just about acquiring specific forms of knowledge but is designed to develop lifelong transferable skills. Other forms of teaching include lectures, workshops, fieldwork and practicals.

Weekly timetables vary depend upon the subject(s) studied - a few examples are shown below.

Classics: a student studying a full workload of four whole units would have a workload of 32-40 hours per week. Of this, contact time with academic staff is normally about two hours per week per course, which may be divided into a more formal lecture and a smaller discussion class (seminars) or museum visit. Private study time also varies per course, but would normally involve 6-8 hours in assigned reading & essay preparation.

Biological Sciences: most courses consist of lectures and practicals and all have elements of private study. A typical workload would be about 40 hours per week, consisting of 8-10 hours of lecturing plus extensive practical work, writing up and self study.

Drama: Class time is about 12 hours per week Virtually all Drama half unit courses meet once a week for 3 hours in a seminar/workshop that allows time for both discussion and for practical work. Self study varies between 15-25 hours a week. Students involved in a Production Project or Performance Research Project will spend typically spend much more time in the run-up to a performance.

Academic support

Most of the formal classroom teaching is undertaken by permanent members of academic staff who are often leading authorities in their areas of research. In certain fields, specialist technicians or support staff help with laboratory sessions or workshops.

The College provides excellent facilities which have been carefully structured with different styles of teaching and learning in mind. There are three well-equipped libraries (the Founder's Library, the Bedford Library and the Music Library), a Computer Centre, several IT laboratories for teaching and for 24-hour independent internet access, specialist laboratories for physics and biological sciences, and an Electron Microscopy Unit.

Apart from contact with lecturers and tutors during regular classes, each department has a member of staff designated as the Study Abroad Co-ordinator who is available to guide students in their studies and to give advice on any issue or query. In many cases, the co-ordinators have themselves studied or worked overseas and have firsthand experience of the kinds of difficulties which Study Abroad students might encounter.

Welfare support

It is the tradition in British universities to give students a great deal of personal freedom. We do not interfere in their lives, but there is a sophisticated support system if problems do arise - and the system can be of particular use to students who are a long way from home.

The College provides a full range of welfare support for Study Abroad Programme students.

The Head of Student Services is responsible for all aspects of student welfare and is assisted by the Student Support Officer.

The Health Centre is open to deal with all aspects of student health. Qualified nursing staff provide a 24-hour service during term-time. College doctors attend daily for consultation and a psychiatrist and a physiotherapist are also available.

The Student Counselling Service is available for any student seeking help with any personal concern, whether emotional, psychological or academic-related.

The Chaplains (Church of England, Roman Catholic and Free Church) are always willing to see students on any matter of personal concern and form an integral part of the College's welfare support. There is also a fully ecumenical College Chapel and a Muslim Prayer Room on campus.

The Wardens in halls of residence operate a duty rota and are available for general advice or emergency support during evenings and weekends and during vacation periods.

The Language Centre runs courses which provide additional English language support for non-native speakers. Students can enrol for "in-sessional" classes which help with basic language proficiency and develop academic study skills. Courses in a variety of other modern languages are also available, including French, German, Spanish and Japanese.

Special Needs

The Educational Support Office co-ordinates the support for students with special educational requirements, including: specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dispraxia; mobility difficulties; special psychological needs; medical conditions; sensory impairments such as hearing or visual impairment. Support can be academic, personal or financial.

Each academic department also has a member of staff who is the designated Special Needs co-ordinator and who works closely with the specialist staff in the Educational Support Office and liaises with other sectors of the College as required on students’ behalf.

If you feel you will require special needs support during your period of study at Royal Holloway, please indicate this on the application form. This will then enable us to put you in touch with the right colleagues in the College who will help to smooth your way before arrival and ensure that all the necessary arrangements are put in place.

Click here for further information on the work of the Educational Support Office or you can email directly: educational-support@rhul.ac.uk for immediate advice.

Back to Study Abroad Menu