Chemistry or Chem eng
I am not sure what to chose for university. I equally enjoy maths, physics and chemistry. I have heard that chemistry degree prospects are terrible and I would neglect maths and physics. But I would enjoy chemistry. However, I heard that chem eng has good prospects and salary, plus I would be able to combine maths, physics and chemistry. However, I heard that there is hardly any chemistry in chem eng and engineering at university is very workload heavy. What do I do
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Original post by Kai Diawara
I am not sure what to chose for university. I equally enjoy maths, physics and chemistry. I have heard that chemistry degree prospects are terrible and I would neglect maths and physics. But I would enjoy chemistry. However, I heard that chem eng has good prospects and salary, plus I would be able to combine maths, physics and chemistry. However, I heard that there is hardly any chemistry in chem eng and engineering at university is very workload heavy. What do I do
I'm in the same situation as you
If I did do a chemistry degree, I would become a teacher and I'd love to do that for the rest of my life
But I heard differently about the chemistry eng degree as the chemistry you do is more applied to real life situations which is why it's a bit different and not a vocational course like chemistry only.
I still don't know tbh
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Original post by kkboyk
Have you thought about a joint honour degree (e.g. chemistry with mathematics)?
You should consider Natural Science, which would allow you to learn those things.
You should consider Natural Science, which would allow you to learn those things.
Yeah, I saw the joint honour degree at UCL but I heard it wasn't very good.
Thanks, I'll look into natural sciences
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Original post by Kai Diawara
I am not sure what to chose for university. I equally enjoy maths, physics and chemistry. I have heard that chemistry degree prospects are terrible and I would neglect maths and physics. But I would enjoy chemistry. However, I heard that chem eng has good prospects and salary, plus I would be able to combine maths, physics and chemistry. However, I heard that there is hardly any chemistry in chem eng and engineering at university is very workload heavy. What do I do
Some schools (Sheffield, Strathclyde and I think Birmingham off the top of my mind) offer joint courses in chemistry and chemical engineering. On top of that, If I remember correctly, Bristol offers a course in Chemical Physics (or Physical Chemistry, I really dont remember :P). You should check those out, since I think they would offer the perfect compromise.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Bloom77
Yeah, I saw the joint honour degree at UCL but I heard it wasn't very good.
Thanks, I'll look into natural sciences
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Thanks, I'll look into natural sciences
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I suggest researching joint honours for more details, especially since it varies greatly.
yeah, however, I do not know the prospects of a joint honor and nat sci. btw im not only looking at the money but I have to be realistic about life because lab techs are like pipette monkeys with 10k a year. nevertheless thanks for the suggestions
Original post by Bloom77
I'm in the same situation as you
If I did do a chemistry degree, I would become a teacher and I'd love to do that for the rest of my life
But I heard differently about the chemistry eng degree as the chemistry you do is more applied to real life situations which is why it's a bit different and not a vocational course like chemistry only.
I still don't know tbh
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If I did do a chemistry degree, I would become a teacher and I'd love to do that for the rest of my life
But I heard differently about the chemistry eng degree as the chemistry you do is more applied to real life situations which is why it's a bit different and not a vocational course like chemistry only.
I still don't know tbh
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where are you looking to study for university
Original post by Kai Diawara
where are you looking to study for university
If I do end up doing medicine
Then it would be Leicester, Exeter, Manchester and Newcastle
If it was chemical engineering, it would be
Imperial, UCL, Sheffield and not sure about the others yet
Wbu?
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Im not really Cambridge material, so I want to do chem eng at Imperial. I would be really devastated. My second choice is UCL.
Original post by Kai Diawara
Im not really Cambridge material, so I want to do chem eng at Imperial. I would be really devastated. My second choice is UCL.
I heard UCL doesn't have a great chem department even though I really wanna go there too
What do u think?
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My uni gave us the opportunity to switch into ChemEng after one year of NatSci, so I have a vague idea of what it entails (I picked the Chemistry route though!)
- Chemistry = lots of labs each week, more focus on the actual chemicals + reactions + mechanisms etc.
- ChemEng = hardly any labs, quite a lot of physics/ maths describing things like rates of reactions, flows of fluids around a plant, catalysts, etc.
If you really like Chemistry, do Chemistry - apparently there's very little of it in ChemEng (which is essentially engineering applied to Chemical applications). If you want to include more physics, consider a joint honors degree, or I would personally highly recommend Natural Sciences which gives you more flexibility.
Mind you, I'd point out that there is a fair amount of physics/ maths within chemistry - a chemistry degree is much more theoretical than the A level, you learn about things like bonding in molecules (and the horrible maths describing it), rate equations (LOTS of differential equations), etc. as well as the organic chemistry side (mechanisms, structures, etc.) and inorganic chemistry (stuff to do with metal ions forming complexes). Depending on what bits of physics you really enjoy, you may find that a fair amount of it is covered in a chemistry degree anyway, and some degrees give you the flexbility to pick one or two modules from other subjects too if you wanted to keep up a bit of physics but still do a chemistry degree rather than joint honours/ NatSci.
