UCAS choice for engineering/EEE?

Question

I am wondering if anyone can give me some ideas on which uni to choose as my firm and insurance choices. I am applying for engineering/ electrical and electronic engineering and have recently received 6 offers.

AAA from Cambridge, Imperial and UCL ;
AAB from Warwick, Bristol and Southampton

Thanks a lot!!!

Answer 1

Hi there,

I am also applying for uni this year.

I would certainly choose Cambridge as my firm (if you have the opportunity to go to one of the best universities in the world, then TAKE IT!!)

Your insurance should ideally have lower grades than your firm, and from your list I would say that Warwick is the best out of the AAB category. It's a fantastic university (though if you want city life you may want to think again) and the course there is great!

So, Cambridge firm, Warwick insurance!

p.s. make sure you go visit - it makes so much difference - what one person hates, another loves!

Good luck this year, and I hope this has helped!!

Answer 2

I've applied for EEE at exactly the same universities as you, apart from Loughborough instead of Bristol but thats not the point. Really this answer is about Cambridge vs Imperial, im not sure what to choose for your insurance offer. Cambridge rejected me and Imperial have given me an AAA offer, but I hold no grudge against Cambridge so don't disregard this as being biased in any way.

If you accept Cambridge then be aware that you're going to have to study all the different branches of engineering, not just EEE.
So if you're interested in Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering etc then perhaps you should choose Cambridge as your first choice.

On the other hand, if you don't really care for mech eng and the like, then you're going to be forced to learn a whole load of stuff you dont care about for two years before you can specialise.
I've also had several businessmen in engineering tell me that they hired Cambridge engineers, thinking theyd be good, but found out that they were too academic and couldn't work well in real world situations. Still Cambridge always seems to top the league tables, even for EEE which technically it doesn't teach... but whatever.

Imperial is definately a good choice, don't dismiss it just because Cambridge comes higher in the league tables. A friend of mine is rejecting Cambridge to go to Imperial because he believes (like a lot of people) that the EEE course at Imperial is the best in the country. Imperial is my first choice, their facilities are excellent (since the university has a shed load of money) and they are consistently ranked third in the country if you believe in league tables (thats overall and subject specific for EEE). They have an excellent reputation worldwide and there's the option of studying abroad at another prestigious university for a year. Plus its in London - which isn't as pretty as Cambridge by a long long way but there's much more to see and do.

Other things to consider are that Imperial is going to cost, big time, because accomodation in London is so damn expensive. Your room is also unlikely to be as nice as one in Cambridge.

I'm led to believe that the difficulty of the courses are much the same, you're going to be worked to death whichever you choose. Both universities employ a system of supervisions/tutorials, I think that you have tutorials in groups of 4 or 5 at Imperial whereas its 1,2 or 3 at Cambridge depending on your college, but Imperial actually has a better ratio of Staff to Students. Imperial also do this thing called "problem based learning" where you learn by working in a group to solve a problem - which is supposed to prepare you for working in the real world. The quality of teaching is much the same at both universities, you'll be taught by leading experts in their field.

Well that was a bit wordy... to summarise here are the main differences:

Cambridge:

You study various branches of engineering for 2 years, then EEE for two.

Your supervisions take place more often and with a better student/staff ratio during the supervision. However outside of supervisions there is a worse student staff ratio.

The location is stunning, but the city only really exists because of the university and there isn't a great deal to do.

Your university has a better reputation generally, but for your subject it perhaps isn't as highly regarded. Studying a broader range of disciplines gives you options outside of EEE, you could potentially work in other types of engineering. Cambridge will always be highly regarded by employers and it certainly has a "wow" factor that Imperial doesn't, owing to its longstanding reputation for excellence and notorious selection process.

Imperial:

You study EEE for the full four years.

You have less frequent supervisions, with a slighly worse student staff ratio during the supervision. However, outside of supervisions there is a better student staff ratio.

The location has some really nice bits and some really quite awful bits. On the whole its nowhere near as pretty, but this is London and you can see and do absolutely everything. It's also more expensive.

Your university is always ranked below Cambridge in the league tables, but for your subject employers recognise that you are probably better than a Cambridge graduate because your studies have been more focused in the field of EEE. Imperial's location within London gives it better links with industry, you are extremely employable especially by firms in London. Many Imperial EEE graduates are offered high paying jobs in London banks.

Answer 3

Wow! look at you go! Imperial college is still the best around for EEE. Don't choose Southampton they aren't great.

Answer 4

From friend's experiences, Imperial is one of the best, as is Bristol, so I'd pick those ones!

Answer 5

hi, my boyfriend is in his first year of that cource and he goes to huddersfield university... dont choose the cource for its reputation...choose it for how it suits you...

i chose psychology with criminology, ok i could have gone to london, wales, scotland... but i chose the area close to me as that meant that i saved on living costs and could spend more of my money on books and resources.

when employers look at your CV when they employ you they look at the grades, it doesnt matter where you got them...the fact is you got them...you get out of a cource what you put into it...

so i chose the one that will be the most convientant to me...that one was in my home town! i now get to live for free, have two jobs, my friends around me and can afford all the resource i need for my cource and dont have to worry about debts piling on top of me. all i have to think about is the cource fees..

dont let reputation guide you in to debt... just go by what you think is best... people will tell you this uni and that uni and then you wont be happy with it and then even more you will be in loads of debt...

think a head of your self before making a descion and dont let people step in your way

its up to you to make your descion by your self...

hope that helps and good luck... its alot of maths and practical work!!!

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