The Student Room Group

Maths at UCL (ahead of Warwick)

I understand that the quality of the mathematics department and course at Warwick is higher than that of UCL, but despite that I have talked myself into making UCL my firm for the reasons outlined below. I would appreciate if you could point out flaws in my thinking or just show me the other point of view which I am not seeing, thanks.

- I have noticed that UCL has raised its offer to A*AA and after talking to the admissions tutor there on the Introductory day, I have learnt that the maths department has undergone recent expansion and that they are being much more selective with offers this year due to too many students enrolling last year. The A* offer suggests to me that the quality of students on the course will be high because less confident/able students will be deterred from applying or fail to meet the offer. That, combined with the expansion gives me the impression that the department is on the rise, so I am not too worried about the reputation of the course in the future.

- Looking at Warwick, its maths department is world class, huge compared to UCL's three floors and receives more funding and higher ratings from employers. However, the small size of the maths department at UCL doesn't bother me and the tutors there are really friendly and from what I've read, the quality of teaching and access to help when needed is good.

- The course at Warwick is more flexible but very difficult. The quality of the course is not a major factor in my decision. I think I've got a much higher chance of getting a 1st from UCL then I have from Warwick. At Warwick you are constantly assessed whereas at UCL you only have exams at the end of the year, and since I don't want to be a 'proper' mathematician, I'm not up for the constant pressure at Warwick. I would definitely have more free time at UCL, which is important to me.

- In terms of lifestyle, its subjective, but for me UCL is by far better in this aspect of my decision. Its during the olympics and build up to the olympics (where I could get a job), in a great part of London (Subway and Pizza Hut nearby), and it has a really good atmosphere and plenty of things for students to do. It would be hard to sacrifice all this to get the best possible career/graduate prospects when prospects at UCL are really good anyway.

But I do have some questions:

- How difficult is it to get accomodation in London, which I need to get from the 2nd year onwards? Also, what are (roughly) the range of prices people pay for it and is it often very far from campus? Finally, Is lots of help provided for accomodation?

Thanks if you bothered to read, all help is appreciated. :smile:

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Your choice of course should not solely depend on how good the course is. It will depend on many factors. For me, location was quite a big one (even though 3 choices were in London). I didn't really want to be in London and still be 17 for 2 months, although I did prefer being in the UCL/LSE area rather than Imperial. Also at Warwick I'm further away from my family -whereas LSE was a 5 minute walk and a 45 minute train, Warwick is just :colonhash: and involves passing underneath UCL and LSE in order to get home - who knows if that's a good thing or not.

UCL was oversubscribed this year for perhaps a couple of reasons: the STEP I '2' grade boundary was 10 marks (or more) higher compared to the previous 3 years and fewer Warwick applicants met their offer and also Imperial introduced the 'no resits rule' to add to their 'As in every Maths and FM module'. This probably diverted more people towards UCL.

Ok, so that doesn't answer any of your questions, but yeah I understand why people don't always choose the best course because there are other reasons to it. Have you visited Warwick yet? The Zeeman building is just :h: compared to the thing above the SU, next to Euston station.
Reply 2
I'm at Warwick doing maths in my first year at the moment, so I'll give you my experiences.

_Ravi_

- I have noticed that UCL has raised its offer to A*AA and after talking to the admissions tutor there on the Introductory day, I have learnt that the maths department has undergone recent expansion
Warwick has recently built a new building, the 'International Digital Laboratory' for the maths department.

and that they are being much more selective with offers this year due to too many students enrolling last year. The A* offer suggests to me that the quality of students on the course will be high because less confident/able students will be deterred from applying or fail to meet the offer. That, combined with the expansion gives me the impression that the department is on the rise, so I am not too worried about the reputation of the course in the future.
Warwick ask for STEP or AEA exams to be taken by applicants, and they require a grade of 2/merit depending on which exam is taken. I would say that getting a good grade on these exams is much harder than getting the marks required for an A* at A-level.


- Looking at Warwick, its maths department is world class, huge compared to UCL's three floors and receives more funding and higher ratings from employers. However, the small size of the maths department at UCL doesn't bother me and the tutors there are really friendly and from what I've read, the quality of teaching and access to help when needed is good.

Most teaching is in lecture format and the quality of teaching there does vary but I find the best way to get individual help at Warwick is in supervisions where five undergraduates meet with a 'supervisor' who is a 4th year or phd student. The supervisor also marks most of the homeworks each week.

