Your guide to
Royal Holloway 2019/20
Discover Royal Holloway 2019/20 We know many of you have just arrived at Royal Holloway for the first time, or maybe you’re returning after summer vacation. Either way, this guide has got you covered! These pages gather together the essential information you’ll need for the year ahead. We’ve included details like where to grab a coffee and get cash out, but we’ve left out all the stuff about dissertations and exams. If you have any questions, just flip to the back page where you’ll find details of who to contact. We hope you have a great 2019/20 academic year. Let’s get started!
How to stay up to date
Your timetable
If you’re after information about campus life at Royal Holloway, our student intranet at royalholloway.ac.uk/students is the place to start. It’s updated every day with news and events from around campus, and has lots of detailed information – everything from sorting out problems in your halls, to finding a part-time job. You can also post messages on our online noticeboard and submit your own events to our online calendar.
Your academic timetable is available to see on the student intranet via www.rhul.ac.uk/mytimetable. You can download your timetable on to your phone calendar. You’ll receive an email explaining how to access and download your timetable, but if you have any questions please contact studentservices@royalholloway.ac.uk. Timetables are subject to change throughout the year. Please check your timetable regularly.
You’ll also receive a newsletter once a week during term-time highlighting the most important news and events from around campus – make sure to check your College email account so you don’t miss it! Finally, the Students’ Union website is a great way to find out about SU events and activities, which take place throughout the year. Check out their website at su.rhul.ac.uk
©Hufton + Crow/Colorminimum
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Places to eat on campus For the latest food offerings and promotions, follow us on social media @RHfoodanddrink
Founder’s Building
Founder’s East, first floor next to the lift
Think food, think friends, think Founder’s – your new taste of home. Mon – Fri Breakfast 8 – 10am Lunch 11.45am – 2pm Dinner 5 – 7.30pm
A wide choice of international food to suit all tastes and budgets including a fresh juice bar and dedicated vegetarian and vegan counter every week day lunch time. Mon – Sun Breakfast 9.30 – 11am (Mon - Fri) Lunch 11.30am – 2.30pm Dinner 5 – 7.30pm
Founder’s Building
Boilerhouse
Founder’s East, ground floor behind the visitor’s centre
Stylish café bar with pool table and a selection of board games, serving hot food and snacks.
Artisan café with a wide range of vegetarian and vegan options.
Mon – Fri 8.30am – 11pm
Mon – Fri
8.30am – 6pm
Downstairs at The Hub Relax with a Starbucks coffee or a bubble tea.
Serving street food from around the world.
Mon – Sat 11am – midnight
Mon – Fri
Sun
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11am - 8pm
12pm – 2pm
Opposite campus on Egham Hill Davison Building Your library café serving a wide range of great, healthy food. Sun - Thurs 7am - 4am Fri - Sat
7am - 7pm
Run by your Students’ Union. A stylish pub where you get 10% off food and drink with your College Card. Mon - Sat
10.30am - 11.30pm
Sun
11am - 11pm
Kitchen closes at 8pm every day. Find out more: packhorseegham.com
Kingswood Home style cooking in an informal atmosphere. Mon – Sun Dinner
6 – 7.30pm
Students’ Union Tuck into a bap and a brew or the best burgers on campus. Tommy’s also offers a great selection of vegetarian and vegan options. Takeaway also available. Mon, Tues, Thu 9am - 10pm Bar closes at 9pm Wed, Fri 9am - 8pm Kitchen closes at 7pm, Mon-Fri
Kingswood Perfect for unwinding with a few drinks and a bite to eat with friends. Mon – Fri
8am – 9.30pm
Sat – Sun
11.30am – 6pm
Students’ Union Stock up on fresh fruit and veg at the indoor market, or tuck into tasty street food from one of the international food stalls. Tuesdays during term-time: 10am - 4pm
Check the student intranet for opening times outside of term time. 4
Get involved How to meet people
How to join a sports club or society
If you’ve just started at Royal Holloway, it’s the perfect time to make new friends. Our advice is simple: get out there, have a look around and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to people. You might find some of your best friends turn out to be people living next door to you in your hall, or they might be like-minded people you meet at an event, or in a sports club or society.