- Chemistry = lots of labs each week, more focus on the actual chemicals + reactions + mechanisms etc.
- ChemEng = hardly any labs, quite a lot of physics/ maths describing things like rates of reactions, flows of fluids around a plant, catalysts, etc.
If you really like Chemistry, do Chemistry - apparently there's very little of it in ChemEng (which is essentially engineering applied to Chemical applications). If you want to include more physics, consider a joint honors degree, or I would personally highly recommend Natural Sciences which gives you more flexibility.
Mind you, I'd point out that there is a fair amount of physics/ maths within chemistry - a chemistry degree is much more theoretical than the A level, you learn about things like bonding in molecules (and the horrible maths describing it), rate equations (LOTS of differential equations), etc. as well as the organic chemistry side (mechanisms, structures, etc.) and inorganic chemistry (stuff to do with metal ions forming complexes). Depending on what bits of physics you really enjoy, you may find that a fair amount of it is covered in a chemistry degree anyway, and some degrees give you the flexbility to pick one or two modules from other subjects too if you wanted to keep up a bit of physics but still do a chemistry degree rather than joint honours/ NatSci.
Original post by dragonkeeper999
My uni gave us the opportunity to switch into ChemEng after one year of NatSci, so I have a vague idea of what it entails (I picked the Chemistry route though!)
- Chemistry = lots of labs each week, more focus on the actual chemicals + reactions + mechanisms etc.
- ChemEng = hardly any labs, quite a lot of physics/ maths describing things like rates of reactions, flows of fluids around a plant, catalysts, etc.
If you really like Chemistry, do Chemistry - apparently there's very little of it in ChemEng (which is essentially engineering applied to Chemical applications). If you want to include more physics, consider a joint honors degree, or I would personally highly recommend Natural Sciences which gives you more flexibility.
Mind you, I'd point out that there is a fair amount of physics/ maths within chemistry - a chemistry degree is much more theoretical than the A level, you learn about things like bonding in molecules (and the horrible maths describing it), rate equations (LOTS of differential equations), etc. as well as the organic chemistry side (mechanisms, structures, etc.) and inorganic chemistry (stuff to do with metal ions forming complexes). Depending on what bits of physics you really enjoy, you may find that a fair amount of it is covered in a chemistry degree anyway, and some degrees give you the flexbility to pick one or two modules from other subjects too if you wanted to keep up a bit of physics but still do a chemistry degree rather than joint honours/ NatSci.
- Chemistry = lots of labs each week, more focus on the actual chemicals + reactions + mechanisms etc.
- ChemEng = hardly any labs, quite a lot of physics/ maths describing things like rates of reactions, flows of fluids around a plant, catalysts, etc.
If you really like Chemistry, do Chemistry - apparently there's very little of it in ChemEng (which is essentially engineering applied to Chemical applications). If you want to include more physics, consider a joint honors degree, or I would personally highly recommend Natural Sciences which gives you more flexibility.
Mind you, I'd point out that there is a fair amount of physics/ maths within chemistry - a chemistry degree is much more theoretical than the A level, you learn about things like bonding in molecules (and the horrible maths describing it), rate equations (LOTS of differential equations), etc. as well as the organic chemistry side (mechanisms, structures, etc.) and inorganic chemistry (stuff to do with metal ions forming complexes). Depending on what bits of physics you really enjoy, you may find that a fair amount of it is covered in a chemistry degree anyway, and some degrees give you the flexbility to pick one or two modules from other subjects too if you wanted to keep up a bit of physics but still do a chemistry degree rather than joint honours/ NatSci.
Ooh thanks for that
I don't do a-level physics :/
Would that be a problem in terms of chem eng?
Am I able to catch it quickly as I've heard they teach you from the basics do everyone's on the same level
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Original post by Bloom77
Ooh thanks for that
I don't do a-level physics :/
Would that be a problem in terms of chem eng?
Am I able to catch it quickly as I've heard they teach you from the basics do everyone's on the same level
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I don't do a-level physics :/
Would that be a problem in terms of chem eng?
Am I able to catch it quickly as I've heard they teach you from the basics do everyone's on the same level
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Whether a university requires A level physics is up to them - some may let you on as long as you are taking sufficient other science/ maths subjects. Check their website for info on this. My uni requires physics in order to be able to take the first year Physics module of NatSci (although they may also allow people who have done at least three maths mechanics units or something I think...), which is in turn a requirement to switch to ChemEng. To study ChemEng via first year engineering I'm pretty sure you needed physics to get into the Engineering course too...
Basically, I'd expect quite a few universities to require A level physics, or perhaps some will accept Maths (possibly also requiring Further Maths) instead, since Physics A level is a load of rubbish and not at all relevant to degree level (which is basically like mechanics).