We do also meet with our tutors either every week or every other week. In the first term, we have seminars for the Analysis module, where the style of teaching is similar to sixth form. This is because the Analysis module is considered to be one of the hardest ones in the first year.


- The course at Warwick is more flexible but very difficult. The quality of the course is not a major factor in my decision. I think I've got a much higher chance of getting a 1st from UCL then I have from Warwick. At Warwick you are constantly assessed whereas at UCL you only have exams at the end of the year, and since I don't want to be a 'proper' mathematician, I'm not up for the constant pressure at Warwick
At Warwick, we have several homeworks each week and a multiple choice exam almost every week in the first term. However, these each count for such a small percentage of your mark that it doesn't matter if you badly in any of these. However, it does give you the confidence that you're understanding the material (it is very easily to lose focus on the material you're being taught if you're not careful) and that you are able to perform well in exams at the end of the year. There is also a three hour exam in January on two of the modules.

I would definitely have more free time at UCL, which is important to me.
In the first term, there are about 23-25 hours of lectures/seminars etc per week which does take up a lot of your time. Then there is homework, which can take a few hours to complete. Despite this, there is still time to to other things.


- In terms of lifestyle, its subjective, but for me UCL is by far better in this aspect of my decision. Its during the olympics and build up to the olympics (where I could get a job), in a great part of London
The main nearby places are Coventry and Leamington Spa. To give a rough idea of costs, a day ticket to Coventry on the Bus is £2.90, and a five-seater taxi is about £8, which you can share between a group. The prices vary depending on where you go and what time of day it is. Coventry is bigger but it's not the nicest of cities. Leamington is quite nice though. There is also Birmingham which is a train ride away for about £3. I haven't been myself though.

(Subway and Pizza Hut nearby)
If you want to eat out, Leamington is quite good or people often order pizza over the phone from Dominoes, which costs about £5 if you use the money off coupons you're given. You won't be able to afford to eat out all the time though, so the best place to get food is in Tesco, which is right next door to campus and is open 24 hours on weekdays.

and it has a really good atmosphere
It definitely is good at Warwick

and plenty of things for students to do.
The Students' Union organises a lot of things and there is Coventry/Lemington where there are other things going on.
Reply 3
_Ravi_
I understand that the quality of the mathematics department and course at Warwick is higher than that of UCL, but despite that I have talked myself into making UCL my firm for the reasons outlined below. I would appreciate if you could point out flaws in my thinking or just show me the other point of view which I am not seeing, thanks.

- I have noticed that UCL has raised its offer to A*AA and after talking to the admissions tutor there on the Introductory day, I have learnt that the maths department has undergone recent expansion and that they are being much more selective with offers this year due to too many students enrolling last year. The A* offer suggests to me that the quality of students on the course will be high because less confident/able students will be deterred from applying or fail to meet the offer. That, combined with the expansion gives me the impression that the department is on the rise, so I am not too worried about the reputation of the course in the future.

- Looking at Warwick, its maths department is world class, huge compared to UCL's three floors and receives more funding and higher ratings from employers. However, the small size of the maths department at UCL doesn't bother me and the tutors there are really friendly and from what I've read, the quality of teaching and access to help when needed is good.

- The course at Warwick is more flexible but very difficult. The quality of the course is not a major factor in my decision. I think I've got a much higher chance of getting a 1st from UCL then I have from Warwick. At Warwick you are constantly assessed whereas at UCL you only have exams at the end of the year, and since I don't want to be a 'proper' mathematician, I'm not up for the constant pressure at Warwick. I would definitely have more free time at UCL, which is important to me.

- In terms of lifestyle, its subjective, but for me UCL is by far better in this aspect of my decision. Its during the olympics and build up to the olympics (where I could get a job), in a great part of London (Subway and Pizza Hut nearby), and it has a really good atmosphere and plenty of things for students to do. It would be hard to sacrifice all this to get the best possible career/graduate prospects when prospects at UCL are really good anyway.

But I do have some questions:

- How difficult is it to get accomodation in London, which I need to get from the 2nd year onwards? Also, what are (roughly) the range of prices people pay for it and is it often very far from campus? Finally, Is lots of help provided for accomodation?