The Students’ Union has over 150 sports clubs, societies and media outlets for you to join, from fashion or film, to cheerleading and ultimate frisbee. You can find out more about each one at su.rhul.ac.uk
How to contact your Peer Guide Have you contacted your Peer Guide yet? They are students from the same department who have been through their first year and can offer you advice and guidance about university life. Find out more about how to get in contact with your Peer Guide at royalholloway.ac.uk/peerguides How to find out what’s on We list most events taking place on campus on our student intranet at royalholloway.ac.uk/students, along with our Royal Holloway Campus Life social media channels. Most subjects and societies also have their own dedicated social media with details of smaller events and gatherings. You can find out about the Students’ Union’s events by visiting su.rhul.ac.uk/events and following their social media accounts @surhul.
How to volunteer in your local community Volunteering is a great way to meet people, explore our local community, and grow as a person. Our award-winning Volunteering team has over 2,000 registered volunteers and over 250 community partners. We offer opportunities to get involved in community action, social action, community research, volunteering abroad, and sports volunteering. Over 11,000 hours of volunteering are logged by students each year! Come along to the Festival of Volunteering during Welcome Weekend or find out more online at royalholloway.ac.uk/volunteering. Keeping active on campus Our Sports Centre is located at the bottom of campus, and with a sports hall, tennis courts, astroturf pitch, 3G pitch, grass pitches and a newly-refurbished fitness suite, it couldn’t be easier to keep active! Each term there are timetables of drop-in sport from our Active programme, as well as social leagues and group exercise classes. All of these can be accessed through our various memberships on offer. Sports Centre opening times Term Time Monday - Friday: 6.30am - 11pm Saturday: 9am - 8pm Sunday: 9am - 11pm
Follow us on social media! @Royal Holloway Sport @RHULSPORT @RHULSPORT
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Out of Term Monday - Friday: 6.30am - 9pm Saturday: 9am - 6pm Sunday: 10am - 6pm The Sports Centre & Fitness Suite will be open from 9am - 4pm on Bank Holiday. To find out more visit royalholloway.ac.uk/sports If you’re interested in getting involved in other ways, such as student representation, visit page 13!
Learn and develop How to get online If you’re new to Royal Holloway, you will receive your enrollment email including your College username and password approximately one month before your start date. You can change your password at any time by visiting passwordmanager.royalholloway.ac.uk. If you can’t remember your login details, please contact our IT team. Our campus Wi-Fi network is called CampusNet. To connect:
Your email account is also yours for life – we’ll let you access it forever, so you can put it on your CV (or anywhere else you want to use it) without worrying about it disappearing. Saving your work While you’re at Royal Holloway you have your own personal secure network drive where you can save your work: your ‘Y drive’. To access your Y drive from any Royal Holloway computer: 1. Click on File Explorer (yellow folder icon) on the task bar
1. Select CampusNet as your wireless network
2. Select HOME (\\MYDATA) (Y:).
2. Open a web browser 3. Enter your College username and password.
You can also map your Y drive to your own computer or device if you’re connected to CampusNet or if you’re using our Campus Anywhere VPN service off-campus.
With CampusNet you can do everything you would on the internet at home, plus you can:
How to get help with IT
1. Access materials from your course, including our Virtual Learning Environment at moodle.rhul.ac.uk and digital library resources 2. Save work to your personal network drive, which you can then access from anywhere 3. Send files to print to our combined printer/scanners (MFDs or Multi-Function Devices) across campus. To find out more go to royalholloway.ac.uk/printing Your College email account Email is the main way the College and your department will contact you, so be sure to check your email regularly. You can access your College email account by visiting mail.live.rhul.ac.uk and logging in with your username followed by ‘@live.rhul.ac.uk’ (e.g. abcd123@live.rhul.ac.uk) and your password. You can use this log in for your Students’ Union account too.
The IT team are here to answer your technical queries online, in person, by email and on the phone. You can call them on 01784 41 4321 (9am – 5pm weekdays) or email us at ITservicedesk@royalholloway.ac.uk If you have time, come and visit us in the Davison Building – we might be able to fix your problem right then and there. We’re based next to the helpdesk on the ground floor, and are open at the following times (during term time): Mon – Fri: 12 – 7pm
Sat – Sun: 12 – 5pm
For more information, visit royalholloway.ac.uk/it
Download our free software (like Microsoft Office) You can get a free copy of Microsoft Office 365! To download yours visit royalholloway.ac.uk/ msoffice and follow the instructions. We also offer free antivirus and a range of other software totally free while you study here – visit royalholloway.ac.uk/software to find out more.
