Find out more about what life is like as an undergraduate in the Department of Classics
Our department is friendly and diverse, close-knit and open-minded. We support each and every one of our students both academically and personally so that they get the most out of their degree and their time at Royal Holloway. Come and join a department where you'll be part of a community of students and staff that is passionate about the classical world and where there's always something exciting going on.
Supporting you
Supporting you is our priority. When you arrive at Royal Holloway, you will be assigned a personal tutor who will provide academic and pastoral support, including guidance on your module choices and help with personal and practical matters. All staff in the Department have weekly consultation hours so that you can drop in if there is anything you would like to talk about.
Working Together
The Department is an inclusive community. We are a Classics-for-all Department committed to inclusivity. We support students from all backgrounds, whether they have studied antiquity in any form previously. We work actively to support LGBTQ+ students and those from BAME backgrounds: see more on this in our inclusivity statements. This commitment is central to our teaching and research. In the education we offer, we support students from schools (see our schools and outreach hub) through undergraduate to postgraduate or careers. The various programmes are designed to develop our students across the years of their study, from our first year introductory levels to our specialist research-led courses. From year two, we give the students the opportunity to develop their own interest and age in independent research. Students are guided in their pathways through the menu of courses and provided with the skills and knowledge to succeed. Students are supported in growing into the independent, innovative and flexible thinkers ready to tackle the world of work. The diversity of our staff and students is one of our strengths and we value the individual contributions of students at all levels and in Classics all our students are seen as individuals. Students and staff work together to ensure the best possible learning experience and through committees, focus-groups, personal tutor systems and course feedback, we are always looking to ensure we offer the best possible educational experience.
Our community
Our Department has a real buzz about it thanks to its lively community of undergraduates, postgraduates and academic staff. We have an active Classics Society that runs an exciting programme of events, including fun socials and an annual trip to Greece or Italy, and it even stages a classical play in English translation! You can check out the Classics Society's Facebook page here. In recent years, our students have held their own weekly reading groups on topics ranging from Homer to contemporary critical theory. We are home to three major research centres which host international events both on and off campus. The Department also holds the annual Dabis Lecture, to which we invite highly respected speakers from around the world.
Second-year Classical Studies student, Bonnie, on her experience as an undergraduate in the Department of Classics