Thanks if you bothered to read, all help is appreciated. :smile:


Your reasoning is fairly sound, or at least I can understand your point of view. There are many factors to consider besides the academic stand point and you have mentioned a few. However, from the way you phrased your arguments, you come across as someone who wants to avoid a challenge. Nothing wrong with that, but do bear in mind that you will also have a lot of work at UCL so you shouldn't kid yourself in thinking that you're going to have a much easier time over there.
_Ravi_

- In terms of lifestyle, its subjective, but for me UCL is by far better in this aspect of my decision. Its during the olympics and build up to the olympics (where I could get a job), in a great part of London (Subway and Pizza Hut nearby),


I just wanted to point out that this is the one on Russel sq, which is a pizza hut i have been going to for 6 years! It is the best Pizza hut in London and the customer service there is amazing :eek:

I'd go to ucl just for that pizza hut, yummmmmyyyy!!!!!!

P.S. maths is a crap course....if you don't like proof u'll hate maths. Just thought i'd warn you:smile:
ttoby


If you want to eat out, Leamington is quite good or people often order pizza over the phone from Dominoes...


I just wanted to say that Dominoes is the worst pizza ever! They put loads of flour on it after they've made it for reasons I do not understand! Pizza hut all the way :cool: (oh and nandos too)
Reply 6
getting a 2 in STEP is so much harder than an A* grade, i did my A-Level early last year along with step1, i got an A* in maths but a U in step
_Ravi_

- The course at Warwick is more flexible but very difficult. The quality of the course is not a major factor in my decision. I think I've got a much higher chance of getting a 1st from UCL then I have from Warwick. At Warwick you are constantly assessed whereas at UCL you only have exams at the end of the year, and since I don't want to be a 'proper' mathematician, I'm not up for the constant pressure at Warwick. I would definitely have more free time at UCL, which is important to me.


The flexibility of the course tends to be an advantage for those who later on in the course have a clear idea of what they want to do next (including not maths). That said unless you really love maths DO NOT DO A MATHS DEGREE. The main indicators for doing a maths degree and benefiting from it are that you love it and you are good at it. I would suggest that looking for an easier course giving you more leisure time to not do maths is a bad sign. Of course most students find that they do not want or are not able to spend the rest of their life doing maths. But it is not a good indicator to start out like that. There are plenty of other courses to do. Maybe you should look for a course that lets you switch out of maths if you find you don't like it?

_Ravi_

- In terms of lifestyle, its subjective, but for me UCL is by far better in this aspect of my decision. Its during the olympics and build up to the olympics (where I could get a job), in a great part of London (Subway and Pizza Hut nearby), and it has a really good atmosphere and plenty of things for students to do. It would be hard to sacrifice all this to get the best possible career/graduate prospects when prospects at UCL are really good anyway.


It is really hard to tell if the life style of London vs Warwick Univ will suit you a few years down the line. But it is important to try to choose and environment where you will be happy.

_Ravi_

But I do have some questions:

- How difficult is it to get accomodation in London, which I need to get from the 2nd year onwards? Also, what are (roughly) the range of prices people pay for it and is it often very far from campus? Finally, Is lots of help provided for accomodation?

Thanks if you bothered to read, all help is appreciated. :smile:


These are not questions for the Maths forum. Try general UCL threads?
Reply 8
TheTallOne
UCL was oversubscribed this year for perhaps a couple of reasons: the STEP I '2' grade boundary was 10 marks (or more) higher compared to the previous 3 years and fewer Warwick applicants met their offer and also Imperial introduced the 'no resits rule' to add to their 'As in every Maths and FM module'. This probably diverted more people towards UCL.

Do you know how strict they are with this?
Small123
Do you know how strict they are with this?

From what I've seen, 100% strict on it except when taking STEP/AEA (or is that Imperial which makes exemptions due to STEP/AEA? I don't know much about the London unis)
Reply 10
ttoby
I'm at Warwick doing maths in my first year at the moment, so I'll give you my experiences.


BillLionheart
The flexibility of the course tends to be an advantage for those who later on in the course have a clear idea of what they want to do next (including not maths). That said unless you really love maths DO NOT DO A MATHS DEGREE. The main indicators for doing a maths degree and benefiting from it are that you love it and you are good at it. I would suggest that looking for an easier course giving you more leisure time to not do maths is a bad sign. Of course most students find that they do not want or are not able to spend the rest of their life doing maths. But it is not a good indicator to start out like that. There are plenty of other courses to do. Maybe you should look for a course that lets you switch out of maths if you find you don't like it?