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Using our Library Studying in our Library There is a wide range of seating options available in the Library, all designed to meet the different study needs of our students. These are spread across three floors and are divided into areas for group and silent study. Other study areas You can also study in our Computer Centre, in between the Moore Building and the Windsor Building. It’s open all day, 350 days a year, and has several PC Labs where you can log on and work.
Using your Library and Archives
How to borrow
The High Use Collection is on the ground floor where you’ll find the essential and recommended books on your reading lists. All of our other books are in the General Collection, which is located across the first and second floors of the Davison Building. You can discover our resources through LibrarySearch by visiting librarysearch.royalholloway.ac.uk.
Your College Card is your library card. To borrow a book, take it to a self-issue kiosk located on each floor and follow the instructions. You can borrow up to 25 items at once.
The Archives and Special Collections on the lower ground floor houses our rare books collection and historical records. You can start exploring the Archives by visiting royalholloway.ac.uk/archives
Making the most of your Library and Archives The Library provides support and guidance specific to your course at libguides.rhul.ac.uk and on Moodle. Your Information Consultant also delivers teaching sessions on a range of topics to help you succeed at university and beyond. The helpdesk is staffed 9am to 9pm every day of the week if you have any questions or need help using the Library. For more information visit royalholloway.ac.uk/library.
Library opening hours Davison Building Open 24/7, 350 days a year Helpdesk staffed 9am – 9pm
@rhul_library @rhul_library LibraryRHUL
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©Associated Architects/Ben McPhee
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Develop your academic skills Get ahead with CeDAS Do you want to take your academic writing to the next level? Need some guidance on statistics for your research paper?
CeDAS is here to help all taught students, no matter what background, level or ability. We look forward to seeing you!
Our Centre for the Development of Academic Skills (CeDAS) is here to help you achieve your academic best. CeDAS offers a range of workshops, drop-ins and one-to-one tutorials covering everything from writing and research skills to academic English, maths and stats and more. Our friendly and experienced Teaching Fellows can help you sharpen the opening paragraph to that first essay, explain a maths technique that has been stressing you out, and point out really useful resources to get you on track. Find out what CeDAS can offer you at royalholloway.ac.uk/cedas or ask the team a question at cedas@royalholloway.ac.uk Find out how you can develop your academic skills by visiting the Skills Gateway at royalholloway.ac.uk/skills-gateway
Follow us on social media! @cedasrhul
/cedasroyalholloway
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Careers & Employability Finding a job!
Perhaps finding a job isn’t on your mind right now. But getting a parttime job while at Royal Holloway can be a great way to earn some extra cash and make new friends – plus it’s great experience for your CV.
Our Careers & Employability Service runs a range of fairs throughout the academic year, including the Part‑time Jobs Fair. It’s a great place to meet employers, find out about job opportunities and get a job that fits with your studies. The Part-time Jobs Fair even offers on-the-day interview slots – bring your CV along and perhaps you’ll get hired! With so many bars and food outlets on campus there are lots of job opportunities here! The Students’ Union alone employs 450 students in a range of roles from bar and catering staff to graphic designers and photographers. If you’re thinking about careers for when you graduate, careers fairs are held throughout the year. These fairs are the perfect place to meet potential employers and secure internships and placements, with over 1,000 students attending last year’s largest fair! To find out more about our fairs visit royalholloway.ac.uk/careers Thinking about your career The Careers & Employability Service is here to help you, whether it’s for one-to-one support or advice on applying for a part-time job and starting your career plan. The Meet the Employer scheme enables you to connect with visiting employers and explore your options in different work sectors in a relaxed, informal environment. If you are considering taking a Placement Year (intranet.royalholloway.ac.uk/theplacementyear) after your second year (or third year if you are on an MSci or MEng programme), the Careers & Employability Service will offer support and advice. Spending time working, volunteering or studying abroad (or even all three!) can help you stand out from the crowd and make you more attractive to future employers. Look out for the award-winning micro-placements scheme that runs in 14 departments! They’re located 9
in the Davison Building every weekday from 10am – 6pm term-time, and 10am – 5.30pm during vacation. Alternatively, you can contact the team on 01784 443 073, email careers@royalholloway.ac.uk, visit royalholloway.ac.uk/careers or careersportal. royalholloway.ac.uk to book appointments, sign up for events and search for jobs. The Royal Holloway Passport Award The Royal Holloway Passport Award recognises your contributions to the College and the wider community through co-curricular activities, and is popular with employers. Every student is automatically enrolled onto the scheme. To find out more and to start earning passport points visit royalholloway.ac.uk/passport
Supporting you What to do if you need wellbeing support or advice We’re a friendly and caring community here at Royal Holloway. And for those of you who have just joined us, we know coming to university isn’t always a smooth transition. Luckily, our Wellbeing team is here to help, whether you need a listening ear or more proactive support and advice. You can also contact the Student Wellbeing team if you are worried about a friend or another student.