Again, it depends on the uni as to whether they go back to the basics or not. Mine certainly did not, in fact they seemed to assume that everyone had studied additional further maths and just left those of us without the required background maths skills to flounder around attempting to work out what on earth a differential equation was. Universities with lower entrance requirements or those not requiring physics/ maths A levels would probably start from the basics however, since they know that their students need the extra help.
Original post by dragonkeeper999
My uni gave us the opportunity to switch into ChemEng after one year of NatSci, so I have a vague idea of what it entails (I picked the Chemistry route though!)
- Chemistry = lots of labs each week, more focus on the actual chemicals + reactions + mechanisms etc.
- ChemEng = hardly any labs, quite a lot of physics/ maths describing things like rates of reactions, flows of fluids around a plant, catalysts, etc.
If you really like Chemistry, do Chemistry - apparently there's very little of it in ChemEng (which is essentially engineering applied to Chemical applications). If you want to include more physics, consider a joint honors degree, or I would personally highly recommend Natural Sciences which gives you more flexibility.
Mind you, I'd point out that there is a fair amount of physics/ maths within chemistry - a chemistry degree is much more theoretical than the A level, you learn about things like bonding in molecules (and the horrible maths describing it), rate equations (LOTS of differential equations), etc. as well as the organic chemistry side (mechanisms, structures, etc.) and inorganic chemistry (stuff to do with metal ions forming complexes). Depending on what bits of physics you really enjoy, you may find that a fair amount of it is covered in a chemistry degree anyway, and some degrees give you the flexbility to pick one or two modules from other subjects too if you wanted to keep up a bit of physics but still do a chemistry degree rather than joint honours/ NatSci.
- Chemistry = lots of labs each week, more focus on the actual chemicals + reactions + mechanisms etc.
- ChemEng = hardly any labs, quite a lot of physics/ maths describing things like rates of reactions, flows of fluids around a plant, catalysts, etc.
If you really like Chemistry, do Chemistry - apparently there's very little of it in ChemEng (which is essentially engineering applied to Chemical applications). If you want to include more physics, consider a joint honors degree, or I would personally highly recommend Natural Sciences which gives you more flexibility.
Mind you, I'd point out that there is a fair amount of physics/ maths within chemistry - a chemistry degree is much more theoretical than the A level, you learn about things like bonding in molecules (and the horrible maths describing it), rate equations (LOTS of differential equations), etc. as well as the organic chemistry side (mechanisms, structures, etc.) and inorganic chemistry (stuff to do with metal ions forming complexes). Depending on what bits of physics you really enjoy, you may find that a fair amount of it is covered in a chemistry degree anyway, and some degrees give you the flexbility to pick one or two modules from other subjects too if you wanted to keep up a bit of physics but still do a chemistry degree rather than joint honours/ NatSci.
Thank you for this info. I am going to do maths further maths physics and chemistry for as and a2 level. because this shall give me the fundamental skills to suceed in a chem or chem eng degree
Original post by Kai Diawara
I am not sure what to chose for university. I equally enjoy maths, physics and chemistry. I have heard that chemistry degree prospects are terrible and I would neglect maths and physics. But I would enjoy chemistry. However, I heard that chem eng has good prospects and salary, plus I would be able to combine maths, physics and chemistry. However, I heard that there is hardly any chemistry in chem eng and engineering at university is very workload heavy. What do I do
Do you want to study science or engineering?
Original post by Bloom77
I heard UCL doesn't have a great chem department even though I really wanna go there too
What do u think?
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What do u think?
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I haven't really heard this
. I always thought UCL was and is one of the best universities in the UK for sciences. However, I have not looked at the league tables for quiet some time.Original post by Kai Diawara
I haven't really heard this. I always thought UCL was and is one of the best universities in the UK for sciences. However, I have not looked at the league tables for quiet some time.
. I always thought UCL was and is one of the best universities in the UK for sciences. However, I have not looked at the league tables for quiet some time.Yeah it is for medicine and English, I've read on a lot of threads that it's not great in the chemical engineering department. It's 13th on the league tables which isn't bad but student satisfaction is about 56%.
I really have no clue.
I'm visiting their eng department in the summer for about 6 weeks to get an experience and I'll speak to some of the students about this and see what's the reality.
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that sounds very good. Im going to imperial summer school and will look at the STEM subjects. I will ask what how to stand out in terms of applying and what social/academic life is there and how to cope and if it lives up to the status and if they had any regrets on their course/college etc. It should be a good experience
Original post by Kai Diawara
that sounds very good. Im going to imperial summer school and will look at the STEM subjects. I will ask what how to stand out in terms of applying and what social/academic life is there and how to cope and if it lives up to the status and if they had any regrets on their course/college etc. It should be a good experience
You paid £3000 for the summer school!!
Bloody hell!
Lol sorry
I can't afford that
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