Krush
Your reasoning is fairly sound, or at least I can understand your point of view. There are many factors to consider besides the academic stand point and you have mentioned a few. However, from the way you phrased your arguments, you come across as someone who wants to avoid a challenge. Nothing wrong with that, but do bear in mind that you will also have a lot of work at UCL so you shouldn't kid yourself in thinking that you're going to have a much easier time over there.


Thank you for your input, I seem to have had a change of heart over the Christmas holidays, after researching the degree at Warwick in more detail. At this moment in time I couldn't be happier to go to Warwick, the course looks fantastic. It is true that my argument for UCL suggested that I was looking for the easy way out; I am glad that was pointed out. I tend to get into a lazy mentality during the Christmas holidays, perhaps that's why UCL seemed so attractive to me at the time.
_Ravi_
Thank you for your input, I seem to have had a change of heart over the Christmas holidays, after researching the degree at Warwick in more detail. At this moment in time I couldn't be happier to go to Warwick, the course looks fantastic. It is true that my argument for UCL suggested that I was looking for the easy way out; I am glad that was pointed out. I tend to get into a lazy mentality during the Christmas holidays, perhaps that's why UCL seemed so attractive to me at the time.


being in the same situation, i am now thoroughly confused :biggrin: i've been pro-UCL for a week now, but the above is reminding me of the wonderful day i had at Warwick... je ne sais pas
ttoby
I'm at Warwick doing maths in my first year at the moment, so I'll give you my experiences.

Warwick has recently built a new building, the 'International Digital Laboratory' for the maths department.

That's not for the Maths department. get yor facts rite.
Im getting abit scared of going to Warwick.

Is Warwick Maths degree that hard? How many people actually get firsts? How does the difficulty of their maths degree compare to MORSE?
examhunter
Im getting abit scared of going to Warwick.

Is Warwick Maths degree that hard? How many people actually get firsts? How does the difficulty of their maths degree compare to MORSE?

don't worry ffs.

people are building it up to be the tripos or something ridiculous. it's fine.
examhunter
Im getting abit scared of going to Warwick.

Is Warwick Maths degree that hard? How many people actually get firsts? How does the difficulty of their maths degree compare to MORSE?


It's not amazingly hard! I would think Warwick's degree is easier than UCL but what do I know??

Around 40% of people get Firsts which is similar to 40% in UCL but there are obviously more people in Warwick overall.

Evidence: http://www.unistats.com/studentAchievement.do

Just go for it, If you're scared about the course then change to MORSE but don't change because you think one is easier. Do the course that you feel you will enjoy more and have a passion for.
.:excel4100%:.
It's not amazingly hard! I would think Warwick's degree is easier than UCL but what do I know??.


I'm glad you ended your sentence with that. Otherwise you'd be shooting yourself in the foot talking about two courses, none of which you've done!


.:excel4100%:.

Around 40% of people get Firsts which is similar to 40% in UCL but there are obviously more people in Warwick overall.


This makes no sense whatsoever, what were you trying to say?
The Orientalist


This makes no sense whatsoever, what were you trying to say?


According to unistats, 40% of students on the UCL Mathematics courses get Firsts, which is very similar to the proportion that get Firsts on the Mathematics courses at Warwick.
.:excel4100%:.
According to unistats, 40% of students on the UCL Mathematics courses get Firsts, which is very similar to the proportion that get Firsts on the Mathematics courses at Warwick.


Thanks for clarifying. But what did you mean by "there are obviously more people in Warwick overall"?
Reply 19
.:excel4100%:.
According to unistats, 40% of students on the UCL Mathematics courses get Firsts, which is very similar to the proportion that get Firsts on the Mathematics courses at Warwick.


Well the entry standards for Warwick are considerably higher than those at UCL and the teaching at Warwick is supposed to be better. Not to mention just by looking at the course modules at both unis it looks like the Warwick course is more demanding although it's nice that it gives you the opportunity to do modules in pretty much anything you want.

anastasia(*^.^*)jam
being in the same situation, i am now thoroughly confused :biggrin: i've been pro-UCL for a week now, but the above is reminding me of the wonderful day i had at Warwick... je ne sais pas


yeah .. the more I think about it the more annoying it gets. I hope that the LSE gives me an offer though because I really like the UCL/LSE area. I don't want to firm Warwick, fail STEP and go to UCL without accomodation.

So I'm pretty sure that I'm going to firm a London Uni because I want a proper life outside study and I have a few mates going to other London Unis so I could live out with them.

Anyway, I would just go with whichever one you think that you'd enjoy the most and I don't think it will matter too much in the end. Good luck. :smile:

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