Student Counselling
Hall Life Financial Wellbeing
Health Centre Student Wellbeing
Multifaith Chaplaincy
International Student Support Disability & Dyslexia Services
We’re always happy to listen and support you To get in touch with the Student Advisory & Wellbeing team call them on 01784 443395 or email at wellbeing@royalholloway.ac.uk To find out more visit royalholloway.ac.uk/students/help-support RoyalHollowayWellbeing @RH_Wellbeing @RH_Wellbeing If you’re living in halls, the Hall Life team is on hand to help. The Hall Life team run innovative events and campaigns for you, bringing the student community together in halls of residence and promoting a happy hall experience! They can also talk to you about problems and direct you to more specialised help if you need it. You’ll meet the Hall Life team during your first few days on campus and they are available for
you to visit every evening during term time between 7.00pm – 9.00pm in the Student Services Centre. Alternatively you can email hall.life@royalholloway.ac.uk How to register at the NHS GP Surgery (and what to do if you’re ill) If you live on campus or locally, it’s important that you register at the on-site NHS practice as soon as possible after you start at Royal Holloway. That way, if you do need treatment for anything the practice team will have your records on hand to help take care of you. For most medical problems you can call the NHS practice on 01784 443131. If you need urgent medical advice (but it’s not life-threatening) call the NHS advice line on 111. If you have a medical emergency that may be life-threatening, call 999 immediately. Students’ Union Advice Centre The Students’ Union runs an independent Advice Centre, with Student Support Advisors on hand to give specialist advice in relation to any academic or housing issues. Find out more at su.rhul.ac.uk/advice What to do in an emergency If you need urgent assistance, call Security on 01784 443063 or the emergency services on 999. It’s a good idea to save these numbers on your phone in case you need them quickly. You can report a crime or speak to the police about something that’s not an emergency by calling 101. Only call an ambulance if you need it. Our closest hospital is St. Peters in Chertsey, which can be reached by bus and is a 15-20 minutes drive away. Our Security team operates 24 hours a day, every day, and can provide emergency support at all times. You can find out more at royalholloway.ac.uk/security
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Managing your money How to pay for items on campus Your College Card acts as your Campus Account card and you should carry it with you at all times. Your Campus Account is a quick and easy way to pay for things on campus – with money in your account, you can pay just by swiping your card. It helps you save money too. If you use your College Card to pay for something on campus you’ll automatically save 20% (the Value Added Tax, or VAT) on most food and hot drinks in College-run catering outlets. If you’re living in Founder’s, Reid or Kingswood you’ll receive an even bigger 50% discount on food and drink in Founder’s and KW’s dining halls, on top of the 20% VAT discount. All you need to do is top up your card and start spending. You can manage your account and top up online. Start saving money with your Campus Account Say our lasagne costs you £3.60 a portion if you paid by cash. If you’re living in catered ‘pay as you go’ halls, you get a 50% discount on the food, plus another 20% discount for not paying VAT. That means that £3.60 lasagne actually only costs you £1.50 at the till, if you use your College Card. If you’re not in catered ‘pay as you go’ halls, the lasagne would still only cost you £3, as you wouldn’t have to pay the VAT. All you have to do is pay with your College Card! To set up your online account: 1. Go to upaychilli.com 2. Enter ROYALHOLLOWAY as Company’s affiliated ID 3. Your user ID is the last six digits of your student ID number and follow the instructions on screen Once you’ve topped up your card, just present it when you’re asked to pay.
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You can also download the upaychilli app once you’ve registered. The app enables you to scan your phone to pay for products. Getting money out and banking You can withdraw cash for free, if you have a UK bank account, at the ATM machines on campus. We’ve also got our own branch of Santander located within the Davison Building which offers a range of banking services. Find out more about student banking at royalholloway.ac.uk/students/money/ opening-a-student-bank-account.aspx What to do if you need help with money If you find yourself getting into difficulties with money, please talk to us. We can talk about and help you with most financial concerns. You can contact our Financial Wellbeing team on 01784 414633 or 276109 or by email at moneymatters@royalholloway.ac.uk
Need help? Where to look for information If you need to find out about an aspect of life at Royal Holloway, the student intranet should be your first port of call. It’s regularly updated with the latest campus news, events and there’s an online noticeboard where you can organise club and society activities, buy and sell things and more. Visit royalholloway.ac.uk/students Where to go if you need help If you’ve got a problem with anything at Royal Holloway the most important thing is to talk to us about it. If we know there’s a problem, we’re always here to help. If you have an issue in Halls, you can talk to your Hall Reception. If you have a query about your course you can contact your School Office.
If you don’t know who to talk to, speak to our Student Services Centre team – even if they can’t help you they’ll find out who can. They are located in the Davison Building and are open Mon - Fri, 8.30am 6.30pm during term-time and 9.30am - 5.30pm during vacation. You can also contact them on 01784 276641 or email studentservices@royalholloway.ac.uk Need proof of your student status? There are a variety of documents available to you as a student. Find out more about these documents and how to access them at royalholloway.ac.uk/students/ study/documents-and-forms A dog ate my College Card It happens to the best of us! Your first replacement College Card is free, then it’s £10 each time. To get a new one, visit the Student Services Centre in the Davison Building. We’ll print your replacement there and then!
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Be Heard Effective student representation is a key part of Royal Holloway’s campus life and there are lots of ways you can get involved to ensure that you have your say.
any idea that you think would improve life at Royal Holloway. Find out more and submit your ideas at su.rhul.ac.uk/brightideas
Your Sabbatical Officers
The Royal Holloway 100
The Students’ Union is here to represent your views so that your time studying at Royal Holloway is a positive and enjoyable experience. Every year you, the student body, elect a team of five full-time Sabbatical Officers to lead the Union. The Officers work on a range of issues relating to student life, from listening to your views, through to working with the College to introduce positive change on campus. This year your Officers are Jack, Kate, Lucy, Sophia and Dom – find out more about their roles at su.rhul.ac.uk/officers
The RH100 is a large focus group, with 100 panellists from across Royal Holloway, that reflect our diverse student body. The panel is called upon to influence decisions being made at the College.
Academic Reps Course and Department Reps are an important link between students and staff at Royal Holloway. They are elected by students to represent their views, and ultimately to help improve the quality of the educational experience of students at Royal Holloway. Find out more at su.rhul.ac.uk/academicreps Bright Ideas Launched in 2016 by the Students’ Union, the Bright Ideas platform is your opportunity to submit
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As part of the RH100 you can drive change by providing your input and working in partnership with the College. If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of, look out for our recruitment drive and find out more at royalholloway.ac.uk/rh100 or contact us at rh100@royalholloway.ac.uk Student Surveys Every year, you’re encouraged to take part in a student survey. This is your chance to let us know what you’re liking and what could be improved at Royal Holloway. We read every survey response you give us, and every department makes an action plan based on what you tell us. Past responses from students are why we built the Davison Building and the Boilerhouse Café!
TEACHING TO EVENTS
Need help? • The student intranet at royalholloway.ac.uk/students has answers to most questions about Royal Holloway • Visit the Student Services Centre in the Davison Building from 8.30am - 6.30pm on weekdays during term-time, or 9.30am - 5.30pm on weekdays during vacation time • Contact the Student Services Centre by emailing studentservices@royalholloway.ac.uk or call them on 01784 276641 • In an emergency call Security 24/7 on 01784 443063
2019/20 term dates Autumn term Monday 23 September - Friday 13 December 2019 Spring term Monday 13 January - Friday 27 March 2020 8070 06/19
Summer term Monday 27 April - Friday 12 June 2020